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[user=1508]carries[/user] wrote:
Question: you spoke about waiting until your weight stabilizes…what do you mean by that?
are you suggesting that i start going down by the .25 instead of .5???
Hi Carries, Hi Chris
You asked if I cut back my dose by .25 every week, or two weeks or every month. Actually, I had no set schedule. My doctors' advice was to watch the scale and I only reduced when my weight was stable and I felt great – like a little roller coaster and you have to be very committed!
Carries you also asked why I watched my weight. I am certainly not an expert on this, but this is how I understand it and what I experienced.
My AP doc initially put me on prednisone to reduce inflamation along with doxycycline, fluconasol and a yeast control diet. At that time, June 2007, I had 45 pounds of INFLAMMATION/SWELLING. I was in terrible shape. Within 3 months I lost 35 pounds – of swelling!
AS I weaned off the prednisone I figured out that my body responded with a small amount of inflammation/swelling each time I reduced. If my body was able to stabilize-and the inflammation/pain was bearable and went away quickly then I was okay. If I felt overly burdened or in pain or my weight didn't go back down, then I figured I must have reduced too quickly, and went back to the previous dose and simply waited longer before I tried it again.
So when I reduced my dose of prednisone I had an inflamatory response which was reflected in my weight. When I “stabilized” that meant that I felt good and my weight didn't change. I usually saw a gain of a pound or two but that wasn't permanent. That was my key.
I was also very lucky last year. I was able to reduce very quickly while I was on the HCG diet and shots in May and September. For some reason while on HCG I was able to reduce the pred more quickly and didn't have any bothersome symptoms. That was a huge boost for me. My doc said that might happen. So I took advantage of that benefit from HCG and reduced the prednisone as quickly as I could.
Over the last 3 months I went from 1.5mg pred to 0mg. I gained 12 pounds. And I had some bad migraines for two weeks at 0mg. I think my body still needs more time and I'm still stabilizing. The way I measure that is by my weight and symptoms. I'm almost there because I have no pain. Just trying to be patient about my weight. I'll keep you posted!
And yes, going down by 0.25mg at a time is a good idea!
Chirs, if your symptoms are too uncomfortable go back and wait longer. Time is your friend!
Merla
Actually I haven't really been very patient – just VERY determined to get better!
In fact every time I saw my AP doc for the first year I asked him what else I could do to get better – and I did whatever it was. One time he just smiled and winked and said “Everyone wants to get better by the weekend.” :roll-laugh:
Hey Merla ,I think I will just hang with the 1.25 mg for awhile .I am so close i can taste it though.I am the one in a hurry .I just wanna move on from this is all.Put it behind me .I dont feel well these days but i am convinced its more weather related than drug related.I am also under alot of stress which i really dont need right now but i have to deal with anyway no matter what.I am trying an enzyme right now which seems to be starting to work slowly on my swelling in my feet and knees.I have a lazy circulatory system.I spent a lot of money on lymph massage that lasted 2 days and i swelled up again.so more massage is out of the question I aint making some massage lady rich from my pain and suffering.I will get the swelling down on my own this time.I am not patient either but I am persistent.Are you a scorpio also ?That will take me a long way in this therapy because this isnt easy at all. My naturopath was very upset that I wasnt further along on the Ap and feeling much better its been almost 6 months i think now.Thanx for the advice always appreciated.All i have is time .
chris
Weather is a big issue. When the pressures change in the weather my connective tissue responds. When it heats up like 70+ I begin to swell and become more stiff. When it is cool like 68 or below my swelling goes down and no stiffness. Does anyone else have this problem? I am a doctor of nutritional naturopathy. I am striving to understand this theory and the connection to weather.
[user=1701]Sir Rifes alot[/user] wrote:
My naturopath was very upset that I wasnt further along on the Ap and feeling much better its been almost 6 months i think now.
Hi Chris,
I think you will be glad you chose to slow down the rate you are reducing the prednisone. Sorry that you still have so much swelling in your feet and that you aren't feeling well. While I've been going through all this I can tell you that if I wasn't feeling well or if I was stressed I wouldn't reduce the pred until I was feeling good. There just is not set time for things to happen. Just listen to your body.
Don't let anyone – even yourself- push you faster than your body can go.
BUT if you feel like you are not progressing like you should there may be some other issues that need to be addressed. Yeast infection comes to my mind for one thing or maybe lyme? If you can talk to a good AP doc you can trouble shoot with them.
Merla
PS I'm just a crazy aquarian!
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