Hi everyone-I'm back

Hi everyone,

Sorry I haven't been around in a little while. I went back to work (after being out of work on disability), and just have been very tired/busy trying to get back up to speed with things.

Anyways, I'm still on pred! Yep. And it dawned on me you guys would understand. It seems everyone in my life is telling me to go off of it at the moment. Yes, it does make me a bit moody, and sleep...um an interesting prospect. But I need it to breathe and move around (as I have inflammatory arthritis).

I THINK the plan is to taper off over the next few weeks, but I can't really tell as my Spring allergies are now starting to kick in, and I'm sitting here using my neb. So there we are.

Oh, and I got written up at work as I was setting up a family meeting between two doctors, a family, and several nursing staff. Apparently I should have communicated better, which of course I can in hind sight adjust how I communicated, but I don't think I really did anything wrong. But it makes me so frusterated sometimes! I'm doing the best I can with many health issues at the moment, and with being so very tired because of the pred. and just what I have...it's hard to know what to do sometimes. At least I know I'm doing everything I can do.

What do you do when pred. makes you ""a little off"" but you still have to communicate and work and not make your loved ones crazy? I've been on the stuff now for 6 months, so I hardly remember what life was like without pred. anyhow.

Bee

[Annista]

Oooh, Bee, I've been there with the pred. Only once, but I never never want to do that again. I very carefully reduced by half a tablet a week and was so ill that I had to go right back to the start and reduce by a quarter of a tablet each fortnight. You've never seen such a performance as me trying to cut my pred into quarters, what with having the shakes and no sleep. Stroppy doesn't begin to describe me! Fortunately I live alone but I was working (only because I'd used all my 4 weeks sick leave and all my 4 weeks holiday and after 3 weeks on statutory sick pay I was broke)so I just announced that my medication wsa making me moody (what an understatement!), apologised in advance in case I upset anyone and then just left them to get on with it.

Not very helpful, really, except that maybe it wouldn't hurt to remind people that you might be moody but it's due to your meds and you can't help it.

[Hidden]

It is really tough but as Annista said, I too just say 'i know i'm stroppy, i can't help it, really sorry but just ignore my stroppyness'.

Ok to do this with family but tougher at work i should think. How about when you can feel yourself getting stroppy/frustrated etc you take yourself off for a 'loo' break but actually you are regrouping and calming down?

x

[Hidden]

It's so nice to ""talk"" to people who understand! I think I'm about at the end of my rope with the pred., but at least I feel like I have a plan now.

I saw my neurologist yesterday, who actually listened to me, and adjusted my dose of gabapentin (which I take to prevent migraines), and he said it would help me sleep too. Last night not as much, but tongiht I do feel nicely sleepy so far! It was just nice he listened too.

Then I ran into my pulmonologist on my hospital floor I cover (he's there quite a lot actually). And I was like I could call him and wait a week to hear back, or I could just ask him. So I'm supposed to take xopenex and ipatropium with my neb. twice a day, and then take xopenex with my inhaler while at work (so three times a day rescue meds total). And hopefully this will hold me out with my Spring allergies as I taper off of pred.

Anyways, I don't know. It just makes me mad sometimes because I feel that it takes twice as much energy to sort of counter act the pred. while at work, to meet my own work standards (barely), and then to get criticized on top of that is just hard.

I barely have time to do anything at work, but taking a few minutes is a good idea. I also realized today I need to drink more water.

Bee