One to go!

[DevonMichael]

I am sharing this for all those who are following in the same path and to give hope that, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday, I moved onto 1mg of prednisolone and after a 14 month tapering regime, there have been no flares to GCA and in the words of the song, "we are almost there". The target date is the 11th September to move to zero! At which point I plan to drop the additional omeprazole/ calcium /aspirin and be clear of all medication and back to pre GCA days. The reduction in prednisolone has improved other issues with blood sugar levels dropping (no longer pre-diabetic) and also weight reduction,leading to a BMI dropping from 26 to 22, which nurse declared as perfect for my weight. Oh, and for good measure my cholesterol reduced from 6 to 3.5 in past six months, so have said goodbye to simvastatin! Looking forward to celebrating of being drug free.

[Brixhamhampster]

DevonMichael I am so pleased for you with such good news. It really does cheer people to hear of successes. I am in your neck of the woods and currently stuck on 3 mg a day. Think this is my current "lowest dose to manage my symptoms " but hope to try 2.5 again in a few weeks time. Only had this illness since June 2016 so early days yet for me to go into remission. Well done and enjoy your new found health.

[Rose54]

Well done and hope your reduction continues to zero

Nice to hear success stories

[SheffieldJane]

This is great news and encouraging for the rest of us too. I would love to be off my cocktail of pills too. I can imagine a battle over some of them with my GPs simply because of my age and statistics. Well done for helping yourself all along. Wishing you no set backs at all. Enjoy your life!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Great news DM! All the best for that other mg.

But I'll just say the same here as I did on Patient.info: DM is male and has GCA. That makes a big difference. GCA often burns out sooner than PMR and men experience both disease and pred very differently. Please don't be disappointed if your journey isn't as smooth.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi DM,

Good news - please keep us informed over the next few months how you adjust to life post GCA. But don't be in too much of a rush to abandon all medication in one fell swoop, the body take some time to adjust to life after Pred, so gently does it!

[Jackoh]

Well done! Do hope the last leg goes smoothly! Great encouragement to us all!

[kulina]

Congratulations! It sounds wonderful! I'm so happy for you!

[bunnymom]

Good for you! I can't quite imagine a life without my pill box but would be glad to try.

[jinasc]

Have you had a Synacthen Test if not, get one asap. Read up on it.

[Hidden]

Well done DevonMichael. I hope the rest goes smoothly for you. I stopped pred about 4 weeks ago but was on half every other day at the end though its taken three and a half years.

I was also pre diabetic and now blood test is normal, so thats a relief for both of us.

Two weeks after stopping I have injured my shoulder/collarbone with an awkward lift so do be aware of the weakened state of our bodies at this point and take it easy for a while! I wish I had been more careful.