Ran out of time again this year! Couldn't face getting all the decorations down from the loft so I bought a real tree and decorated it just with Robins and holly berry lightson Christmas Eve .Instead of spending 4 days decorating 4 rooms.I am seriously thinking of joining two days together, 24hours is not long enough for me, e.g.I was busy for 22 hours non stop on Christmas Eve.
Anyway moving on...I am getting worried because I am due to return to my nursing career after a 28 year break.I am 62. I will be working 12 hour shifts but that's OK because I have been working 10 hours as a nursery nurse.The point is I am now on 6 and a half mgs of Prednisolone and will carry on tapering down .(My GP is trying to hurry me according to my blood results but I think this is about what I need so I will carry on with DSNS.)I am scared that all the enormous stress of restarting will coincide with when my Adrenal glands start to kick in and the effect that will have on me.The timing is not good .So I was wondering what to expect at this point.Will I notice the Adrenals Glands joining in?
Thank you.And best wishes to you all for a Happy and pain free year.
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Dewdrop456
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Wow! Returning to work after 28 years. Good on you. Don't let that GP hurry you along. You seem to be managing well on DSNS. YOU DON'T NEED STRESS NOW GIRL. Wish you all the very best.
I think if you are already below 7 and managing well, just carry on. Might, however, be a good idea to suspend the taper for a few weeks as you adjust to the work schedule. Hope you enjoy the work, that will mean a lot.
Thank you very much .Hopefully it will be fine but I will be mega stressed.Returning to nursing means so much to me I really don't want the PMR to get in the way.Anyway good luck for the New Year.
I work full time in an upper management position in NYC (50-60 hours/week). I've taken off a few days in the past 3 years due to ice/snow conditions and my fear of falling, but otherwise went to work every day except holidays and weekends. My commute alone comes to 3+ hours a day, and involves descending/climbing a steep hill, taking a bus, a ferry and sometimes the subway, as well as walking in town (1+ miles of walking each way every day door-to-door).
You're going to have to mind your spoons, husbanding your energy for getting through your work week.
The first thing to do is organize groceries and the pantry. I order virtually everything on-line and have it delivered. No more hauling myself to the store, wandering the aisles, standing in line, hauling it all home. The only thing I do now is put it away, and most of it gets at least minimum preparation before it hits the fridge or the freezer. I plan my purchases so that I make several meals on weekends that can be readily reheated during the week for nutritious, fast meals with minimum cleanup: soups, stews, casseroles, steaks, chops, chicken cutlets etc. Some gets frozen in in single-serving glass containers that serve as storage, cooking/reheating and eating all from the same dish. Frozen vegetables and fruits are as good as fresh (except for some salad fixings). After you build up a repertoire and a cache in the freezer, you can probably get away with making 1 or 2 dishes a week and freeze the leftovers to replenish. This doesn't mean you can never go to the market again. I hit the greenmarket for fresh fruits and vegetables, or the fishmonger as I don't really like the texture of many fishes once frozen. But I go when the spirit moves me, not because I have to go. Yogurt and fruit make a great breakfast, as does oatmeal (which you can make ahead and re-heat). Lunches can be gleaned from dinner leftovers. You'll find that not cooking a full meal every night gives you some time to tidy up the kitchen by doing small tasks while you're waiting for dinner to heat up.
Next, organize the laundry. Find a laundromat with pickup/delivery service. They come and take your dirty dainties and bring them back clean and ready to put away, saving hours of labor and energy. You can separate your loads into tote bags or plastic bins, give them specific instructions for water temperatures and bleach/detergent/fabric softener, what to return folded and what to return on hangers, etc. They'll even iron things for you. Tip them well and they'll take good care of you. (They'll happily recycle any empty hangers you give them.) And you'll be surprised that the costs of having it done for you are pretty comparable to doing it yourself (unless you have kids to deal with.) The secret is to sort your used items as you toss things in the totes/bins, and put them away promptly once delivered clean and ready to use. If that's a problem, use 2 sets of totes/bins so if you just can't get to putting away the clean laundry, you can put it off a few days.
Get the house deep cleaned by professionals before you go back to work. Set a date a week or two down the line. It will force you to clear up clutter and organize in advance of their appointment. The best thing was that my husband got us a robotic vacuum that cleans the floors every day instead of us doing it. It keeps the accumulation of dust to a minimum. We wipe down the flat surfaces for dust in one room every day, give the sinks, toilets and showers a swipe once a day, and give them a good scrub once a week. I have the deep-clean team come back every 4-6 months. It's not as expensive as you might think. And if I need help with something in between, I call on my young nieces and nephews, or the neighbors kids, who like to opportunity to make a few dollars.
It takes a little discipline to change our habits at first. For some of us, we have to put aside a bit of pride in doing it all ourselves. We might have to economize on something else in order to implement some of the solutions. It's worth it.
I say it's far more important to guard our health, get good nutrition and appropriate rest, and enjoy our non-working time as much as possible. One thing we've learned with PMR/GCA is that time and energy are limited resources. We need to use them wisely.
I’m in shock. I honestly cannot imagine how you do it. I am so impressed. Bravo you wonderful woman. I am not capable of being like you I have tried but no one in the house will continue operate and it gets stressful and I nag. It I love it. It sounds fabulous xxxxx
It's not that hard once you get organized. And having a competent partner certainly makes this work, as does calling in the troops when the work gets too heavy.
It's funny how in some ways I have a better quality of life as I now ask for or pay for help. I did retire as I had pred head so badly and couldn't take the noise from the children at school (much as I love kids)
My giddy aunt and dizzy uncle!! I bow down to you.I can't think what I was worrying about my life is a breeze compared to yours. You are Amazing.You must surely get tired. Thank you so much for all the marvellous tips .I have actually been working the same sort of hours in a nursery already.The changes are the traveling (nothing like yours though.I will think of you on my relative short journey) and the fact of going back to nursing after all this time .It means a great deal to me .But it is going to coincide with my Adrenal glands kicking in. I don't know what to expect.
Thank you for spending so much time giving me advice it will be very useful. Good luck for 2019.
If we've learned anything from these pages, it is to reduce S L O W L Y, eat well, get plenty of rest, and let go of things that don't matter as much as we thought they did. Find ways to get the help you need to spare yourself time and energy, then use what you've saved to do things you really want to do.
Thank you it's all so true. It's just hard trying to adjust to operating at a slower speed. But I will heed your good advice.Still got the divorce and house separation to sort out in the new year but it will all work out I hope.Take care.
(I will adopt your "You're gonna be grand "to mutter to myself.
After reading your post I just ‘gaped’. How on earth do you do all that when you have PMR? Respect!
I couldn’t even get out of bed, and as for showering then - just couldn’t do it. Mind you I was 72 when this pesky illness started (I’m 79 now) - that would have made a big difference.
Once you get organized, it really doesn't take much to keep up with things. By maintaining regularly and outsourcing the jobs that require the most time and energy, you're really only doing light duty for short spurts.
I realise this is 4 years down the line, Slowdown, but I have been checking out some old posts. When I read your comment about GG for PM, come and sort out Brexit pleeeeaase! I just laughed out loud. Sooo funny! I must say GG sounds mind blowing. I am exhausted just reading about her life! Hope all well with you.
First up. What a lovely tree. Looks like one in a fairy forest xxx. I think you are amazing going back to nursing. I beg you to be realistic. If you are already looking after kids then adults might be easier nursing has to be one of the toughest gigs. Do you have to do 12 hour shifts? Is there any flexibility? Xxx
I think you are wonderful! I’m just so grateful to be retired. I loved teaching but I’m sure I couldn’t face a class of thirty primary school children every day. xx
Thank you,yes that's what I will have to do.Hopefully I will be OK at work.I really don't want the PMR to get in the way.I love helping people and I have missed being a nurse.Good luck to you in 2019.
Where there's a will, there's a way. Anybody who can produce a glorious Christmas Tree like that is clearly capable of managing everything else! Just don't rush to reduce preds down. It's your body, you know what you need and it's up to you to manage it - not anybody else. I managed the reduction with very little problem - hit a bit of a wall when I tried to reduce to 2.5mg so stayed at 3mg and then sneaked in the odd 2.5 when body wasn't looking. Now managing at 2.5 happily and am planning next reduction sometime in the New Year but not going to mention it to body. It's a bit like don't mention the war.............................
That's funny! I have always smiled at your name too ,when you post .Thank you for the vote of confidence .I have definitely changed from rushing reductions to probably not reducing when I could because I really don't want to flare.Just started the DSNS method.So it should be alright. Just don't know what to expect when the Adrenal glands start to kick in.
Anyway Best of luck to you in the New Year.Thank you.
Thank you .Quickest decorationing I've ever done.They do say" less is more"after all,but Ive never followed that for Christmas before! Well the tree is down now and the house is tidy for the new year. Getting nervous for Monday hope the PMR behaves it's self.
Ignore the GP - this is the point at which you slow down, not speed up. If you continue to reduce SLOWLY and feel OK it probably means your adrenal function is returning (no guarantees though). And until you have settled into the new job - don't reduce at all.
Oh alright.I was actually going to carry on with the DSNS despite my doctor.If you think I should stay at six and a half for a while then I will.Thank you .
Stick where you are until the change of post is done. Then continue with DSNS once you feel happy at where you are. But don;t speed up whatever you do!!
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Rough few months 
Tapering down off Prednisolone
Adrenal insufficiency
Taper Discomfort
