UGH

[vicky561]

Hi everyone been away from here for awhile have had major depressed lately lost my oldest Brother on Aug 10th and my mother last year in Dec..so it was only 7months sence she passed. Been dealing with G.C.A once again just can't get the prednisone down . Had a M.R.I so hoping that will say something... Wish me luck I sure could use it!!😢😢

[Hidden]

Hello Vicky

I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your Mother & then your Brother such a sad time for you.

It’s difficult to reduce the Pred when you are also living through a stressful situation such as grief.

I’m sure one of our GCA Members will be along soon.

Thinking of you 🌷

Kind Regards

MrsN

[vicky561 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you ...

[scats]

What a terrible time you have had. You deserve all the luck you can get now. Of course we are all behind you. Good luck.

[vicky561 in reply to scats]

Thank you

[powerwalk]

Very best wishes to you. A very sad and stressful time for you. Let us know how the results of the MRI go!

[vicky561 in reply to powerwalk]

Thank you ... the result did show anything new

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi Vicky,

Sorry about your losses - it’s hard at at any time, but even more so through GCA (my brother and husband within 9 months of each other so I know).

But what I would say, you are only a year into GCA, and with the added stress of bereavement maybe you are worrying too much about reducing.

The stress you are under at the moment is certainly not helping, so rather than thinking you should be reducing just stay at your current dose for a while - give you and your body a little time to recover and then you may find you can taper. At the moment there is just too much going on. It will come. 🌹

[vicky561 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you

[jinasc]

Dorset Lady is so right.

All the stress you have been under will not have helped with the GCA at all. I think you should really think you are at a new beginning.

Sept 2018 is just one year and in that year you have had a diagnosis of GCA and a lot of stress.

What dose are you on, and are you still on Actemra?

[vicky561 in reply to jinasc]

Thank you

[SnazzyD]

Dear Vicky, your grief burden is enormous, especially after you felt remorseful at not being there more for your mum. Sadly, this is very common because life isn’t perfect and people often can’t give what they’d like in an ideal world. With everything else aside, are you getting an opportunity to ‘unpack’ this trauma with someone? This is so important for health especially with conditions where the immune system turns on its own body.

Having read through previous posts, it is in a way reassuring that your GCA reared up not because it is extra aggressive out to get you but because it looks like the reduction was too optimistic; nobody was surprised. The MRI might show up something else, which would be useful but on the face of it it sounds like you need a decent dose of Pred with a realistic reduction plan, plus help with your grief. This is undoubtedly a horrible time for you.

[vicky561 in reply to SnazzyD]

Thank you

[Hidden]

💜

[Slosh]

So sorry for your loss. I can only imagine how that would affect the disease.

[vicky561 in reply to Slosh]

Thank you

[Hidden]

So so sorry for your loss. I hope you have adequate support to cope with the bereavements. Try not to feel too disheartened if you are unable to reduce your pred dose as early as you would like. Emotional upset will inevitably have some effect. Take time out to process your grief. The rest will fall into place. There isnt much else I can offer other than to say it may not be possible to get over the loss of a loved one...but eventually we learn to live with it. We are all here if you need any support. X

[vicky561 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you

[PMRCanada]

So sorry for your back-to-back losses. The resulting stress is bound to impact all aspects of your being, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Sometimes we can’t escape the stress of life, but we can try and be gentle with ourselves during such tumultuous times. Access bereavement support if need be.

Keep us updated about your MRI.

[vicky561 in reply to PMRCanada]

Thank you

[Fieldofdreams]

Dear Vicky, i am so sorry for your loss. your deep grief will cloud everything as your mind and body tries to cope and so much wonderful advice and support on this forum. know that our love and thoughts are with you - i know it helps me knowing I am not on my own. be kind and loving to yourself. FOD xx