Am I doing the right thing?

[Tapestry1057]

Your advice in the past has been invaluable and I’m now wondering if I’ve done the right thing. I will try to be as brief as possible. In December last year I had a hip replacement and at the time was on 1 mg of pred which I stayed on, hoping to come down when things had settled down. In February my husband was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and I decided to stay on 1 mg whilst I got my head around things. Two weeks ago we went on a mini break which we thoroughly enjoyed BUT I forgot to take my pred….but in all fairness I remembered all his medication!! I thought that this was my opportunity to not return to pred! Anyway, the last couple of daysI’ve started to feel very achy…the usual PMR symptoms and thought that maybe I have flared. Having not taken pred for over a week today I took 5 mg to possibly help. But do you think I’ve done the right thing? Would really appreciate your thoughts.

Best wishes to everybody and I hope you have a lovely Easter.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Sorry to hear about husband - very difficult time for you both. Been in similar situation, as have others.

You might have found that smaller dose would have given relief … so maybe after an a few more days at 5mg (5-7 days) you could drop down to, say 2mg….

Hopefully you have caught it quickly-and no great harm done -and I would be thinking of staying at 2mg for foreseeable future.

Best wishes to both of you. 🌸

[Tapestry1057 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you so much DL for your advice and good wishes…you’re always there for us.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Adding my commiserations to DLs - both of us been there,

It is very typical - a very low dose is enough to keep the inflammation under wraps, zero is a step too far. After a few days at 5mg, once the aches have gone, drop to 1mg again and test the water. And put a pack of 1mg tablets in your handbag so you always have some! Are you sure 1mg was enough?

[Tapestry1057 in reply to PMRpro]

good advice re handbag….didn’t know what I was thinking. I was fine on 1 mg but have learnt my lesson now.. Many thanks PMRpro.

[HeronNS]

Agree with the others. You should be able to get back to your previous dose as you weren't away from it for very long. But don't feel bad if you do in fact need a bit more. Making sure you feel as well as you can is part of the self-care which will help you be there for your husband as he deals with his own health problems. All the best.

[Tapestry1057 in reply to HeronNS]

Agree totally HeronNS re being as well as I can be. Thank you for your advice.