another flare - how do I cope with this one?

[humlies]

I was doing so well - nearly down to 1 mg. pred 4 days in a week - when suddenly I had a flare about a week ago. My hands and wrists are swollen and painful, my neck also painful and stiff, plus other sundry aches and pains, and of course the usual fatigue, with some nausea. I eventually rang the local hospital helpline; the nurse consulted with a consultant, and I have been put back on to 5 mg. This has so far after nearly 3 days, not made much difference. My question is - how long to stay at 5 mg, and if this eventually makes a difference, can I taper fairly quickly so as to be back to 1.5 within a couple of months?And when I have a blood test next week, do I have it before taking pred?

So many of you have known the disappointment of being knocked back after a couple of years of careful tapering; it is so helpful to know that I am not the only one!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Oh dear...

You have to deal with it as you would any other flare -see link - and you'll probably need longer than 3 days to notice any difference-

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

If you mean wait to take Pred after the blood test on the day - not necessary, take it usual time...

and hope the increase soon starts to help.

[humlies in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you so much DorsetLady. The link that you sent reassured me that I will hopefully not take another 18 months to reduce from 5 - 3 grams! Also good to hear that the benefit of a higher dose might not be apparent immediately.I value your support so much.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to humlies]

Hope you mean 5 - 3 mgs 🤣😂

[humlies in reply to DorsetLady]

yes indeed!!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to humlies]

Not necessarily 18 months for 5 to 3mg. But there is no way of knowling - maybe YOU will need 3.5mg longterm ...

[PMRpro Ambassador]

You'll need a week, possibly 2. And that is assuming that it is just because you have overshot the dose you need rather than the disease activity having increased. It helps if you react immediately.

[humlies in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you PMRpro. I can cope with 2 weeks at the higher dose and hope that it is not PMR itself which is increasing. Life has been fairly full and stressful, which might be the cause of the flare. However we go to Canada to visit our daughter in 3 weeks' time, so I need to be careful. As with DorsetLady, your help is invaluable.