another infection!!

[agingfeminist]

A mosquito bite became inflamed and angry-looking overnight. Went to GP , then sent to A and E. After blood tests it was decided to start with an antibiotic ointment and hold off oral antibiotics...just keep watch on symptoms.

Sometimes at lower doses of pred (less than 8mg) I have wondered if my immunity is still compromised.

I hadn't had antibiotics for over 30 years prior to taking pred. In the past year I have had another fungal infection (had one last year), cellulitis requiring IV antibiotics, a slight skin tear that became infected and required antibiotic cream, and now this.

I am only on 3.5mg but I guess my immune system, like my adrenals, is still very dozy.

Maybe we all need to be very careful (e.g. wear gloves when gardening) or perhaps I have a particularly wimpy immune system.

[Tractor_Fan]

An interesting connection! I had 3 leg cellulitis incidents during PMR and a nagging ulcer too.

[agingfeminist in reply to Tractor_Fan]

Yep. It's not just infections...healing is so slow.

[Twopies]

I kinda thought that at/around your low dose that the skin started to get back to normal, whatever that is (I’m referring to my age, not yours)…but guess not. A couple of days ago I barely hit my hand on something and a big blood blister popped up—I have bruises all the time but not like that. And I’ve had infections that I haven’t had in years—utis, ear infections, tears in skin, etc. and to make matters worse, my daughter-in-law has big untrained dogs that bowl me over and tear my skin to shreds; I have to stay away now.

[agingfeminist in reply to Twopies]

I have a rescue kitten and I am so careful. Fortunately she quickly learnt to keep retracted claws. She is also a very independent cat and doesn't like being petted. Rubbing on my trousered legs (as well as chair legs) is as far as she goes for a close encounter. I do wonder if it is safe for me to have her but she would have to be put down if I don't keep her...people want cats to pet. But an independent feline is a good match for my personality.

[SheffieldJane]

I think you are right, I have experienced the same thing. Even a hangnail fills me with dread. On 4.5 mgs 7 years of Pred one year of Actemra.

[agingfeminist]

I forgot about hangnails! A complete nightmare, They become infected and angry so fast. I found soaking a cotton wool ball in listerine and putting it on the hangnail stopped infection. did a couple of times a day

[Exflex]

I’ve been on Pred for 3 1/2 years (starting dose 15mg, now less than 1mg) and wonder if there’s a correlation with the immune system being compromised, or whether the body’s self repairing of the wayward immune response has over compensated. This year I’ve had three separate episodes of both upper and lower respiratory tract infections each requiring antibiotics. I’m onto number 4 now, but feel guilty of going to the GP yet again.

I’m either very unlucky, or my immune system isn’t functioning properly.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Exflex]

By definition - if you have an autoimmune disorder then your immune system is malfunctioning ...

[Exflex in reply to PMRpro]

Very true! I had overlooked that fact. Possibly being misled by me thinking “you’re on a low dose of Pred at 0.75mg / day so all must be going smoothly”.

It appears I need only a whiff of a respiratory virus from someone and I’m done. My daughter has bought me ‘First Defence’.

[agingfeminist in reply to PMRpro]

But being immunocompromised is only related, by medical professionals, to the dose of steroid you're on. Perhaps we have the double whammy of a topsy turvy immune system and immune suppression from pred.

Maybe it takes time for the immune system to recover from the big wham effect of higher doses of pred.

I find doctors don't accept that I can be immunocompromised on 3.5mg...but my medical history tells a very different story.

Does the adrenal gland play a part in the immune system? (vague memory). I just wonder if it takes longer for all these systems to get back to reliable functioning than we allow

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to agingfeminist]

The hormones the adrenals produce have regulatory effects on the immune system.

The first part of this is a reasonable discussion, some of the other bits are less to my taste.

fxmedicine.com.au/blog-post...

[agingfeminist in reply to PMRpro]

thanks...really interesting description of mechanisms. I'm also not so convinced by the end of doc.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to agingfeminist]

There is a lot of guff spouted in the name of functional medicine!