because of weight gain 3.5 stone have lost 55 % lung volume has it hapened to anyone else ?

[yusuf]

[Celtic PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Yusuf

I'm sorry I haven't heard of anyone with loss of lung volume through weight gain whilst suffering from PMR but perhaps someone else looking in might be able to help. Meanwhile I can only offer the advice to reduce certain carbohydrates such as bread, white potatoes, parsnips. These foods turn to sugar in our bodies and, apart from the weight gain, could add to the risk of steroid-induced diabetes. Salt also has to be reduced to offset the side effect of fluid retention caused by the steroids. Good diuretic foods include asparagus, garlic, fennel and melon. No doubt you are getting lots of good advice from the medics dealing with this condition - I do hope so.

[yusuf in reply to Celtic]

thank you for the advice i have copd and abostos plura thicking unstable angina pmr i have had four 6 month am on pred 20 mg my weight gain won't let my lungs expand thank you again yours yusuf

[Celtic PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Yusuf - it sounds as though you have enough to cope with without suffering PMR as well. I do hope you are receiving good care from the Drs, and I wish you well.

[Hidden]

Hi yusuf

I have PMR and, on the higher and medium doses - 30mg down to 10mg, I am sure that I had reduced lung capacity i.e. I could not breathe deeply and bending down made me feel breathless and weak. At this time I had a band of fatty tissue directly under my diaphram and I believe that this was the problem.

3.5 stone is quite a wieght gain. If I had been carrying that amount of extra wieght then I am sure my side effects would have been worse. I put on about 7 pounds at this time.

You also have additional concerns that affect your lungs, therefore, try as much as you can to cut out anything that could cause swelling in the area below your lungs. Salt and sugar are the main culprets. Try not to add salt to you food and avoid sugary foods, and try to drink as much water as you can. The water will help you body to flush out the baddies. Avoid processed food as much as possible. Try to eat a plain, natural diet. I know it sounds hard, but the diet our forebears ate was very good - meat and fish if we were lucky, roots and veges and some fruit, and some grains which were unrefined. On a diet like this, as long as our calorie intake was adequate, we would be very healthy.

If I sound harsh I'm so sorry, but I really do want you to get better. I am struggling with PMR too and I offer all of my sympathy.

By the way, you can break the rules as long as you don't do it too often. The occassional piece of chocolate or an icecream etc won't do much harm, and of course you need oil for cooking. Virgin olive oil is the best, but it's expensive so I normally use sunflower oil. I use margarine made from olive oil instead of butter.

Pats.