Question: Does taking a shower wear anyone out? I can on some days barely get through a shower and afterwards I need to rest to recover !!
Thought: Can you use up the amount of Prednisone in your body when you do some light exercise?
Thanks for your thoughts, judy
Hope everyone has a good day.
Q 1 Shower, Answer - Yes, solution I put a plastic garden chair with arms in the shower and sat down.
Q2 No you should not if it is gentle.
The problem is that normally if you get into a 'fight or flight' situation and you more pred, your adrenal glands kick in with an extra supply. When on pred they don't as the dosage is normally higher than what you make normally and therefore the glands are knocked out. It needs to be higher to control the inflammation. Once down to 7.5mg and below, slowly you glands start to wake up.
So take it steady and slowly.
At first, absolutely! I bought a special seat, because I couldn't stand long enough to clean myself AND wash my hair! (As lodger says, a garden plastic chair would do). I then didn't dry myself, but put on a long terry toweling gown (was too exhausted to do more). Then I lay down for half an hour.
How long have you had PMR? Things do get better- thank goodness!
C.💐
Thanks, lodger, for your response. Each time I try to do some very gentle exerc. ( 10 mins on stationary bike ) I'm totally wiped out the next day. Woke with headache, sick feeling, weak arms, weak legs and just feeling miserable. Waiting several hours before taking a shower and now finally dressed but still resting. The shower always knocks me for a loop !!
I just can't seem to feel good most days.
Thanks Constance, I appreciate your response. I should invest in a terry towel... I have to lay down after the shower!!
I've had PMR since last August !! Been on Prednisone since November. Taking 6mg and can't seem to reduce below that. Going for a 2nd opinion on Tuesday to a rheumatologist. The first on said it couldn't be PMR cause the blood work didn't support the dx. !! Didn't return to him.
Question for you; what do you mean "things do get better" Forgive me but what is better if not totally gone !!
Oooooooh Judy, what a question! Sorry to say this, but it can be a long journey- and you could be only at the start of it. Even the doctors and rheumatologists agree it normally takes 2 - 5 years to go into remission (and some take longer)!!!!! I have had it for over 3 1/2 years and am just hopeful it won't be longer than the 5 years.
I hope you will be one of the lucky ones. Keep your pecker up! Try not to get depressed- that's bad for PMR. You will get very good advice on this forum. There is always someone there to listen, advise, etc. etc.
C. 💐
There have been mornings that taking a shower had been a chore but not lately. I had split my prednizone dose from 19 mg. in the morning to 14 in the morning an 5 in the evening. My GP suggested trying that. As time goes on and I continue to lessen the dose I will need help from someone as to how to split the dose.
Perhaps a shower chair would help you at this time. Even a cheap plastic lawn chair may work. Also, I rest about an hour-have a cup,of coffee and read the paper after taking my morning dose. Someone on this forum recommended the resting for an hour.
take care
One thing...Pred needs a lot of water. I was doing good with the 8 glasses (8 oz) per day when I counted them, have slacked off and feel it... If we are the slightest dehydrated it makes anyone tired!!! Maybe worse for us. So ensure you are hydrated with water. With my Pred dry skin my skin test doesn't work anymore to see if I was dehydrated (pull skin up on top of hand, if it stays sticking up some then I am dehydrated).
also a trick to getting dressed with overhead shirt, I bend over and pull overhead, hurts my shoulders too much to lift if I'm standing. To wash hair I rest my arm against wall. Ugh. Sometimes using other arm to lift it.
Poor shower in afternoon when inflamation not as painful or bad.
With pants, I sit and turn leg sideways verses trying to lift.
Yeah, benches, chairs and stools are now our friends!!!
take care sweet Judy. Try more water... Yes, will pee more, but it's only better for us! ha, except need to be near potty!
Oops... Corrections to my post...
8 oz. times 8, 64 oz. Water per day, or figure out per weight, some formula on line. I think 1/2 your body weight.
and not "poor shower". Ugh... Or I shower in afternoon...
The only place I get pain now is in my butt which can be bad and sometimes but rarely in my groin and I think that is from my OA. No longer have trouble dressing, bending, walking or any movement. Before pred I was ready for a wheel chair and forget trying to get off the toilet. I bought one of those elevated things but my husband with his PhD couldn't figure how to install it. 😀 the day after pred I could do everything but later the fatigue and weakness set in.
the water seems to be the ticket and plenty of it and I learned that here. We buy it by the case because our county water isn't that good even the filter in the fridge doesn't help.
Audrey,
if you have extra big bucks $$$... I spent my savings... I bought an ionized Kangen water system. Costs as much as a cheap car! My hubby doesn't know what I spent, ugh... But water tastes so good. Also it makes alkaline water (higher PH) which I'm about to try again (been packed up since we've built a home and moved)mto see if it helps my PMR. I'm better it a long term process to balance body. But the water makes soups taste better too. Will report if I find some relief with the alkaline water.
Adding lime or lemon of course helps water, but yes, I can't stand city water!!!!
Hi Judy, I know exactlly what you are talking about. I used to be exhausted after taking a shower, even washing my hair and my body was like climbing mount everest. I was on 20mg of pred last November and am now down to 10mg and it does get better - I am able to shower now without being wiped out. That is my experience. Good luck. Regards Pat
Thanks, Pat.
I'm on 6 mg but it doesn't seem to help the fatigue and weakness at all. I occ. have some shoulder and neck discomfort but nothing much. The biggest frustration is the weakness and the fatigue and it's not like I'm doing strenuous stuff !! I'm thinking I need to be on a higher dose.
take care, and thank you again
Sounds like a bit more knowledge is needed here.
Follow this link to the pinned section and read up.
http://www.patient.co.uk/forums/discuss/pmr-gca-website-addresses-and-resources-35316
Currently there is no known cause or cure, both GCA and PMR come when they want and go into remission when they want. But as has been said, it does get better, but the tortoise wins the race.
Hi Layne.,
LOL, I'm passing on your water system for Costco's Kirkland's water 40 bottles for $3.00. But whatever works. The bottles I can carry around with me and I generally drink them room temperature. However if you suddenly become Superwoman from the higher ph let me know and I'll work on it.😃. Can't figure out why it costs so much and if the price of a small car suddenly left our bank account my husband would know.
if I line the bottles up in the morning I may better remember to drink it..
Judy
Start with ten minutes walking each day, 10 mins out and ten minutes back, gradually lengthen the time till you get to 45 minutes per day. You can help by finding a Nordic Walking class, or buy the DVD and the poles.
Some forms of Tai Chi are brilliant. Try aqua aerobics, make sure you tell the instructor you have PMR water is good as it is weight bearing.
The key is gently. Try and remember the blood flow to your muscles is impeded and you just cannot push them too hard.
Thanks Lodger for your thoughts but I have 2 dogs and they need to get out. I walk them 3 to 4 times a day. Some are short and some longer ( not as I used to) but I do walk them.
I can not understand why I can't seem to tolerate 10 mins on bike ( very slow and with no resistance ). It takes me days to recover. So far today I'm only experiencing weakness in my lower legs . I'm hoping this will subside by later this morning. Plus after taking my morning dose of Predinsone
tharnks again
"I can not understand why I can't seem to tolerate 10 mins on bike"
Because PMR - or rather, the underlying autlimmune disorder that causes the symptoms to which we gve the name PMR - makes your body intolerant of acute exercise. They tire much more easily and do not recover in the normal way. It is possible, maybe probable, that it affects the mitochondria in the cells to a greater or lesser degree. The mitochondria are tiny components of the cells that are the "powerhouses". When they don't work properly the cells affected have less energy available to them to do the things they should do. In the muscles that makes exercise using those muscles difficult, much harder work. So 10 mins of gentle cycling is the same to your body as 2 hours of competitive biking for a healthy person. And it takes you much longer to recover than that person.
The pred doesn't necessarily help the fatigue so a higher dose might not be any help. It is resting and pacing you need there. As I've explained in my reply to your other post - everything is much more effort for your body when you have PMR (or any other autoimmune disorder) so while what you are doing daily may be "not a lot" or even "only a little" compared to pre-PMR you are starting from a different place on the map now.
Google the spoons theory by Christina Miseriando for an allegory.
It WILL get better - even while on pred. I'm in China at present and have been on a tour. I beat a tactical retreat at the Wall, it was wet and yucky and the bit we were at was one of the very steep ones. But other than that I have kept up with the rest of the group doing 7 hour day tours with a lot of walking and steps (look at the Forbidden City on google, steps to every Hall, up, back down, up again, rinse and repeat!) and often in temperatures in the low 30s. I'm still on 5mg pred, a few months ago I tried to reduce and PMR said no.
But even now I shower and wrap mysef in a towel and lie on the bed or (more likely) sit at the computer until I have drip-dried. I avoid washing hair as long as I can - blow-drying is too much effort!
Oooh - forgot to mention: no, you can't "run out of pred" in that sense. You take your dose of pred, it does its job and your body excretes it via the kidneys. It is only present in the body for a few hours in any quantity - like the cleaner comes in and cleans the room and then leaves. You don't NEED pred to do exercise, but the muscles simply aren't able to respond in the same way as you would normally expect them too. The goalposts are in a totally different place.