One to go!
I am sharing this for all those who are following in the same path and to give hope that, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday, I moved onto 1mg of prednisolone and after a 14 month tapering regime, there have been no flares to GCA and in the words of the song, "we are almost there". The target date is the 11th September to move to zero! At which point I plan to drop the additional omeprazole/ calcium /aspirin and be clear of all medication and back to pre GCA days. The reduction in prednisolone has improved other issues with blood sugar levels dropping (no longer pre-diabetic) and also weight reduction,leading to a BMI dropping from 26 to 22, which nurse declared as perfect for my weight. Oh, and for good measure my cholesterol reduced from 6 to 3.5 in past six months, so have said goodbye to simvastatin! Looking forward to celebrating of being drug free.
Sounds wonderful I am now at .5 and hope to be done next week. Fingers crossed.
Wow congratulations. I can't wait to. E saying those words.
Devon michael, fantastic your journey has been a good one. I have a long way to go, but hope to join you one day. I think positive and keep a smile on my face. 🙂
Great to hear that! Thanks for sharing!
I am on 1/0.5 mg with DSNS and hope to be done at the end of September.
I had one flare up in January, therefore I want to be more patient with the last steps.
Thanks for your posting. We who are following in your path appreciate the encouragement and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Most posting are continuing struggles so good to hear about success.
That's fantastic. I have a long way to go. On 17.5 mg but feeling human for the first time in 4 weeks. Reduced from 20 mg three days ago. This forum is so positive has really helped me.
Hi Devonmichael. How wonderful, you have really given everyone hope. It is my birthday on 11September so good luck let us know if you manage to chuck all your meds away I am looking forwstd yo that day.😀👏
Fantastic - and inspirational. Thanks so much for sharing!
I have no idea at all why my reply was moderated. This is getting a bit silly.
Good news DevonMichael and all the best for that last mg.
I just want to mention something though. Devenmichael is (I assume) male and has GCA. That adds two factors: GCA is more likely than PMR to go into remission quickly and men respond very differently from women. Please don't get down because you are a woman and have PMR and your reduction journey doesn't go as smoothly.
You've made an excellent point Eileen. I was thinking the same. There will be people reading this thread who will be hoping for similar results, but as you say, it won't necessarily work out that way. However, it's great to hear about someone who is doing so well in so many ways!
Roll on 11th September Devonmichael!
You got to 1mg in only 14 months, so you are one of the lucky ones.
But I have often mis-read my own future projections of needed pred dosage myself, and must note that cutting tablets might be a good idea if your system doesn't quite go along with your dosage plans.
And, as seasons change, be wary of pmr's return, keeping your pred at the ready.
If you have any secrets to share, let us have 'em!
Keep up your good work on those other numbers.