Thank you Eileen and Mrs. O for your welcome back statements! I've been reading all the posts sor the many months now and finally decided I'd put my two cents worth in, again. A couple of times I would write long paragraphs only to be told that there was someone else by that name - so was unable to get on. Instead of pursuing the problem, I just quit trying and just read everyone else's posts. Also, I had 3 close friends leave this plane of existence this last year, which left me in, what we use to call a \"blue funk\". I'm starting to climb back out of it now and feeling life is still worth living.
Yes, I'm having good luck in reducing my Prednisone dosage. Have been doing it very slowly and streadily. I think my Dr. would like me to come down faster, but as you both have written, your own body will more or less tell you when will be the right time. The last few 1/2mg reductions, I have gone about 45 days in between. I've been very fortunate not to have to increase the dose. If I have a day or two of aches and extreme fatigue, I just excuse from the activities going on around me and seem to be able to come theough them OK. Yes, my hands, legs, shoulders and back still ache at times - but nothing like those first few days and months.
I really have come to admire you both and some of the other \"regulars\" for your thoughtful and helpful posts and thank you very much for them.
Mariarita, from what you have written, I think that you and I must be a lot alike (besides probably being the oldest ones on this forum) in that we've lived a very busy life until this PMR hit us and can't believe that something, that's not that evident to others, can slow us down this much.
I also have alopecia totalis (total hair loss) which came on me about 19 years ago and a small carcinoid tumor in my left lung, which CT scans found over 2 1/2 years ago. After specialists not helping at all conderning the hair loss, I finally gave up and started wearing wigs. It seems as if the Drs. don't want to remove the tumor because of my age. The PMR came along and seemed to knock th tumor right off my worry screen.
In the meantime I live a very normal life. I'm a widow ( for 8 years). I keep a 3 bedroom home for myself and an unmarried son (who works) and do all the housework, shopping, etc. I enjoy playing 18 holes of golf every week and also do family tracing (Genealogy). Have done it for 25 years.
I'll give you my (sort of) routine and diet. Not because I believe that it is something that you should adhere to - but because I believe that we all have our own ways of solving our problems.
First off - I haven't ever taken any coated prednisone pills. I always take them in the morning and take them after eating half of my breakfast - then I finish my breakfast. I also eat a cup of low-fat, fruit on the bottom yogurt after my sandwich at lunch. I like bread and eat my share of muffins sandwiches, etc. We usually have an entre of beef, pork, chicken and sometimes fish every dinner. Unlike some of the others here on the forum, I don't eat oily fishy fish. I just can't eat it. Tuna for me is white albacore packed in water. I usually eat a handful of unsalted almonds during the day and in the evening I enoy a glass of ree (Merlot) wine.
I'm just telling you all of this because I believe there is no perfect way to beat this disease and everyone has their own way of getting to the goal of being pain free! (Looking back over this paragraph--we don't have all that meat every night= just one a night!!!)
I better stop for now or they'll be kicking me off for being so lengthy.
Eleanor (AKA Tinker)
