Saw my doctor yesterday my bloods have levelled since last time ,so we have decided that I should try to reduce .5 mg for a week or so then if all has settled to try to drop another .5 so that by the next blood test the middle of March I would have gone to 12mg of pred from 13 . She has also given me calcium tablet and a tablet I take once a week for the bones ,and to help with neck ,head pain Anotryptolin to take at nights .
Was a bit shocked last night to find that some of my nails while filing them disintegrated down into the pink area ,and are quite sore .Wish I had asked for calcium earlier .Am not a milk drinker or lover of yoghurt ,so anyone new on this eventful journey and who doesn't have dairy products please remberance the need for calcium .Also next blood test will involve a check on the chances of a diabetas blood level indicator .So hopefully my moaning and groaning will not be coming to you all for much longer . Will be trying to go the Chertsie group in a couple of weeks which will make me realise how lucky I am to have this PMR just in the upper body as i realise reading this forum so many are much worse of than me
Hi Carol, so glad you are getting sorted out. It must feel good. Good luck on your PMR journey. Pat
Good luck!
Sounds like you are one of the unlucky ones when it comes to nails - all the time I was on higher doses of pred I had the best nails of my life, hard and easy to file into a nice shape. Now I am down to below 5mg they are back to being soft and my left thumbnail tears particularly easily. It had to be the pred making them hard, the calcium is still the same. Other people have said the same.
Hi carol, have you actually had a bone density scan? Just asking because if you've been prescribed alendronic acid, just make sure that you have all your teeth sorted out prior to taking as AA has a nasty side effect which is narcosis (don't know if I spelt that right) of the upper and lower jaw bone, which later could make teeth extraction a problem later. But, that aside I'm really pleased that things are looking up for you I bet you're walking around with a big smile on your face and why not, pre diagnosis and at the very early stages we're so anxious, scared and in such pain that it's just great to great such possitive news. Christina
Carol, it's always a boost to have a bit of good news. The calcium tablet is probably calcium + Vit D, so that should help your nails. Amazingly, I have never had strong nails but they grew stronger during my steroid days and I grew the best nails ever, and that was without the usual calcium + Vit D being prescribed, as both my rheumy and GP mistakenly thought the other had prescribed it.
Your GP should have arranged for you to have a bone density scan before prescribing the bone protection pills. Unless your bones show signs of either osteoporosis or osteopenia, you may not need the treatment, which is often prescribed alongside the steroids 'just in case'. If it is Alendronic Acid, then it is advisable to have any planned dental surgery done now rather than later as dentists are not keen on carrying out some dental work on patients who are on Alendronic Acid - they usually refer such patients to hospital for such surgery.
Just watch your sugar and certain refined carb intake whilst on steroids and, hopefully, your blood sugar levels will be fine.
Looking forward to meeting you at Chertsey on the 17th if you can make it.
And if you are on AA you need to be VERY good about dental hygiene! Extra vigilance is essential. Yes, it would also be a good idea to get a dental check immediately so you put off using AA until after any essential work is done.
"necrosis" Christina, narcosis will put us to sleep - not that that is a bad idea...
There are so many words in medicine and science that sound or look the same - it is SO confusing even for those of us who worked in the field. Someone posted elsewhere that her cardiologist said she had "pits and stars" - I still haven't worked out what it should have been!
Eileen, I've told you before, I aught to stick to baking cup cakes and knitting fluffy toys! Regards, christina
In that case - send me a cupcake - wheat-free and low carb of course ;-)
I'm impressed that anyone with PMR can still knit - I had to give it up years ago as it caused me so much pain in my arms. I suppose I might manage again now but what would I knit? The grandchildren are all way past sweaters and toys...
Something for yourself! That's what you should knit, hell haven't we been through enough that we should treat ourselves once in awhile. Christina
I have more clothes than I wear anyway! To be honest - I would either have to learn how to follow a German'language pattern or would have to wait until we are in the UK! All such items were chucked when moving from a very large to a large and then a small house. The rest went when we moved here!!!!
The treat was booked this morning - 3 weeks in China in June/July ;-) Wasn't going to waste having our flight paid to attend a meeting there...
Wow, that's fantastic, you have a brilliant time, but I'm sure I'll communicate long before then. Christina
I was going to say there are better things to spend money on than clothes - but I may have to spend some money on clothes as I suspect there may be a few pairs of trousers that will need duct tape to make them stay up! I do have some underwear that will be packed and then treated as disposable...
What a wonderful trip to look forward to. I'm envious but very happy for you. I hear clothes are very inexpensive there. Maybe you can treat yourself for having lost all the weight. Seems the right thing to do to me😊
I think it is the pred making our nails so good, a friend with PMR said her nails are fantastic too. I am even thinking of decorating mine they have grown so much. One plus in pred's favour.
Believe me, forget the German language patterns for knitting OR sewing! Nightmare! Even the German ladies have problems... We are sooo lucky! Hehe..
however, clothes are very cheap in China!... You wil love it I am sure, fascinating country. 
Quite - Sheilamac, they have always resembled an alien language to me. AND they knit in a most peculiar way tooo...
I may have lost a lot of weight but judging by what I saw in S Korea and Japan I might have to lose rather more! Both ladies and the clothes in shops are very dainty!
Hahaha... I think you are right on both counts... When I was living in Germany a knitting friend kept coming to me to ask about her pattern cos she didn't understand it... What hope had I! I just said what I thought I would do if I had a sensible English language pattern! Says it all. So happy to be home for lots of reasons....