still feeling really sick..any ideas?

Hi there,
I'm just updating you on what's going on to see if anyone has ideas/suggestions. I started 100mg 6MP on Jan 1, and have been on a tapering dose of Prednisone since mid-December, after being at the hospital with a partial obstruction and stricturing in my ileum. I started at 40 mg and I'm currently on 20 mg of Pred. I've been having EXTREME fatigue, and I also feel very jittery, especially in the mornings. I have advanced past a pure liquid diet, and I am eating soft, mild, low fiber, low residue foods. I don't think I eat enough, as I am also struggling with chronic nausea, or indigestion, etc. I have a terrible mucousy taste in my mouth...taking 40 mg of omeprezole for that.

Yesterday I had a bad reaction...the jittery feeling was so bad that I felt like I was jumping out of my skin. I called my GI, who said to take Prednisone at 40 mg for just one day, and then return to the 20mg dose. I also had my blood work re-taken today and I will get the results tomorrow. My first round of blood work after the 6MP looked good.

I used to take fiber pills and colace with the occasional Senokot, and it all seemed to work well for me. After the hospital and partial obstruction, the doc told me to stop all of that and take Miralax instead. I have no disease in my colon, but I have a very slow colon, and when I don't have a bowel movement, I get in pain and uncomfortable.

So, I feel like even though my diet has advanced some, I'm feeling worse. I'm not in a lot of pain, but I feel nauseous, weak and exhausted. I am also getting weird....depressed, anxious, overwhelmed. I don't feel like I can work, which is highly unusual for me....just feeling worse and worse overall. If you have read this far, thank you sooo much. So here are some questions....

1. Can I have normal looking blood work and still be having a negative reaction to the 6MP? Do you think my body will adjust to it over time?

2. Can the Miralax make you feel jittery? It almost feels like it dehydrates me. My bowel movements are soft and formed, so I don't think I'm overdosing it.

3. Do you think this is all Prednisone side effects? I feel more agitated and depressed then I have ever been, and that includes watching my mom die of cancer this past year! Don't worry...I'm not even vaguely suicidal feeling, I don't mean that. I just feel like I don't even know or trust myself.....kind of falling apart.

I have another appointment with my doc tomorrow. I think he thinks I'm ok since my blood work looks allright. I don't know how to get him to understand how bad I feel.

As always, thanks for listening!!

The prednisone definitely has had emotional side effects for me and I hate it. My emotions seem to be able to change at the drop of a hat since I started on them. I cannot wait to not take the stuff... on top of it burning my stomach, making me hot to the point of sweating, dry skin where I feel like a lizard. But it's the only thing keeping me alive I guess you would say at the moment until the remicade kicks in... which I hope is soon...

Thanks for the responses. I have been on Prednisone tapers in the past, but for a much shorter period of time, and did not have this much trouble. Andi, I have bad night sweats too, and although my stomach isn't burning, I have a terrible taste in my mouth and can't stop burping, so I'm guessing it's reflux. I would have thought that as I tapered the Pred, that I'd start to feel better, but it almost seems like I'm getting increasingly jittery. I would consider antidepressants, but I hate to add more meds to the mix, and I'm hoping to be off the Pred within a month. I guess I'm just shocked at how sick I feel! Maybe I just have to pop xanax and hang in there. Thanks

Gumby, if you dont mind me asking, what alternative approaches are you taking with your chrons? Take a look at my sig, hope I can be of some help no matter how little amount of time i've had experience with this.