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normal for the dr. to prescribe prednsone and painkillers w/o diagnosis?

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Posted 9/29/2008 10:34 PM (GMT 0)
hi all,
I suppose I should be feeling encouraged and glad my dr is prescribing prednisone and painkillers before our next visit (tomorrow). I have to confess it scares me though. I have never had someone be so understanding and solicitous of my needs. It make me think he knows or can see something i cannot-as in how sick i really am? i know it makes me sound ungrateful. Guess I am just scared. Due to my symptoms...we are doing the ana and all the bloodwork tomorrow rather than 6 weeks from now. I wrote at length of my symptoms before in another post. I am currently dx with depression/anxiety, hypothyroidism, TMJ, costochondritis, asthma and the dr wants to look into RA and lupus. This is just a mixed blessing-everything going faster than anticipated. hope something shows up if that makes any sense.
thanks for reading
i'll keep you updated
krista
Posted 9/29/2008 10:53 PM (GMT 0)
When I went to my doctor's office last year with a flare of RA she gave me pred without even doing a physical exam or blood tests or anything. She just listened to what I said looked at the list of meds and referals I was asking for and gave me everything I asked for. I don't know if its normal but I was happy with it.
Posted 9/29/2008 11:01 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor often does low dose prednisone if I am having problems without seeing me. I usually have a standing script for 5-10mg I can use short term if needed.
Posted 9/29/2008 11:11 PM (GMT 0)
Since it's only a couple of days I don't see a real problem w/prednisone & pain meds before he sees you. Regardless of what it is, and what diagnosis is causing it, it sounds like you have inflammation (which prednisone addresses) and pain -- so they have to be addressed sometime, why not now? Hope you feel better soon,
Posted 9/29/2008 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
hi,
i'm prescribed prednisone and vicodin. I am much happier already....or at least i can shuffle/walk and maybe sleep tonight. yeah he heard my complaints and I feel so lucky compared to what so many others have had to deal with. I was so worried he would pass me off as another "med seeker". Anyhow we shall see what the bloodwork says....I told him I want the full out aggressive testing.....thanks to all for your answers. Its so weird to not feel in 1/2 the pain i was in before.
krista

Post Edited (blushladybug) : 10/1/2008 12:14:29 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/1/2008 1:19 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Krista, it's always a slippery slope with pain meds. Some dr.s won't give them others beleive you should not be in any more pain then nessesary. Then you have to know yourself because they are so addictive. Anyway. Did you have your appt today? How did that go?
let us know
hugs carol
Posted 10/1/2008 1:10 PM (GMT 0)
Krista . . . SO glad its helping. We'll be watching for an update. Blessings!
Posted 10/1/2008 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
hi ladies,
ok here are the details. He prescribed one of those 5 day pacs of prednisone.....then called and asked me to hold off on that, that it might affect my bloodwork....and he is actually giving me hydrocodone 5/500 2x a day, up thru friday when he expects most of my bloodwork to come back. anyhow it took the edge off (although even 2 at bedtime my hands and feet still throbbed, and i still woke at 2 am with horrible back and hip and hand feet pain) and the next am I had my bloodwork done. 11 vials of blood. checking for the ana and the sed rate. and anemia and hep c, and a vitamin d deficiency (celiacs?) and i suppose a bunch more things....CBC, lyme disease, et al....anyhow. he asked about my depression, talked about the mind/body connection....yadda yadda, and so he gave me a script for flexoril (sp?) a muscle relaxant....and cheers me greatly (not so much) by saying he expects the bloodwork to come back normal.....um ok. I ask why my blood pressure is so high it was 141/85 last weeks appt and 137/89 yesterday which is reallllllyyyyy high for me usually a 95/58 kindof girl....he said it was prob my nerves....so i checked at home and its pretty darn high still the last day. anyhow....so its a wait and see until friday. then what? I don't know. LIMBO
thanks for reading
krista
Posted 10/1/2008 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Krista, my blood pressure has gone up since I became ill and my PCP said that it was one of those things that goes along with "Lupus, uh undifferentiated auto immune disease". He jokes becuase my Rheumy said "I'm not convinced you have an inflammatory disease", this while my hands and feet are hot to touch and visibly swollen. My DH said " I'm not convinced he has a medical degree". LOL Needless to say I'm not seeing that Rheumy anymore, but PCP just added Inderal, which is a blood pressure med that he says might help get rid of these nasty headaches I get all the time. My PCP and I are both convinced it's Lupus, but diagnosis is secondary to treatment. I have a love/hate relationship with pred as do most of us here. I love the way I feel when taking Pred, like my old energetic, productive self, I hate the weight gain, water gain and moddiness, not to mention long term side effects. My BP was 139/90 with a plulse rate of 96 yesterday, he said I was borderline. I always had perfect blood pressure. "The blood pressure of an athlete". Well, we'll see how the new meds go. Hope you're feeling better soon and watch your salt intake especially while on pred.
Posted 10/1/2008 9:11 PM (GMT 0)
"My DH said " I'm not convinced he has a medical degree". LOL "

that is hilarious! too bad it had to be said tho
Posted 10/2/2008 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
Krista . . . I hope he has a good game plan for after the test results. The fact that he is trying the medrol dose pack or the pred pack is a good sign though. That will show him how much of your issues have to do with inflammation. A good little test. You might want to keep some notes. It seems when our pain improves, the memory of it fades fast . . . LOL. And he may/should want info about how your days on the dose pack progressed. Blessings!
Posted 10/2/2008 1:28 AM (GMT 0)
hi guys!!!!
great....i haven't even started the prednisone. i have taken it for bronchitis and pneumonia before. it sits here. right now he is trying to figure out if my muscles or my joints hurt more? if that makes any sense. It is a horrible slippery slope with any medication that will make this pain go away!!!! especially because what he gave me helps....but I am still in pain. he kept asking if i thought i had more depression that may have caused (weight gain) and pain; or i could be in pain which made me depressed and then gained weight. FLAMING NIGHTMARE. i do not have any weight loss, lately i have swung to weight gain.....goes back and forth. I refuse to believe this is "plantar fascitis". My hands hurt......i didnt gain weight in my hands!!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH. i have headaches....due to gaining weight? if my mind is making my body sick....well hell......i could make myself happy skinny and beautiful....but instead i chose pain? hmmmm, interesting theory doctor!
aarrrggghhhhh
krista
Posted 10/2/2008 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
((((( Krista ))))) Actually plantar fascitis is really common characteristic in lupus, also in fibro. It is simply inflammation in that area. My doctor took it very seriously and counted toward the autoimmune issues. Most everyone at this forum is taking or has taken anti-depressants. It is almost a given with chronic illness. Chronic illness causes depression. But depression also causes chronic illness and can contribute to a flare of lupus. So your doctor is actually making good sense and is just trying to piece everything together. And . . . yes, it makes sense that he is trying to differentiate between muscles and joints. He will need to rule out myositis, polymyositis, fibro, etc. The blood work will help him with the myositis (an autoimmune attack on the muscles - usually hits the large upper muscles of the arms and legs first). It must be very frustrating having the pred there and not being able to use it. I've been in the same boat . . . actually saved the extra pred that I didn't need for my dog . . . I felt like a druggy LOL! I hope the pred helps you a lot. Blessings!
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