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Posted 7/21/2007 10:46 PM (GMT 0)
This really stinks.  Overall, I've done pretty well this summer and felt especially good these last few weeks.  Last week my hubby had a cold and now I'm afraid I've gotten sick from his germs.  The last two days or so I've been running a fever and have been exhausted.  Hopefully if I get some rest, I'll be back on my feet again soon.  I may not be on the forum at all tomorrow if I'm not doing any better.
Posted 7/21/2007 11:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hippi,
I hope you feel better soon! Rest alot and take care!
God Bless,
Judy
Posted 7/22/2007 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
Hippi,
Summer colds sneak up on you, sorry your not feeling well. Kick you feet up and let everyone take care of you for a couple of days! Get well soon,
God Bless,

Juila
Posted 7/22/2007 2:08 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Hippi, Boy yes you need to rest as much as possible. These lousey colds going around are just aweful! They just suck the enrgy right out of you and than don't want to let go. Keep some extra pred. around just in case. Eat soup if you can. I know even on extra pred my appetite was shot.
Thanks for letting us know and you get as much sleep as you possibly can. There is a pizza joint on every corner.
love ya
carol
Posted 7/22/2007 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hippi,

You're right. That really does stink. You've had such a nice long spell of feeling better and I'm sure you're like me in that you get your hopes up that you're going to continue to feel better and then boom. Let us try to keep your spirits up. Jokes anyone :) Sorry, but I don't know any lupie jokes. We should make some up. Anyway, please do rest and let your family take care of you. You can make it a game for your children and I think they would love it.

Don't worry about the forum. We'll miss you here but would rather you get your rest than feel like you have to post here. We'll expect to hear from you when you feel a whole lot better!

Love,

Pat
Posted 7/22/2007 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Judy, Julia, Carol, and Pat. I think this has now turned into a flare, so I'm kind of down about that. I'm not sure how long to wait before I increase my prednisone. I'm also not sure if I should call my rheumy and run it by him before I would increase it. I was thinking I would wait a day or two and see if I feel any better before increasing the prednisone - I don't need my face to look any rounder than it already is. Carol, I've had the same experience with my appetite this time around. Usually I'm very hungry and feel like I could eat all day, but with this, nothing really sounds good and I'm not very hungry and my stomach is pretty upset. Another weird thing that has happened the last few days are some pigment changes, especially on my face. I've got some very dark brown blotches on my forehead and on one of my cheeks. Not only is this disease really hard on you physically, it can sure do a number on the self esteem too. I know I said I might not come here today, but it's hard for me to stay away. I'm off to take a pain pill and try to get some rest. Thanks again for the kind words of encouragement. love, hippi
Posted 7/22/2007 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hang in there, lady! I've had a couple of darker blotches from time to time, but they seem to have faded away, so maybe that's part of a power of suggestion thing, since we've been talking about pigmentation issues? (Or maybe wishful thinking on my part.) I'd suggest taking 2-3 mg extra of prednisone -- that's what I started today since I've still got some slight dizzy/balance issues going on. I wish I'd started the first day! I'm sure that's what my rheumy would say. (Mines out right now for surgery). Could you be having some sinus drainage from the cold? If I get a cold, that usually ends up being the cause for my upset tummy -- some white crackers or toast usually help. This too will pass,
Posted 7/22/2007 7:08 PM (GMT 0)
Like Lynnwood said soda crackers. I kept a open package setting on my kitchen table for when ever I walked by and wanted somthing. It did help. I ate a couple of fudge sickles too. they were good going down but were hard on the tummy afterward.
Lynnwood I hope the pred helps and you get in to see someone soon. This has been going on long enough.
love ya
carol
Posted 7/22/2007 11:46 PM (GMT 0)
Lynnwood, I'm taking your advice and I put an extra 2.5mg of prednisone in my pill box for tomorrow to see if it will help. I'm glad to hear a little extra helped you out. Carol, fudge sickles have been a life saver for me and certain cereals are also sitting okay. I keep telling myself what Lynnwood said - this too shall pass. I'm trying to stay positive because I do know that I'll have better days ahead again.
Posted 7/23/2007 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
Hippi,

I'm so sorry that you are feeling rotten. I was hoping that you weren't going into a flare and I'm sorry that is where its going. I hope that its a short lived on and you can get back to feeling better soon. Your in my thoughts.

Take Care
Posted 7/23/2007 2:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hippi--
Hope you feel better soon. I got the same cold I had a few months ago again recently, in the middle of the summer. Yuck. It's just so hard when someone else is sick, like just so hard to avoid it. I hope you feel better soon, I was going through the cold medicine at a steady rate for a while. I hope your fever doesn't get too bad and maybe you can get some extra sleep, seems like that always helps, or at least you don't know you're sick when you're sleeping!
Posted 7/23/2007 9:05 AM (GMT 0)
Hippi, these flares so many of us are having at the same time remind me of my college days, which were definitely pre-menopause, and my roommates and I were always on the same cycle. I could never figure it out but there was definitely something to it.

I do hope you're getting some rest tonight and that tomorrow will be a quiet day for you and your kids. Let's both promise to take good care of ourselves. That goes for the rest of you too! :)

Hugs,

Pat
Posted 7/23/2007 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
I still felt rotten this morning and took the extra prednisone with the hopes it will help some. If it doesn't, I might call my rheumy and see if I can go back up to 15mg for a week or so and then taper back down. I hope that all of our flares will go away soon. The good news is that my stomach doesn't seem as upset today. Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement. Edit:  Just a quick note a few hours later - the extra prednisone seems to be kicking in and I also took a hydrocodone for the pain.  The two of them together have made a difference already and I at least feel like I can get up and do basic things like make lunch for my kids and throw a load of laundry in (I'm actually feeling a little hyper).  Now someone needs to velcro me down so I don't overdo it.  I really plan on trying to take it as easy as I can.  I do have a question though - any idea on how long I should take the extra 2.5mg of prednisone?  Should I take it for a few days or for a week or just base it on how I feel in the morning?  I still don't have this part down too well.  I know when my rheumy has had me increase it, he has me stay on it for a week and then taper down.
Posted 7/23/2007 8:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hippi I hope you are starting to feel better!! Just make sure you get lots of rest and don't do anything if you can until you are feeling better. Summer colds really suck and this year seems to be blessed with lots of them going around. I don't have any tricks on how to get feeling better soon, just don't feel guitly for taking the time to rest when you can.

Connie

 

Posted 7/23/2007 8:46 PM (GMT 0)
When I do the short increases of pred, I usually keep taking the extra till I feel better, then 2-3 more days just to make sure. Of course, if I end up doing the increase longer than 7-8 days, then I end up "ramping down" by 1 mg/day just to make sure my adrenal glands don't get get all weirded out..... Thankfully just 2 days of pred and my dizziness seems to be about gone. Still a touch of "off balance" feeling in the evening about bedtime, but I figure that's cause I'm tired & I just go to bed a little early. Hope you feel better soon -- don't let that little prednisone rush encourage you to do too much...RESIST!
Posted 7/24/2007 5:51 PM (GMT 0)

Hi hippi, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better but pleasse don't take more pred. than absolutely needed. if you start bouncing off the walls I'm not sure how much good that will do you in your over all healing process. I'm like you I have no idea about taking extra pred. I hate it so much if I really feel my back is again the wall I might take 2.5 just for one day if I can get away with it. I don't like the tapering that goes along with longer period of time.

Try to rest as much as possible and let someone else do a load of laundry!

Love ya

carol

Posted 7/24/2007 7:48 PM (GMT 0)
Thinking about you Hippi... hoping that you are getting better as time goes by. Take care of yourself!!
Posted 7/24/2007 7:50 PM (GMT 0)
Lynnwood, your systems makes a lot of sense. Hippi, I plan to talk to my rheumy about this on Thursday and I'll report back in and let you all know what she has to say. As much as I hate prednisone, I'm sort of liking it today. :)
Posted 7/24/2007 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I'm doing worse again today - running a fever right around 100. I did pretty well yesterday. Although I didn't go overboard and do too much I did take my kids to my mom's house to have a visit and play with some of their cousins, but I guess it was too much for me. I've just been resting today and am hoping that things will improve tomorrow. Thanks for all of the support - it really does help.
Posted 7/24/2007 10:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hippi, I'm worried about you and am concerned since you're feeling worse and running a fever after having increased your prednisone that this might be the beginning of a worse flare. I hope you can get to bed early tonight and that you get a good night's sleep. Are you taking 7.5 mg every day? It took going up to 10mg for me to start to feel better and at least for today, it's really worth it.

Please take care. I'm thinking of you.

Love,

Pat
Posted 7/25/2007 12:30 AM (GMT 0)

Hippi, I'm sorry to hear you are sicker. That is not a good sign. You may have to take some time just for you If you're not responding to the meds. Things can take a real bad turn real fast. I hope you are able to eat something. I know with a fever it isn't always too apealing. I tried instant oatmeal even though it's loaded with carbs at least it coated my tummy and stayed with me. Plus  all I had to do is throw it in the microwave. Can you get in to see your rheumy?

Keeping you in my prayers

love ya carol

Posted 7/25/2007 1:04 AM (GMT 0)

Just wanted to let you know I am thinking about you.  Take care of yourself and get some rest.  I would call the doctor if you are worse tomorrow.

Mary Ann

Posted 7/25/2007 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
Hope you are feeling better. I don't have any experience with steroids. But I sure do know about having a flare and overdoing it! It is hard not to try and get some things done. But I am sure you know that rest is the key to feeling better. Of course I never seem to listen to that advice either!!!
Posted 7/25/2007 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all again for the support. It means a lot to be able to come here and know that people really get what is going on and what it is like to be dealing with all of this. Yesterday was just an awful day and I felt very sick and had my fever all day. The good thing is that I didn't do anything I absolutely didn't have to do. I was laying down pretty much the whole day except to fix some easy meals for my kids. I think I'm a little better today - no fever yet and I'm in less pain. It's amazing how quick and how hard these flares come on. My maintenance dose of prednisone is supposed to be 5mg-7.5mg, but I haven't successfully gotten down to 5mg yet. This summer I've found that I haven't been able to get much below 10mg - I think because the heat, humidity, and the sun really get to me. When this flare started I went up to 12.5mg and will stay there through the rest of the week and then go back down to 10mg. I hope I can go back down without any problems. Carol, we must both find the same kinds of food comforting to our stomachs. You mentioned fudge sickles in an earlier post, which have also helped me and then lately I've been eating a lot of the instant oatmeal packs too. I hate that the only things that are soothing to my stomach are packed with carbs (just what I need for my weight) but right now they are the only things that my stomach can tollerate. I hope the worst of this is over. Tomorrow I have to take my son up to see his pediatrician tomorrow to have some follow up labs done and it's a 1 and 1/2 hour drive one way to get to her, so hopefully I'll be feeling up to it. For those of you who know the struggles my son has gone through with arthritis over the last almost 3 years, he is finally do remarkably better. His symptoms are really mild most of the time now and it is such a blessing to see him happy, healthy, and active.
Posted 7/25/2007 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
Wow Hippi, Looks like your days are full of ups and downs. I hate to read about you feeling so bad. I wish the Lupus would pack its bags and stay away from you. I am so pleased to hear about your son!! I remember how awful he was doing a few months ago and sounds like he is making progress. I hope all the tests done come back with good results... I'm just sorry that you have a such long drive for it. I'm keeping you in my thoughts.
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