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Posted 3/13/2015 4:38 AM (GMT 0)
I got tired of fighting the good fight. I needed to be getting so much more done.

So I ordered up a taper from my good ole GP.

Just like that I was switched back ON and I needed to make some changes. I moved my team to a quiet area at work and decided I loved my house but hate my hood. So I slept 2 hours each night and worked like a human ANT hauling 12,000 lbs of history out of the garage to the curb in 3300 lb 'Bagster's picked up by a curbside crane. Immaculate garage now with just a motorcycle and boxes on shelves for about 30 feet.

I polished 5,000 square feet of home beginning at 2:00 am each day. It was only 3 years ago we built it but I had the bank appraise it last November and it came back way way passed my investment target. So after 6 weeks of round the clock labor I sold it on the 3rd day of listing. They buyer does not need us out for a while but then asked if we could speed up apparently they got 4 offers at once on theirs. Market is so hot here that we have no place to live. So the next one is a custom builder and it will take them 8 months to complete the house. There is no inventory, I got a response to house rental inquiry but it is a scam from some offshore people.

We have about 8 weeks to figure out where we are going temporarily. In the end we will be right next to high school which my daughter enters in the fall. However Monday I have to have surgery because when we began showing I was hauling the last huge box onto the shelves in the garage and the left bicep snapped off the bone and MRI confirmed full/complete tear so we are screwing it into bone and screw will exit other side and have a 'button' securing its location.

Prednisone causes muscle/tendon wasting. Too bad. I had figured out how to eat clean and maintain muscle this time.

Thankful this did not happen in the middle of all the work but at the very end. Thankful it is not my right arm.

I indulged heavily over holidays and was winning the flare battle when I accidentally ate 2 week old leftovers and that threw me into a nasty tailspin. Then I just got stuck, not better, not worse. Glad I hopped on pred thought it was fastest way to kick butt at work and at home. It certainly did that.

But a funny pred story for sure. I think if I never had UC again I would still take a course of Pred every other year just to get sh!t done and redesign my life with enthusiasm only it can provide.

Oh and the surgeon does not care I am on prednisone unlike the Doctor who did the Angiogram. He is going to administer a 'shock' does of prednisone prior to surgery to prepare me.

"If you have taken prednisone for more than a month, you may require an extra dose during physically stressful situations such as major surgery or severe infections. These “booster” doses can be given either by vein or by mouth. Usually the dose need be raised for only a day or so. This may be true even up to one year after you have discontinued the medication. This point is well known to doctors, but it is important for you to remember if you are away from your doctor and require major surgery or develop a severe infection. If you are on long term prednisone therapy, carry a notice with you on a Medic-alert bracelet or in your wallet. (Medic-alert Foundation can be contacted a their website at www.medicalert.org at their toll-free number 800-825-3785.) Be sure that all your doctors know that you are taking chronic prednisone therapy"

Post Edited (aguywithuc) : 3/12/2015 11:08:28 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/13/2015 4:50 AM (GMT 0)
Lol... I've been going over my home from top to bottom while I was on prednisone this year too. You're right, man do you get a lot more done!

Have you checked out zillow for rentals yet? I list my rentals on craigslist and zillow.
Posted 3/13/2015 5:15 AM (GMT 0)

Thoreau said...
Lol... I've been going over my home from top to bottom while I was on prednisone this year too. You're right, man do you get a lot more done!

Have you checked out zillow for rentals yet? I list my rentals on craigslist and zillow.

:)

The previous 'Most Funny Prednisone FREAKOUT' behavior story was the person who said they were up at 2:00 am scrubbing the kitchen baseboards and weeping !

I think I topped that one!

Well zillow led me to the scammers. Hotpads shows nothing much. I want her high school years to simply rock, she is merging two bedrooms, I get a master retreat for middle of night calls. Being by the school I think is going to be great, just over the hill so its out of mind out of site but she can get herself home if necessary.

What I REALLY want is a temp pad by the competitive cheer/gymnastics gym and just dump her off there every summer day on the way to work. It is a great way to build a fabric of friends before Freshman year begins and she already got her moves down on the in ground tramp out back - she loves it. But there is nothing at all around the gym but some 30 year old dives I would not really want to pay top money for.

"I've been going over my home from top to bottom while I was on prednisone this year too"

What was really tough was the drop in collagen - I would scrub and buff/polish then my skin would split talk about working fingers to the bone. I was consuming collagen supplements too. Only taking time off seemed to help.
Posted 3/13/2015 12:59 PM (GMT 0)
I remember those first few months of Prednisone that gave me unlimited energy. I think it brings out OCD. I pretty much cleaned the house/garage/landscaping from top to bottom while I was on high doses.

Aguy-have you tried contacting any local realtors? I rented a nice place through a realtor for a couple months while my home was being finished.
Posted 3/14/2015 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
I had mine completely tear of at elbow also. Mine was result of levaquin. Dr. did not advise me there was a black box warning about tendon and muscle damage and tears on this antibiotic. I am a body builder and was at gym . heard 3 distinct snaps and away it went. It is critical with this injury to get surgery immediately because the muscle will atrophy and make successful surgery harder. Mine was done the next day. It was a complete success .
Posted 3/14/2015 8:02 PM (GMT 0)

johnj said...
I had mine completely tear of at elbow also. Mine was result of levaquin. Dr. did not advise me there was a black box warning about tendon and muscle damage and tears on this antibiotic. I am a body builder and was at gym . heard 3 distinct snaps and away it went. It is critical with this injury to get surgery immediately because the muscle will atrophy and make successful surgery harder. Mine was done the next day. It was a complete success .

Thanks - I was a bodybuilder before UC. Now I just try to bulk up before the next flare so I have weight to lose. Morgensen in 2017 will make life much better for UC people.

Glad yours worked out ok, I have had no pain since tearing the rest of the way days later on incline, MRI confirms complete tear. They want surgery within 3 weeks, so Monday 12:15 I start 2 weeks and 3 day since the tear.

Funny I never hear a pop but quite sure whole neighborhood heard the primal scream I let out. FIRE.

Most importantly did your surgeon require brace/cast and could you balance squat bar after 7 days and move into upper body after week 2 being careful to avoid bicep brachi recruitment for months ?
Posted 3/14/2015 8:39 PM (GMT 0)
I had mine completely tear of at elbow also. Mine was result of levaquin. Dr. did not advise me there was a black box warning about tendon and muscle damage and tears on this antibiotic. I am a body builder and was at gym . heard 3 distinct snaps and away it went. It is critical with this injury to get surgery immediately because the muscle will atrophy and make successful surgery harder. Mine was done the next day. It was a complete success .

That sounds really rough.

I had tendon pains in all my limbs that I needed to change the way I walked to accommodate for it. Stepping on and off curbs turned into a very painful endeavor. It came as a brutal surprise to me that a single drug could devastate the body on such a vast scale.

It is very, very difficult to forgive the medical profession for their faults given how preventable these issues are. I estranged myself from everyone who advocated the unnecessary use of medications (pretty much 99% of the doctors in my family). I know I'll have to forgive them to move on.

Levaquin/cipro is one of those rare drugs that wrecks mitochondria permanently and should be saved for life threatening situations. Australia is one such country that restricts it for certain conditions.
Posted 3/14/2015 8:55 PM (GMT 0)

Guardian7 said...
I had mine completely tear of at elbow also. Mine was result of levaquin. Dr. did not advise me there was a black box warning about tendon and muscle damage and tears on this antibiotic. I am a body builder and was at gym . heard 3 distinct snaps and away it went. It is critical with this injury to get surgery immediately because the muscle will atrophy and make successful surgery harder. Mine was done the next day. It was a complete success .

That sounds really rough.

I had tendon pains in all my limbs that I needed to change the way I walked to accommodate for it. Stepping on and off curbs turned into a very painful endeavor. It came as a brutal surprise to me that a single drug could devastate the body on such a vast scale.

It is very, very difficult to forgive the medical profession for their faults given how preventable these issues are. I estranged myself from everyone who advocated the unnecessary use of medications (pretty much 99% of the doctors in my family). I know I'll have to forgive them to move on.

Levaquin/cipro is one of those rare drugs that wrecks mitochondria permanently and should be saved for life threatening situations. Australia is one such country that restricts it for certain conditions.


I didn't know or have a say in the matter. I was at Memorial Sloanne Kettering Hospital. I had surgery for prostate cancer. It was given during surgery and daily IV. Less than a month later I was at gym. Was not going to heavy and pop. I started researching why that would happen and it all came together.
Posted 3/14/2015 9:09 PM (GMT 0)

Guardian7 said...
I had mine completely tear of at elbow also. Mine was result of levaquin. Dr. did not advise me there was a black box warning about tendon and muscle damage and tears on this antibiotic. I am a body builder and was at gym . heard 3 distinct snaps and away it went. It is critical with this injury to get surgery immediately because the muscle will atrophy and make successful surgery harder. Mine was done the next day. It was a complete success .

That sounds really rough.

I had tendon pains in all my limbs that I needed to change the way I walked to accommodate for it. Stepping on and off curbs turned into a very painful endeavor. It came as a brutal surprise to me that a single drug could devastate the body on such a vast scale.

It is very, very difficult to forgive the medical profession for their faults given how preventable these issues are. I estranged myself from everyone who advocated the unnecessary use of medications (pretty much 99% of the doctors in my family). I know I'll have to forgive them to move on.

Levaquin/cipro is one of those rare drugs that wrecks mitochondria permanently and should be saved for life threatening situations. Australia is one such country that restricts it for certain conditions.

CIPRO was the last of 3 antibiotics I took in series after which I had UC.
Posted 3/15/2015 12:00 AM (GMT 0)
Definitely need the surgery. No pain since tearing all the way and was able to do almost everything was even doing low cable rows and squats this morning.

But reached out while mountain biking and tried to move something getting wrapped around handlebars and without much force applied felt the FIRE and ripping below/above elbow and just laid on the ground as it took a while to subside.

Clearly I need this surgery monday, going to cost a few thousand but what fascia/webbing healing was underway it will never ever hold up to my lifestyle. Down the hatch went vicadin #1 and getting ready for surgery.

Anybody every have surgery on prednisone ?
Posted 3/15/2015 1:15 AM (GMT 0)

aguywithuc said...
Definitely need the surgery. No pain since tearing all the way and was able to do almost everything was even doing low cable rows and squats this morning.

But reached out while mountain biking and tried to move something getting wrapped around handlebars and without much force applied felt the FIRE and ripping below/above elbow and just laid on the ground as it took a while to subside.

Clearly I need this surgery monday, going to cost a few thousand but what fascia/webbing healing was underway it will never ever hold up to my lifestyle. Down the hatch went vicadin #1 and getting ready for surgery.

Anybody every have surgery on prednisone ?

From my understanding you might have to up the dosage for the body to deal with the stress of surgery (as you said earlier). I would also be vary of infections, so taking extra vitamin C or cod liver oil might help.

I guess this kind of applies if you are dependent on pred, and adrenal glands might not respond appropriately afterwards. I know those with addison's disease (no cortisol production) double their dose of hydrocortisone prior to procedures to compensate for the stress.
Posted 3/15/2015 2:23 AM (GMT 0)

Guardian7 said...

aguywithuc said...
Definitely need the surgery. No pain since tearing all the way and was able to do almost everything was even doing low cable rows and squats this morning.

But reached out while mountain biking and tried to move something getting wrapped around handlebars and without much force applied felt the FIRE and ripping below/above elbow and just laid on the ground as it took a while to subside.

Clearly I need this surgery monday, going to cost a few thousand but what fascia/webbing healing was underway it will never ever hold up to my lifestyle. Down the hatch went vicadin #1 and getting ready for surgery.

Anybody every have surgery on prednisone ?

From my understanding you might have to up the dosage for the body to deal with the stress of surgery (as you said earlier). I would also be vary of infections, so taking extra vitamin C or cod liver oil might help.

I guess this kind of applies if you are dependent on pred, and adrenal glands might not respond appropriately afterwards. I know those with addison's disease (no cortisol production) double their dose of hydrocortisone prior to procedures to compensate for the stress.

"double their dose of hydrocortisone prior to procedures to compensate for the stress."

Excellent. I am dependent, usually tapering after gut repair is rapid for me but last weekend my body was not willing and I resumed normal dosage. Might was well do what I need to reduce lingering inflammation prior.

As for infection I believe I passed a really solid test. We were out going thru the boxes looking for something and I had a stanley knife in one hand and while reaching into a large cut open box I stabbed my other arm deep. This just happened to be the knife we used earlier to cut all the 14 year old blonde hair off the bottom of the vaccum cleaner - cannot imagine anything filthier to go thru all layers of skin and into body tissue. This is how sepsis and blood infections happen. However no infection has developed its just sore when pushed on because deep puncture wounds take a long time and get beat up.

"so taking extra vitamin C" Roger WILL-COmply with your recommendation.
Posted 3/15/2015 4:12 AM (GMT 0)
homeless or need to look for a home? It sounds like you made positive changes for the most part and that's good... I once moved while on pred and i don't think I would have had the energy otherwise. I seriously was carrying 50 pound boxes of goods and I am a petite woman. It was crazy.. I don't know how I would ahve done it without the pred.
Posted 3/15/2015 5:03 AM (GMT 0)
AGuy:

-Interesting about the skin splitting. I had that happen this winter, too. I never correlated it with prednisone, but I think it lined up perfectly. I was out buying special lotions to hydrate my hands. The splits were terribly painful. I found putting chapstick on them and bandaging them helped a lot.

-That's too bad about the scams you found. I guess I'd just encourage extra patience; craiglist and zillow have been good to me. Just always be careful too. I had a friend go look at a car off of craigslist that ended up getting robbed and pistol whipped. Just kinda gotta feel out the situation!

I hope you find just what you're needing, home-wise. You sound like a great dad for your daughter, especially after all you guys have gone through (if my memory serves me from your past posts).
Posted 3/15/2015 6:58 AM (GMT 0)

notsosicklygirl said...
homeless or need to look for a home? It sounds like you made positive changes for the most part and that's good... I once moved while on pred and i don't think I would have had the energy otherwise. I seriously was carrying 50 pound boxes of goods and I am a petite woman. It was crazy.. I don't know how I would ahve done it without the pred.

EXACTLY worked like a human-sized ANT. Then on the other hand I wondered about 'hypo-mania' and steroid euphoria.

So I consulted my friends. I consulted Harvard and found a reliable 18 year boom-bust cycle exists with warning signs before the bust but builders go right off the cliff anyway every time - I dont want to go with them. IOW there is enough time in the Boulder County market for another transaction, the day she graduates high school we sell this one and then rent/travel wait for inevitable cliff and buy at bottom - rolling real estate my ex would never do, beats fix-n-flip junk, at least its new builds but many markets in US are still down and this would be impossible there.

I had my father come down and look it over and meet the custom builder and ask him if this is nuts and should I just shut it all down you know is it 'magic thinking' from pred ?

He said nope.
Posted 3/15/2015 7:07 AM (GMT 0)

Thoreau said...
AGuy:

-Interesting about the skin splitting. I had that happen this winter, too. I never correlated it with prednisone, but I think it lined up perfectly. I was out buying special lotions to hydrate my hands. The splits were terribly painful. I found putting chapstick on them and bandaging them helped a lot.

-That's too bad about the scams you found. I guess I'd just encourage extra patience; craiglist and zillow have been good to me. Just always be careful too. I had a friend go look at a car off of craigslist that ended up getting robbed and pistol whipped. Just kinda gotta feel out the situation!

I hope you find just what you're needing, home-wise. You sound like a great dad for your daughter, especially after all you guys have gone through (if my memory serves me from your past posts).

Many a pred/winter I too had the stubborn splits. This time you could see real time it was from too much pressure too little collagen.

Luckily friend lives on street that scam is on so cleared it up quickly. Ended up being comical, all I gave them was my phone and address - I supposed they could create bogus credit cards using that and my name. I signed up for identity theft protection with legal shield at work, good year for it.

Well thank you for saying that. I am doing my very best and its paying off she no longer needs to be 'inspired' she knows she wants to go the competitive off campus cheer/gymnastics route ( seems how lots of girls make lots of friends ) she knows tennis is a great backup if she opts out of cheer at any point and has her own plans because this place where she has done a year of home school allowed her to focus on herself finally. No more mama drama.
The custom builder was a real EYE openER for her making so many difficult choices and you cannot sign up for every single option they offer you have to make tough choices that also effect resale later. Plus the grueling teamwork polishing and staging this house together. Lots of growth.
I am hiring the stager to work with her since I have little color skills and guide her towards safe granite and drapes colors. I thought that was pretty cool because she gets to be in the drivers seat but stager lady will keep her off the guard rails :)
Posted 5/20/2015 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
Do you think there's something about a body-building lifestyle (e.g. supplements, food, cycles, etc.) that predisposes people to colitis?
Posted 5/20/2015 8:16 PM (GMT 0)

hwarrior said...
Do you think there's something about a body-building lifestyle (e.g. supplements, food, cycles, etc.) that predisposes people to colitis?

ABSOLUTELY. Apart from the added muscle inflammation draining the adrenal glands producing cortisol there is 2 factors :

- Creatine in so many pre/post workout products
- High protein diet ( few protein powders are not chock full of garbage sweeteners )

Studies have shown high protein/high animal meat increases chance for UC.

Usually avoiding carbs going to a high protein diet is helpful for me but that would be if I was eating real food, I cannot do the 'velocity diet' of shakes only that eventually screws me up. I need real food in a high protein diet with few shakes.
Posted 5/20/2015 9:15 PM (GMT 0)
Speaking of adrenals. I have Addison's Disease and was told that I was taking too much Cortisol (as a replacement for what my body is not making) and that I didn't need growth hormone either. I lowered Cortisol, dropped GH and in three months got Colitis! Which kinda makes sense: Cortisol controls inflammation and GH repairs mucosal tissues. I was on a low carb gluten free diet for years prior to that too. Took a ton of antibiotics. Stopped smoking. PERFECT recipe.

Post Edited (hwarrior) : 5/20/2015 3:18:36 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/24/2015 5:19 PM (GMT 0)
That is very interesting regarding your bicep and Pred can you tell me how long and what dose of pred you were or are taking?

I also enjoy lifting and have been on pred now for about a year started at 40 mg and am currently at 3mg.

I have recently really hurt my shoulder and I'm not sure how I think it was from digging a in the garden. This to might have something to do with pred
Posted 5/24/2015 7:04 PM (GMT 0)

Bez73 said...
That is very interesting regarding your bicep and Pred can you tell me how long and what dose of pred you were or are taking?

I also enjoy lifting and have been on pred now for about a year started at 40 mg and am currently at 3mg.

I have recently really hurt my shoulder and I'm not sure how I think it was from digging a in the garden. This to might have something to do with pred

Had the same with my knee, was on cane for months. Healed by megadosing on colostrum. Get standardized colostrum with guaranteed amount of IGF-1 in it like Sovereign Lab or Immune Tree. IGF-1 (growth hormone) is great for high dose corticosteroid courses as it counters its catabolic properties, muscle waisting, high glucose, etc. DHEA when on corticosteroids is a must too. DHEA on its own will raise IGF-1 a little.
Posted 5/24/2015 9:24 PM (GMT 0)

Bez73 said...
That is very interesting regarding your bicep and Pred can you tell me how long and what dose of pred you were or are taking?

I also enjoy lifting and have been on pred now for about a year started at 40 mg and am currently at 3mg.

I have recently really hurt my shoulder and I'm not sure how I think it was from digging a in the garden. This to might have something to do with pred

I went on pred middle of January. I tore the bicep around the end of February after being on 60mg/70mg per day. Seems a bit soon for that but I was sleeping only 2-3 hours per night rising at 2:00 am and doing more work and lifting as I readied the entire house for sale and I had several tons of history in the 3-car garage to dispose of plus landscaping to fix.

The combination of high stress on the connective tissues, inadequate rest and loss of ability to synthesize collagen paved the way for the bicep tendon rupture. Weeks after surgery the constant load on the opposite shoulder/foot resulted in plantar fasciatis on the right foot. Unable to run and moving out was painful.

In order to facilitate healing I plunged the prednisone from a desperate 80mg to 10-20mg then lingered at 10 and 5 for a while.

Now I am at 9 of 12 weeks healing and lifting weights.

Tendon healing cannot be improved by HGH or Testosterone. That is the most frustrating thing - the best you can do is nothing at all and that is your fastest path.
Posted 5/25/2015 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
aguywithuc, did you do any antibiotics prior to tearing your bicep like cipro or sulphas? Those are known to produce similar injuries especially when paired with corticosteroids. Although anabolics won't help with raptured tendons, the growth hormone does help with collagen synthesis. At one point in time I was shooting it locally around the knee.

http://jap.physiology.org/content/113/9/1432
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/jphysiol.2009.179325/abstract?rss=1
Posted 5/25/2015 10:35 PM (GMT 0)

hwarrior said...
aguywithuc, did you do any antibiotics prior to tearing your bicep like cipro or sulphas? Those are known to produce similar injuries especially when paired with corticosteroids. Although anabolics won't help with raptured tendons, the growth hormone does help with collagen synthesis. At one point in time I was shooting it locally around the knee.

http://jap.physiology.org/content/113/9/1432
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/jphysiol.2009.179325/abstract?rss=1

Risk Factors :

Corticosteroid medications. Using corticosteroids has been linked to increased muscle and tendon weakness.

Your links :

Young

The results suggest that GH is more important in strengthening the matrix tissue than for muscle cell hypertrophy in adult human musculotendinous tissue.

Old

..suggest that growth factors such as IGF-I may optimize and accelerate tissue healing and shorten time to functional recovery.

I had not found anything previously but this requires local injections. Did you do them subcutaneously ? Was that sufficient ?
Posted 5/25/2015 11:33 PM (GMT 0)

aguywithuc said...

I had not found anything previously but this requires local injections. Did you do them subcutaneously ? Was that sufficient ?

Did my GH sub-q in the fat tissues around the knee pinching as necessary to avoid pricking tendons etc. Notice that unlike testosterone which can be pro inflammatory and raise T1/T2 ratio, GH is good for mucosal healing. I wouldn't be surprised if the success of the previously mentioned study showing that megadose of DHEA improved colitis had something to do with DHEA raising GH. The only issue with GH, at least for me, is that it requires an adrenal reserve that I don't have. And hence the point -- if you're already on high Cortisol for colitis, why not take GH to reduce its side effects AND get some extra mucosal healing going at the same time???
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