She made a huge impact on my life. I had almost given up on ever getting off prednisone for systemic inflammation caused by autoimmune diseases. She raised my awareness of adrenal insufficiency and...
I check in occasionally just to see if there is any response to this post. I just want to bring it to the top of the list....
Darla: I was diagnosed with reactive arthritis probably 25 years ago. The main characteristics are inflammatory arthritis and uveitis (eye inflammation). Prednisone always worked for frequent flares...
Karen is the expert so I have nothing more to say because she helps me too. What is your autoimmune issue? I have one also but not sure what it is. I just started a biologic but that is a new chapter...
Darla, I don't know if I still have reactive arthritis. My original diagnosis was reactive arthritis but that morphed into polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) later on. In my opinion, the symptoms were...
What is it about exogenous corticosteroids that makes most people have such bad side effects? For me, methotrexate at the lowest dose resulted in bad side effects. It was much the same for NSAIDs,...
When the lady said "failed work attempt" I thought she meant that I had failed in my attempt implying that I should go back and try harder. I expected to get denied so I was pleasantly surprised when...
I took sick leave for my knee replacements and was out 5 months because of doing them one after the other. The recovery process went reasonably well. I actually went back to work for about 1 month...
I think age makes a difference too. I applied at 61 years and would have retired at 62 for health reasons regardless of the decision. I filled out the paperwork online and electronically signed a...
Bebbles, I have limited experience with the VA but I can't say anything bad about them ... pleasantly surprised would be more accurate. I have recently seen a new rheum at the VA. My old rheum was...
Does anyone have experience with this drug? I apparently will be taking this drug in the near future as a prednisone sparing drug. I am mostly worried about infections. I was diagnosed long ago with...
Just to clarify -- I don't mean that the VA would be a Medicare supplement literally. It would just become where I would make appointments, get prescriptions filled, etc. and perhaps still see my...
Bebbles, I have some chronic pain issues. Three years ago, I was in a similar situation and found myself being referred to the spine clinic for lumbar stenosis. I was having acute lower back pain...
Karen, If total body pain, excruciating and low cortisol, in itself, will manifest as diffuse and unrelenting joint and muscle pain then yes, I have experienced that type of pain. I sounds no...
Karen, I absolutely agree with you. You are right, I am afraid for my health. I am afraid of pain too. I do have a good friendship with my PCP, my rheumatologist and also my ophthalmologist. My...
This is a general question which I will toss out for anyone who wishes to respond. I have taken prednisone for many years and it is effective for pain control. My standing instructions are to take...
Karen, I need to give you a break but something tells me you know why my BP went out of control. I probably had mild age related HTN but it wasn't treated. My PCP told me to check it a few times...
Karen, One more question and then I won't bother you anymore for awhile --- How do you tell if AI is the cause of pain? I can distinguish mechanical pain --- it is localized, tends to get better over...
Karen, I think I will start here: [url]https://uihc.org/adrenal-dysfunction-clinic This clinic shares the same space that my rheumatologist is in. I have seen most all these people indirectly over...
Karen, Please don't worry about this tonight. I have been doing this for a long, long time and I don't think anything will change anytime soon. I think you confirmed what I already knew. I was just...
I first started to take prednisone 25 years ago on and off for recurrent uveitis. The treatment was high dose prednisone (sometimes 100 mg but usually 60 mg or less) but I could always taper off in a...
Karen, First, let me say that I am overwhelmed by your response and I would greatly appreciate your help. I went through all the MD's on the PNA website but didn't see anyone in Iowa. It was...
Karen, Any recommendations for an endocrinologist with pituitary/hpa axis speciality. I live in Iowa City, IA and the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics (UIHC) is easy to access. I am a retired...
Thanks Seashell, I truly appreciate your response and wish that I could help you with your condition. I am vaguely aware of what you describe and that's what I wish to avoid. As recently as 3 months...
I am new to this forum and would like to get advice on stopping prednisone. I am 64 y/o male and have taken prednisone daily for the last 10 years. It was originally prescribed for recurrent uveitis...