Another Steroid Taper!

Hello everyone!  I have great news to report!  My blood work results came back with positive results!  We are focusing in on C-3, C-4 and DNA.  Nothing has changed since my last lab work, meaning my numbers have not gotten better nor have they gotten worse.  They are just hanging out at the border, but that is good enough for us to taper down another 8mg of methylprednisolone.  I am now taking a dosage of 48mg methylprednisolone.

I have been on this new dosage of 48mg methylprednisolone for roughly 1 week now and have not noticed any weight loss as of yet.  So far, my total weight loss since the first taper is about 7-10 pounds, depending on my fluid retention on that particular day.  I am continuing to eat more fruit, drink less coffee, and drink more water, as I had stated in my previous blog about my first steroid taper.  Sodium and protein intake are and always will be minimized due to the membranous glomerulonephritis, however I did have to sneak some tofu into my diet this past week.  I have been craving tofu for the longest time and decided to celebrate great lab results with some tofu.  Yes… it may sound disgusting to most of you out there, but I absolutely love tofu!

I am still using Nair on my upper lip for dark facial hair and I continue to get pimples on my back and face.  My hot flashes have gotten ever so slightly better since tapering down to this new dosage, however I still feel as if I sweat like a pig!  I have started getting stretch marks, which I am very discouraged about and am desperately searching for the best remedy to lessen the appearance of the stretch marks, as right now they are fresh and bright pink.  As I continue to lose weight I know that it is inevitable that more stretch marks will appear and, believe me, I am no stranger to stretch marks!  I am actually covered in stretch marks from my nearly deadly pregnancy with my daughter, Lexi.  I would just like to avoid becoming one giant stretch mark!

I have actually noticed that my moods have gotten worse since tapering again.  I am assuming that this is due to my body trying to adjust to the new dosage of methylprednisolone.  I am extremely sensitive and can sometimes cry at the drop of a hat, other times someone can just give me a look that I don’t like and I get mad.  Other times all I want to do is cuddle with my girls or with my husband and I couldn’t be happier.  I am on Cymbalta for depression and fibromyalgia, but with the constant change in steroid dosages, this is just something I will need to try and better control on my own without any additional medications.  I had a trial period where I took Abilify and found that it helped boost my mood, but the price of the medication even with my co-pay was not worth it for the very little relief that it had provided me with.

I have had back and hip pain for as long as I can remember.  I attribute it to my 3 bulging discs, fibromyalgia, and weight gain.  I have noticed that with each steroid taper, my back pain and hip pain increases.  I don’t know if this is purely coincidental or if it is a direct relation to lowering my steroids, but I am starting to think that the fibromyalgia is not the main cause of the pain.  I have been taking tramadol and diazepam for pain as needed, which seems to help manage the pain… sometimes.  I also have strange tingly sensations throughout my entire upper back.  The sensations seemed to come and go at first, but now they are so frequent that they happen every 2-3 hours every day.  Needless to say, at my last appointment with my rheumatologist, I had forgotten to let him know about the tingling sensations.  There is always some sort of new symptom that will arise and I forget to mention it!  I even bring a list of my complaints, and will forget to write something down!  Oh well, such is life… the life of a lupie!

My rheumatologist has suggested that I try yoga to help with stretching for the back pain and for a mild exercise routine.  Call me a slacker, get on me about it, yell at me, because I haven’t even started yet!  The worst part is, and I hate to admit this, my husband has gotten me a yoga video!  Now that I have written in this blog post that I am supposed to be doing yoga, I think I may have shamed myself into actually turning the video on and trying it out.  That will be my goal for this week:  start yoga video.

My next blood draw is July 27 and I have a follow up visit with my rheumatologist on August 6.  If all goes well, we will be tapering the methylprednisolone another 8mg, bringing me down to a dosage of 40mg.  Until then, I will continue to do my part in trying to stay in remission, will cross my fingers, and will pray that my blood work continues to show remission!