Combat osteoporosis symptoms and conditions

I am a 59 yo Male diagnosed with MG Myasthenia Gravis). MG is an autoimmune disease affecting the muscles. At it's worst I couldn't keep my eyes open, my speech was constantly slurred, I had double vision, and I had a hard time walking because my hip muscle sometimes would give out. I was on 60 mg of prednisone/day for 4 months and am on the "weaning off" cycle (decreasing the every other day dosage by -10mg at 3 week intervals then by -10 on the other day when the cycle gets to 60mg/0mg). The side effects are as previously mentioned: The good: My arms are like steel! My MG symptoms are pretty much gone. The bad: My Blood Sugar is so eratic and I have to take diabetes drugs to combat that. I am taking fosimax to combat osteoporosis (just in case as my Dr. says). My feet have swollen up really bad, my hands are swollen, my legs weep from all the edima (water retention), and I have a voratious appetite! The Ugly: My face looks like an Orangutan, My weight sored at least 50 lbs, I am moody as hell but the longer that I am on this drug the more tolerable it seems (by other people's obversations). I am having a hard time walking. I had to have a BiPAP machine so I could sleep at night. My memory is erratic and I hate that part.

Hope this helps someone.

I received radiation for breast cancer in 2001 and a month after the radiation treatments I was hospitilized with radiation penumonitis. I was given 120mg prednisone. I had horrible mood swings, kissing ulcers, and lost 15 pounds - the doctor's couldn't belive it. I lost muscle mass in my right leg and had to have physical therapy to be able to walk again. It took 6 months to work my way down to 2.5mg at which time I was hospitalized again with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia aka BOOP in my other lung. I was put back on 60mg prednisone. I have been on various drugs to combat the side effects. I finally got off prednisone in May 2005 but the end of June I got pneumonia and another inflamed lung. I went back on 10mg prednisone which I am trying to get off of now. I have been experiencing depression since going back on my latest dose, but am not currently medicated for it. I have returned to my normal weight and continue to do weight training to combat osteoporosis due to the prednisone as well as strengthen my leg. I worry about the long term effects of long term steroid use.