Gypsi symptoms and conditions

Thank you for being there Gypsi, I totally appreciate your support to all of us in all of this. Have some very merry holidays and wishing you the best, you deserve it.
Patience

Hi Everyone!

I'm leaving on a trip to Spain and South-America for the holidays so I won't be logging on this site for a little while.

Just want to wish you all out there who are facing hard times and are ill a wonderful Holiday Season and a wonderful 2006!

Just tell yourself you are beautiful, strong and are worth it!!
Be Tough,
Gypsi

To guest 14703,

When it comes to psychological and emotional matters, it is difficult to come up with one absolute answer. The steroid's psychological side-effects can take a toll on anyone at any time, any dose or any stage. The way people deal with the side-effects depends a great deal on a person's mental history, personality traits and inner strength.
For me, although I was taking a high dose of 100 mg a day for 3 months and so on for 6 months, I never became manic, schizophrenic or had suicidal thoughts. However, I did become a little depressed due to things I had no control over, like the abrupt weight-gain, the ugly triple chin, hunched-back, hair-loss, lack of sleep or concentration, aches in my muscles and stomach, lack of support or understanding from my partner (the list is endless!).
The physical as well as the emotional changes go together hand in hand. All I wanted to do was to get off the horrible drug and be drug free. One good thing out of this nightmare was that I learned to take better care of body, mind and soul.

Gypsi

To 14642,

First of all, I want to tell you that you must be a very sweet man. My boyfriend never even care to do research about Prednisone to understand what I was going through. I had to do the research myself and explain to him the side-effects so that he could understand me, aweful! But the positive outcome was that I educated myself about my treatment and that helped me to be tough.
To answer your question, it is said that for every month one is on Pred., add 1 month to it. For example, your wife is on Pred. for 1 month, then it'll take 2 months to get close to be normal again, including the weight gain. I was on Prednisone for 4 months and had just completed my 8th month steroid-free life, and let me tell you I am back to be myself again! Good luck to both of you. Hope this helped you!

Gypsi

To 14597,

I also experienced blurred vision but after 2 months of being on Prednisone at 80 mgs. Consider that everybody reacts differently to medications and you probably just got that side-effect right the way. The good news is that It went away after getting off of Pred. so hang in there.

Gypsi

To Patience,

I am glad to tell you that yes, the facial hair will in fact diminish after getting off of Prednisone just like the moon face, fat neck and hunch back. Just be yourself, be patience! LOL.
Gypsi

Dear Trailbrazen,
Dont say goodbye?! You can do like me that although I have almost complety recovered and want to leave this behind, It doesn't hurt to stop by every once in a while and say hi. Dont take this on you because that is the dreadful part, just drop a line every once in a while.....
Keep in touch!
Gypsi

Hi gypsi!
great to hear from u again! I agree, please no insults here. Maybe there is an anger management site somewhere.
Anyway, moodiness does happen with pred. and sometimes it's hard to control but it CAN be controlled. It's not been easy for me at times. While I was on pred. I didn't get mad or angry. With the withdrawal it was really rough because everything upset me. I was so used to being on pred. I'm all thru that now. Thank the Lord! You have friends here if u want them, if not, well see ya. lol What ever happened to jules777? I hope gypsi u r doing better. Trailblazen

ALS

There is nothing found on Prednisone causing ALS. They say it is only known the cause 10% of the time and that it could happen to anyone, anytime!
For those who don't know what ALS is: ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that usually attacks both upper and lower motor neurons and causes degeneration throughout the brain and spinal cord. A likely first symptom is a painless weakness in a hand, foot, arm or leg, which occurs in more than half of all cases. Other early symptoms include speech swallowing or walking difficulty.
God Bless,
Gypsi

Hi sanndiego Hi gypsi Hello everyone...............doing better with the pred. withdrawal. Almost four months off of pred. Still not sleeping tho. Take care

Hello, everyone!
OK, Gypsi... i got the vinegar and grapefruit tonight and started the new experiment! Between that, the Diurex and the cranberry juice... maybe my moon face will disappear completely along with the extra pounds I picked up!

In general, my moon face is better but still there. I can't tell if my semi-depressed/low self-esteem state is due to post-prednisone moods or being down about my moon face and weight gain. Or maybe because I quit smoking and am all wacked out but didn't even realize it. haha. The good news is this website is so helpful and there are things to make us better.

Thank you to everyone who writes in!
sanndiego

Hi Gypsi--
Thanks so much for the grapefruit and vinegar tips for my metabolism. That is just what I need! My metabolism seems to be at a standstill. So today I will WALK to the store and get the stuff.

Pure cranberry juice and water is a great diuretic. I used to drink it on a diet I was on called "Fat Flush..." designed to lose weight and flush all the toxins out of the body. I was going to the bathroom constantly, it worked so well. Plus cranberry juice is supposed to be so good for a lot of other things. It may take a little research to find the pure juice... i get mine at Henry's or Whole Foods.

Thanks for saying I have a new state of mind... I am certainly trying, so maybe it shows!
sanndiego

Sanndiego,

Awesome to hear about your new state of mind. I thought I would share with you a few of my diet tips that seem to be working: add 1 grapefruit to your diet once a day and take 2 tspns of vinegar before every meal to help you speed up your metabolism!
Do you have any natural tip as well? I figure if we combine our forces we might just win the fight against Prednisone!

Gypsi ;)

Hey Trailblazen

great to hear from ya again!

God Bless,
Gypsi

Hi everyone and Angela...
Diurex (that kindly Gypsi recommended) is a diuretic and helps combat water retention. I found it by the Midol in the feminine products section of the drugstore. I think they offered 2 different kinds... one for menstrual cramps and the other just regular. I got the regular. I still have some moon face but it is decreasing. Woo-hoooo! I only tried it after I was off prednisone so don't know if it interacts. I definitely had insomnia while on prednisone. When I did finally fall asleep, it wasn't for long... maybe 20 minutes or an hour at a time. I would wake up and be sweating like crazy on my chest... and for some reason I always seemed to wake up at 4am like clockwork!

Good luck kicking the Dr. Pepper habit. I was a Diet Coke addict... it was to me what coffee is to other people. Couldn't make it through the day without having one first thing in the morning... and then many more throughout the day. It will get easier. Besides the sugar, don't sodas have a lot of salt, too?

I am battling weight gain, too and I was only on the darn stuff for 3 weeks. I have been eating like a garbage disposal... all kinds of junk I would never even touch before. Today is my day to get back on track and stay there!

I am certainly no expert on any of this... just passing along my experiences. This is a wonderful website. Gypsi has helped me so much.

Best wishes!
sanndiego

Well you might not want to give me permission to complain. I hate to complain in front of family They suport me so much so I write complaints in a book but to find some answers is nice to my questions I ask myself.I have a question for you Gypsi. The Diurex will it work while still on prednisone. You all have made me deside to give up my addiction to Dr.Pepper for water. I am filling my bottle with water three whole days now. So here I go lets see if I can lose one or two pounds. I eat a very well balanced diet otherwise. So let see if I give up my one crutch if I can see some of this weight gone. Does anyone eles suffer from fatigue but have insomnia. My husband is going to go in for a angiogram Monday so I will not get back for answers until later in the week because I also have to go to the city for a MRI. They both can not be in the same city so I will be gone until thursday. I am going to buy the Diurex I am not even sure what it is but if it will work with out interferance to other drugs I will take it, thank you for encouragement.
Angela

Hello everyone! I've got a terrible cold and a sinus infection.
Hello gypsi....Hello sanndiego........This cold has knocked me down pretty good. Still losing a few pounds, still have the sweating and insomnia Been off of pred. since June 10th. Sometimes my hands tremor. Today I want a huge bag of potato chips Ugh! Last thing I need but sure sounds good. Ha. Hope u r doing good out there. Trying to fight the fever and the sniffles. Bye for now See ya gypsi. Keep the posts coming I'll be back on later. Take care Trailblazen .......................................................

Hi Gypsi--
I should be happy that I am off prednisone and also quit smoking... but I sure don't like this weight gain! I had spent considerable time and effort losing weight and now it is creeping back on. I usually am so happily disciplined sticking to a healthy eating plan. All of a sudden that is out the window! I am trying to isolate the problem and get it back under control. Maybe I was hoping to pin it on prednisone since it seemed to mess me up in several ways. I'm fishing for a psychological angle to get back on track. If I thought this weight gain was due to side effects instead of lack of self-control, I would be happy. Whatever works is fine with me! The honey suggestion is great. I, too, have been craving chocolate and sweets... along with carbs... and salty things.

Thanks!
sanndiego

Hi Gypsi--
Your recommendation that I take Diurex to combat moon face was a good one! It seems to help. Funny thing is it doesn't make me go to the bathroom more often, as I thought it would... but my moon face is definitely decreasing.

Do you think weight gains happens even when a person goes off prednisone? I was on it for 3 weeks and have been off for 2. Have gained weight, craving bad things and succumbing... which is out of the ordinary for me. Could also be because I recently quit smoking... but I have a feeling it is more because of the prednisone. Any thought?

Thanks!
sanndiego

Gypsi,
I have seen Doctor after Doctor no one knows what is causing the dibilitation of my body I am only 35 this has been happening on and off since 19. I have no idea what is wrong. They check my liver , bones and kidneys once a year I have MRI every three months. I have at times not been able to see and then go to 20/20. I think the depression is going to be what kills me to be honest I have and can live with the pain and handicapped problems but being sad and fighting to not be is har. I am however developing a new problem and think it is the prednisone I have sharp stabbing pain in my neck where ones thyroid glands would be. And I am the fattest I have ever been I am not able to excersize much because I have just bought a exersize ball I am going to try it.
I guess I will stop whining ... thanks for listening
Angela

gypsi No I signed in as a guest the time I posted on here. I have read all you have wrote and desided to respond to your post from me.
I have been read about the drinking of water you thought would help with weight lose. I this also well you are still taking the prednisone? I do drink quite a bit of water. I always have the Moon face you refer to but it is all over my body I look like a balloon some days and then I do not want to be seen
I will stop venting here. Sorry
Angela

gypsi
This is Angela again I desided to join this sight and see if maybe through others help I can live through the side effects of prednisone.
You asked how long I have been on prednisone I have been on it for 2 years every day but on and off for 15 years.
I too was skinny before starting this drug. I do not want to lose all the weight I have gained but I would like to lose some of it. I was told if I want to walk and see I will be on this the rest of my life.
They do not know even what is wrong with me but prednisone has slowed down how quickly I am losing use of things. Maybe if they figure out what is wrong I can come of it. I have given up hope.
Thanks for writing
Angela

You are so very welcome!!
Gypsi

To Gypsi--
Thank you so much for helping me! 32 oz of water sounds great. I already don't eat bread, pasta, rice or salty food (most of the time!) so it is no problem to cut them out. I also got the Diurex you recommended.

If I think this moon face will start decreasing by the end of next week, i will be ecstatic! Just knowing this has elevated my mood considerably. You are such a nice person for helping.
Thanks again!
sanndiego

To sanndiego,

Water is recommended to help you detox your body in addition to help you hydrate. Also, water is preferable over any other drink because is the purest of all and has no calories or carbs, especially if you are trying to lose weight it helps you feel full. I did not say to not drink water at all.....I advised you that considering our condition, you may want to not drink too much water because of our tendency of retaining liquids....and that will only be temporary until you get your normal face back, right? Instead of 64 oz of water, I drank 32 oz for when I had the problem. Again, don't eat bread, pasta, rice or salty food.....I know, it takes a while to get used to such strict new way of living but with persistence it will be worth it. Also, don't expect your moon face to go away this week, you just stopped Pred last Friday.........If you take my advice, you will have your moon face noticeably down by the end of next week, at least it worked for me ;)
God Bless,
Gypsi