Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Sporting ASKickers "FITNESS" TEAM! - All Physical Activity & Sports

really wanted to get out there and walk yesterday and today, but this flare said no, so you and i erica are pred buddies this week!

i finally pulled out my script of 4 mg pills this morning and started a 6 day taper.

my chiro and i could handle the subluxating ribs, i was sleeping off the fatigue with 9-10 hours of sleep each night, was dealing with the inflamed tongue bumps and irritated eyes, and the probiotics were half working, but then when i woke with a very stiff SI / lower back, i said enough was enough, and so i'm trying pred while in a moderate flare.

it was hard to judge it the first time i took it when i was in an awful flare; i mean it made the things that weren't part of the flare feel awesome, like my feet, but the things that were awful, it was hard to say how much the pred was helping.

but in a moderate flare, its easier to tell. the SI is still a bit sore and stiff, ice packs in the recliner all day though does help. but other parts of me, like hey, i can turn my neck without the usual pain! and the eyes and mouth are already better. and i feel like i have so much more energy. wonder if it will help the constipation as well?

but pred does give a kind of jittery headachy feeling; that was hard to access the last time when i was still in so much pain it was hard to tell what was causing what: the pain or the pred. i

'm to go to the rheumy next monday, a few days after the pred taper, that will be good timing, as this has made me think we gotta move on to more than LDN and supplements.

i know you don't have that choice erica, so hoping the pred helps you as much as it seems to help me.

when it comes to pred, it seems like its a fine line knowing when to start it, before the flare becomes a run away train; hoping this time i didn't wait too long. the next few days will tell.

and i'm just doing a 6 day taper mostly cause i don't know how else to do it; my rheumy tried to explain how i could take it longer, but i'm not sure i want to go down that road anyway, not unless there is no other choice.

i had this idea that if i could just avoid all allergens, i could avoid flares (since my worst flares are always mid to late summer), but since late february / early march just doesn't seem like allergy season (though this is becoming pretty routine to flare right around our spring break), don't think that is the solution; pretty sure i want more meds. i tried it without as long as i could. at least i now have a rheumy who will allow me to consider them.