Hippi.... how have you been feeling?

Hey Orion, thanks for asking. I had actually been doing pretty well the last three weeks. I switched rheumatologists and found a really good one who was willing to go the next step with me for meds to treat lupus. He put me on a low dose of prednisone 3 weeks ago and decreased the dose a little each week to see the lowest dose I can do okay on. He also said to keep track of symptoms beause the ones that get better are related to lupus and the ones that don't get better would be related to CFS since prednisone doesn't do much for CFS. Well, I did really well the first 2 1/2 weeks - my pain level went down and my energy level went up and I felt like I was actually among the living again instead of the walking dead. But I'm not doing well on this next lowest dose - all the pain and fatigue are back, so I'm going to call the rheumy on Monday and see if I can bump my dosage back up again. Some of the side effects of the prednisone are no fun but for right now it's worth it to have some quality of life. I saw on your other thread that you are going to try accupuncture soon. I have read some good articles about it helping both pain and fatigue. It will be good to hear what it is like from someone who has actually experienced it. It's something I've been curious about but I've been nervous to try it. Be sure to let us know what your experience is like. Thanks again for asking about me. Diagnosis:  UCTD (probably lupus) 2006; Raynauds 2006; Sjogren's 2006; lupus symptoms began 2003; CFS 1991; Mono 1985 Meds:  Plaquenil 400mg; Tramadol 100mg 3-4x daily; Amitriptyline 10mg; Neurontin 300mg; Steriod Cream and Mouth Rinse for tongue and mouth ulcers; Hydrocodone 5/500 prn for severe pain; Prednisone taper   Clickable:   LUPUS INFORMATION & LUPUS RESOURCES . Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating: https://www.healingwell.com/donate/

Did raising the dosage help at all?

Yeah, I'm on prednisone for poison ivy right now, and it seems to helping my neck pain greatly. We'll see, could have been a could couple of days though


I'm happy to see that increasement helped. It's great being able to live, even if it's just for the moment. It's all we really have right now, sad....but true.

The Acupuncture is going good. I haven't seen any results yet, but I'm told it takes time. I have appts every week, my third one is this Saturday. I look forward to them because it's very relaxing, and sometimes I can take a little nap