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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Lupus / October 2003Mair's trip to the Doc
Well, I made it down to see the Doc. His chart said I had not been down since February! I guess I lost some time somewhere... Long story short: He wants me on less than the 15mg pred that I am now on. He drew every [pertinant] test in the book, and will have the results in about 10 days. When he sees what my body fluids are up to, he said he will probably put me on Methotrexate three times a week. Wowee! I took it before at one time a week. It was helpful to me, and I had no stomach upset. I hope my stomach will cooperate this time around... Oh. He also said that he will refer me to a doc down in San Bernardino. I was so relieved about that. My doc is the Reigning King of Rheumatology, a tall, thin, encyclopedia of a man. He usually refers me to doctors he has trained himself, since he teaches as well as treats. That's the dope on me. My fantasy creatures now eagerly await my attentions. We are all going to take a bit of a "siesta" together. zzzzzzz Mair zzzz Dotes  Signaturestingo2@earthlink.net http://radio.weblogs.com/0114986/ Your rheumy sounds very good Mair. This'll give you time for the med change(s) and stabilize things before your anticipated move. So everyone in it's time eh? Hugs J > Well, I made it down to see the Doc. His chart said I had not been down > since February! I guess I lost some time somewhere... [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > stingo2@earthlink.net > http://radio.weblogs.com/0114986/ My sister has systemaic lupus.Due to meds shes gained about 150 lbs.Anyone experience this & found a way to lose it? Signature************************************************************** Jake Jacobsen [ICQ-#1519089]-NetscapeIM-MSNMessenger-YahooMessenger[jakeofvt] Vermont,USA......Vietnam '66-'68 [6th Air Commando Sq-Pleiku,SVN] * Co-Founder of VVA,Chapter # 1 * Life Member;ACA...DAV...VVA * Helping America....one person at a time ~ Loyalty Above ALL......Except HONOR !! ~ ************************************************************** >My sister has systemaic lupus.Due to meds shes gained about 150 >lbs.Anyone experience this & found a way to lose it? I assume she is on steroids. unfortunately, she's fighting a very tough battle - the drugs make you crave foods, weaken muscle tissue and create fat deposits in certain areas. The disease makes it hard to move around and get enough exercise sometimes. Not everyone responds this way to steroids but probably most do. there are some forms of exercise that are helpful without being too painful (for most of us) which include yoga and water aerobics. Other than that, as long as she has to be on the meds, she will have to fight the craving as best she can. I've been on drugs that induce such cravings (tricyclic anti-depressants used for sleep or pain reduction) and it is very tough thing to cope with. My best to you and to her. I hope you get more concrete answers. Perhaps there is some advice on the Lupus Foundation's web site? http://www.lupus.org Jake, Welcome home! Never too late to tell a Vietnam Vet that. I think that many of us have expeerienced the weight gain with the meds they give us to "help" with the SLE. As Kcat said there really isn't much that can be done other than try to control the cravings and do as much excercise as one can tolerate. I have found water excercise classes the easiest on my body. Sherry > My sister has systemaic lupus.Due to meds shes gained about 150 > lbs.Anyone experience this & found a way to lose it? Hi, There are certain foods that it is okay to eat a lot of. Most fruit and vegetables are fine and are low calorie. Not very exciting I supppose but when she is hungry she may not mind. Also avoid salt. > Jake, > Welcome home! Never too late to tell a Vietnam Vet that. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >>> Loyalty Above ALL......Except HONOR !! ~ >> ************************************************************** Signaturefor an alternative look at current events, go to http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/ Yeah, those steroids make you crave fatty foods and proteins. It is like a prescription for weight gain: eat fatty foods and then go lie on the bed! It is not her fault, I hope she knows this. We live in such a cruel world. I have been on prednisone for over a year. I gained 50, but I am extremely short. But I stopped the gain there... and have actually lost 4 pounds while still on pred (kind of unheard of in my life). Steroid play havoc with the emotions, too, so it can become a desperate thing to look in the mirror and see the facial chubbiness happening there. Be supportive in any way you can. Please remind her that it is just a phase; that we with lupus, are lucky in that we do have remissions and better periods in our lives. I am waiting for my next "good time" Myself! Best regards Mary > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >>> Loyalty Above ALL......Except HONOR !! ~ > >> ************************************************************** Thanks for the info all.....the "Welcome Home" was a nice touch.....thank you. > Jake, > Welcome home! Never too late to tell a Vietnam Vet that. > Sherry Signature************************************************************** Jake Jacobsen [ICQ-#1519089]-NetscapeIM-MSNMessenger-YahooMessenger[jakeofvt] Vermont,USA......Vietnam '66-'68 [6th Air Commando Sq-Pleiku,SVN] * Co-Founder of VVA,Chapter # 1 * Life Member;ACA...DAV...VVA * Helping America....one person at a time ~ Loyalty Above ALL......Except HONOR !! ~ ************************************************************** > Well, I made it down to see the Doc. His chart said I had not been down > since February! I guess I lost some time somewhere... [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > before at one time a week. It was helpful to me, and I had no stomach > upset. I hope my stomach will cooperate this time around... [...] Mair, your dr is probably thinking about having you on a higher (as in the higher end for autoimmune diseases) dose, say 8-10 pills, and therefor splits it in three smaller doses. You'd then take one dose, for example, Monday morning, the other 12 hours later, Monday evening, and the last one 12 hours after that, Tuesday morning. Have never been on the split dose schedule myself, but I've heard some people tolerate Methotrexate better that way. Anyway, good luck! Nina That sounds like a good dose that Nina mentioned, Mair. At least it would be over with in 36 hours & you wouldn't have to remember to take it every two days or so. I get so confused when my pred goes down every other day. It's so hard to keep up with all the meds & doses. Nina, did you start the MTX injections yet? Hugs, Maggie > That sounds like a good dose that Nina mentioned, Mair. At least it > would be over with in 36 hours & you wouldn't have to remember to take > it every two days or so. I get so confused when my pred goes down every > other day. It's so hard to keep up with all the meds & doses. You should get one of those little pill boxes! Mine has the days marked and four trays for each day, so you just load the box with pills once a week. If it weren't for my pill box, I'd probably either forget taking half of my pills or take them several times a day. > Nina, did you start the MTX injections yet? Not yet - but I will soon. It's gonna be interesting to see if raising the dose from 20 to 25 and to injection will make any difference. How is your MTX nausea doing? Nina Hi Nina! Thanks for asking! I am quite a bit better. I decided to watch the fat intake & eat smaller portions of protein--spread throughout the day--on the day before my shot as well as the 2 days after. The liver has a hard time dealing with fat & protein, especially organ meats, when it's not working properly. I am also prone to nausea. I was a nauseated child. LOL! I think you'll see a big difference in the injections. My doc told me that the body only absorbs about 17.5mg when taking pills, so if that's the case then you'll be taking an extra 7.5mg. I do like the MTX. I took Imuran before & compared to it, the nausea is nothing. That stuff about killed me at one point! Let us know how it goes, k? You may even see a difference fairly soon as the MTX is already in your system. Hugs, Maggie |
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