Prednisone = bad. (Various ramblings ahead).
My doc put me on Prednisone AGAIN to try and knock out this swelling in my leg from a horseback riding accident from last August. I have struggled through painkillers, short-term disability, physical therapy that only made the problem worse, and three months ago, he put me on a four-day course of Prednisone. It worked like a charm - for about a month. The pain came back. So now we’re trying a longer course of Prednisone - about a week and a half, possibly longer. It is helping - the pain is already going away. This is good.
However, two downsides to this medication: I am eating everything in sight. I am an absolute carb-o-holic this week. I have been surviving on my favorite brand of vegan macaroni and cheese (made with nutritional yeast and mustard powder instead of cheese - yes, I know, it sounds disgusting - it was an acquired taste, but now I can’t get enough of it), mashed potatoes with gravy, Cokes, Diet Mountain Dew Code Red, those new Quaker Toastables, oatmeal, ice cream, and homemade desserts from the local grocery store. I am starving all day, every day. And all I want are carbs…typically, I keep a good balance of carbs and proteins, but the carbs are the only thing that will satisfy me for longer than an hour. I CAN’T STOP EATING and I have to get my dress altered for my brother’s wedding next week - I’m gonna have to have it let out! I just want to stop eating! I’ve lost a good deal of weight in the past two years and I’m at the top of my healthy weight range - I don’t want to screw that up!
And another lovely side effect…I also itch constantly. I can take Benadryl at night to take the itch off, but unfortunately, during the day, I’m stuck unless I want to fall asleep at my desk. ACK! My co-workers laugh at me and are convinced that I’ve been breaking out in hives - they won’t come near me because they don’t want to catch it.
So in exchange for finally solving this nine-month old injury that I really want to take care of, I have to put up with these side effects. I know I can do it for another week. All I need is a good old ‘push pep talk’ from some people. Tell me to keep taking my meds so that my leg gets better. Anyone with past Prednisone experiences? Tell me how good it is for injuries and how I need to finish the course:).
One good upside, though - my doc has practically ordered me to start horseback riding again to get my leg muscles built up - woohoo! I wasn’t allowed to ride all this time and I miss it like mad. I NEED to get back on a horse.
Ava