at what dose does "full face" fade? | Arthritis Information

Hi all,

I just returned from a cruise, had a great time! A lot of pictures were taken, and a lot rejected. I hardly even recognize myself.

At what dose of prednisone will I start to see the puffiness reduce? My dr said when I get below 10 mg, currently I am on 12.5 for another 2 weeks.

I am claustrophobic, therefore, I walked the stairs.....I was not in pain, thank goodness...waiting for the puffiness to diminish....

Thanks all

Janet

Janet,

Not sure at what dose the puffyness goes away, but I do know it goes away quickly when you are off the pred.................

Happened to me, but then I had to go back on it.............So I got puffy again...............Good to hear your not in pain.............one thing I can not do well is climb stairs..........Good Luck &n bsp; Georgiana

Janet,

I think in my case, the puffiness disappeared somewhere between 10 mg and 5 mg. I don´t have any pain either (am now on 2.5 mg) but I am tired when I do anything with physical strain and try to avoid stairs. How nice that you enjoyed the cruise!

Ragnar

I am hoping that it goes away at 10, as I am scheduled to be at that dose for 2 months which puts me in December.

Ragnar, glad to know that you are not in pain and that you are on a low dose of prednisone...I am looking forward to those days.

Today is back to work after being on vacation for 8 days....sure miss room service....I keep looking for someone to deliver my morning coffee..

Thank you for your replies...

Janet

Janet,

Welcome back!! Glad you had a good time on the cruise.
My puffy face didn't go away until I'd been off
prednisone for a while, but then, I wasn't really
watching my diet either, and I had gained so much while
on the drug. You sound like you're much more
disciplined than I was about diet, so you shouldn't
have any problem getting rid of the puffies once you're
on a lower dose.

Sounds like a lot of the others are doing pretty well
lately, too. Glad to hear so many are not having pain
(that is one very nice thing the prednisone does, is
get rid of the pain). Would be fun if we could all get
together for a Kaffeeklatsch (sp?).('') A couple of
years ago (before we moved to present address) I was a
member of the YMCA, and went to their water arthritis
class. I was the youngest one there. Sometimes I think
the only thing that got any exercise was my mouth, but
it sure was fun to yak with all those folks. So many so
much worse off than me, but always cheerful. It was
good to get together those 3 times a week and just
vent, and of course joke around, and we did a lot of
that. I still keep in touch, and this Wednesday am
going to join them (they have guest passes for me to
get in) and then go to lunch afterwards. Looking
forward to it.

Hope everyone here has a good week. Take care!

Reni

Reni,

I take a water aerobics class also...I started that before PMR. Pre PMR , I did work out very hard. Now I try to work up to an point where I won' hurt the next day.

I agree, just getting in the water and chatting with the others is greath therapy, plus there is a physical benefit to it also.

I am so eager to lose this puffiness...some of my coworkers see it and others don't ????? Boy, but the pictures from our cruise vacation sure show it....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Have a great day,

Janet

Janet,

Don't you just hate those pictures? I have a few of
those that show my moon face, too, but I couldn't tell
it was that bad from just looking in the mirror. I will
save one of those as a reminder to me - more incentive
to not get that way again if I can help it. I'll bet
you got a lot of great pictures, too!!

Reni

Reni,

I agree, looking in the mirror does not really give "justice" to the full face. My eating habits are the same as they were pre PMR....it really is only the prednisone that gives the full face...and a little around the middle. If that is the only side effect I(we) get from prednisone, I will consider myself lucky. (the moon face goes away) From what I have read, 15 mg and under is not considered a high dose....but length time might has a role in the side effects.

How long have you been off prednisone? Do I remember that it is a year or so? Not sure if my memory lapses are from prednisone or menopause(not taking hormomes) j

I read a lot in the "medical" sites....however, I, really like to get information from those of us that have this temporary condition. It can be encouraging,,,and I stay with the encouraging posts.

Talk to you again,

Janet

Janet,

I think you're right in that length of time you take
prednisone has a bearing on side effects, even if the
dose is relatively low. In my case, it made me so
darned hungry all the time, and I gave in to it. Shame
on me!! I even had the "buffalo hump" (the lump of fat
or whatever at the base of the neck in back; it looked
really weird, thankfully it went away).

Yes, I have been off prednisone for over a year now. At
times it has been tempting to go back on, but on the
whole, I don't think my symptoms are too bad any more.
Sometimes I'm just a wimp for pain and want it to go
away entirely. But don't want to take the drugs if I
can help it.

I, too, read a lot of the medical sites. My husband
teasingly calls me "doctor" Reni. Haha. I have learned
an awful lot about a lot of things on-line. Pretty
interesting stuff, but I'm with you - you can't beat
getting info first hand from those that are going
through it.

Take care.

Reni

Good Morning Reni,

Good for you for being off the prednisone! I am patiently waiting for that day....I

Since you still experience stiffness and pain, can you do any type of exercising...walking, swimming?? and is this your day to meet for lunch with your swimming buddies? If so, hope you had a good time.

Have a great day, Dr. Reni! Hee hee

Janet

Janet,

Yes, today is the day that I met with my "old"
arthritis class buddies. Not everyone was at the class
this morning, but one fellow in particular who took a
shine to me when I helped him with the routine early
on. He will be 90 in December. He's a dear. We had a
good lunch (why does it always have to be Mexican food?
I just can't be good when I eat at one of those). And
as usual, exercised our mouths a lot. It was good to
catch up with all those nice folks.

I don't seem to have too much stiffness any more, and
the aches are much less, so yes, I do get out and walk.
We don't have a pool very close by, so don't do that. I
walk with a neighbor. She is 66, but can run circles
around me. I get winded when we are talking (she
suggested, teasingly, that maybe I am talking too
much). We walk 3-4 mornings a week and do between 2-5
miles, usually around 3.5. Sometimes my hips ache
pretty bad while we're walking. I hope it's not
osteoarthritis. I know it helps, so I keep it up. You
said you used to do Pilates? I'm impressed. I tried an
intro to Pilates class years ago - about 2 years after
I had a herniated disc. I wrenched my back trying to do
some of the moves, and ended up just observing the rest
of the class. Oh, well. I have a Pilates video that I
should dig out and see how much I can do now. Probably
not much. I've really gotten deconditioned since the
PMR, but need to start somewhere. Did I tell you that I
can get up and down from the floor without doing the "4
point landing" maneuver now? I still have to go slow
because my knees ache (maybe that's osteoarthritis,
too???), but at least I can do it. Yay!!

Hope you are having a good day. I sure look forward to
reading these posts.

Reni

Hi Reni,

Wow, a 90 year old buddy. That is very refreshing and endearing!

I love exercising my mouth, too. I believe that it is great therapy, no matter what the subject is. It is so encouraging to hear that you are walking almost everyday, and quite far....and off prednisone!

I, too, can get off the floor without crawling to the sofa or chair, and I don't have the mental anquish of trying to perform that simple task. Keep walking, if you OA, my understanding that moving is the best medicine...plus it boosts the "mood".

Love these posts...
Janet