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…..Well, not exactly. I’m still getting my fix through steroid inhalers, but as far as the prednisone goes…..I’m totally off it ! ( at least for the time being.) I was on a low dose of it continuously for 14 months, but decided to stop, as it didn’t seem to prevent the more severe flare-ups.
It’s now been a full 2 weeks since I tapered off that poison, and so far, so good .My adrenals seems to be working fine, doing what they’re supposed to do. My peak flow readings, though a little lower overall, seem to be less wobbly (variable) and have been consistently in the green zone. My dyspnea level has been for the most part…mild. About the only negative thing I can think of, is that my neck and back and shoulder pain have increased 10 fold , but that was to be expected . Too me though, pain is the lesser of the two evils and I can deal with that.
I guess only time will tell how this is all going to effect me. One things for sure, from now on I’m only taking the drug when I get really really sick, and then, just long enough to recover.
Again with the disclaimer…This is a personal choice I made after discussing it with my doctors.
Just as I’m beginning to see results with my gym workouts ( I actually have visible biceps now:-), I’ve also been trying to solve the mystery of this new, and very nagging neck and shoulder muscle pain Ive been experiencing ever since I began those workouts.
At first I thought maybe I was just over-doing it with the weights, but I only go to the gym 2-3 times a week and I spend less than 30 minutes on the actual weight machines, so I figure it can’t be that. I can understand being a little sore after beginning a new exercise routine, but Ive been in pain since the very first day ( 4 months now) . The pain and stiffness is persistent and tends to get really bad in the middle of the night. Sometimes it gets so intense, that I actually have to get out of bed to get any relief. Between my breathing problems and this new muscle pain, its getting to the point where I’m unable to get very much restful sleep.
I discussed this with my primary care doc, and thinks it could be from not stretching the opposing muscles groups properly. She also thinks that I don’t drink enough water during the day to flush out the accumulated lactic acid that builds up in my muscles. Then there’s also the question of whether some of medications I take have anything to do with this ….All these things sound logical I guess.
I don’t know if you remember, but I also had a problem with my calve muscles cramping up all the time. I think we concluded that the cramping was caused by too much walking, improper hydration and steroids. Maybe the same is true for this new problem?
If any of you fitness people have any advice on what might be causing this problem or how I can treat it , Id certainly appreciate hearing from you. I’ll probably start going to Physical Therapy once a week and sign up for a yoga class at the gym, to see if that helps.
The main reason I started going to the gym in the first place was because I wanted to add weight training to my walking regimen and tone up a little bit. I’m very interested to see if this type of cross- training will make a difference at the Rome marathon next year.
Thanks !
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