u/m0ther_0F_myriads

Hi all,

I know Prednisone is divisive and for good reason. I also know that some of us are "lifers" who may be on prednisone indefinitely as a part of their maintenance plan. It's looking like I may be in that crowd for the forseeable future (which is disappointing) and I was wondering what doses other long term Prednisone takers were on?

Looking for a good high impact sports bra that. The jiggle makes it hard to breath and a lot of popular brands don't seem to make D in such a small band size. Help, I miss intense workouts!

Edit: I just wanted to add some context since this has gotten some responses - Yes 32D is what I got when I used the calculator. For medical reasons I recently started on a high dose of combined HRT. I have since jumped from an A cup to my current size.

Seriously, I can't take her anywhere! 😅

She is probably the smartest dog I have ever met. It takes her no time to learn new commands. But that all goes out the window the minute she is out of the house.

She's a menace on a leash. As soon as I clip a lead to her, I might as well have yelled "mush!" because she will take off at full speed with every once of strength she's got. I have no doubt this half grown puppy could pull a full grown man.

We've tried every technique and leash/harness combo possible. No luck. Once she gets a scent, she's locked in and off at full throttle. Gentle leads didn't work either. She just tucks her chin and pulls with her neck and shoulders instead of just her haunches, like a freakin draft horse.

She's also very vocal. A person passes - she bawls. A dog is nearby - she bawls. Something gets to close to our 9 year old - she bawls. Nine year old gets out of the "protected by Lucielle zone" on a walk - she bawls and pulls to get to him.

Barking wouldn't be too bad coming from a pup, except that she's a BIG girl. She's also almost entirely black, with black eyes, and all of her adult canines. And, she sounds like the devil himself conjured her when she barks. So - I can see how people might be intimidated by a large black dog who bawls like a hellhound meeting them on the nature trail.

At home she is patient, well mannered and extremely well behaved given her young age. This is literally her ONLY problematic behavior. Because of her single-mindness, the only option we can think of is a private trainer who comes to us and a front clip harness to make pulling less rewarding for her.

Anybody have experience with this kind of behavior? Did it settle with age? If not, how did you deal with it?

I've been desperately trying to get off prednisone for months now. I got down to 2.5mg a day. That felt better for a while. Then the exhaustion set back in and I started sleeping more and more of the day away. Eventually, I was nonfunctional again. This morning, I popped the extra 2.5mg to make 5mg and I feel human again.

This sucks because I already have bone density issues because of prednisone and hormonal insuffiency. Right now I choose functionality. I guess until I break a hip.

As I was shaving off my prednisone induced sideburns this morning (Female btw), it occured to me that the one thing that all of the positive chatter and encouragement talk circulating in chronic illness positive spaces misses is the little, everyday, "micro-indignities" that remind us that the world and all of its standards are set-up in an able-bodied/disabled bodied dichotomy. What's your favorite example? Mine is being conspicuously patronized.

This is a vent...sort of. Any advice is also welcome. I have SLE, RA, and Sjogren's. I'm also recovering from B12 deficient anemia and secondary adrenal insufficiency. That's a lot, but I've started to learn to manage it. What I'm struggling with is the constant barrage of colds, flus, and bugs my little one brings home. I feel like as soon as I get my health in a good place, he's caught something at school and brought it home, bless his heart. And, of course I don't mind doing mom duty and taking care of him when he feels bad, but I always get whatever cold or cough he has and it always undoes all of my progress. All that said. I love my little petri dish and wouldn't trade him for the world. I just wish he would remember to cover his mouth when he coughs.

I've been doing a lot of research in west TN over the last two or three years, and I keep hearing stories about big, black dogs/ large, human or bear-like animals out in river bottoms and around cold springs. It's never recounted as inhabiting cemeteries or crossroads, and no one has used the word "grim" to refer to it.

I searched around for any potential sources, but all I could find were a couple of mentions of a creature called "Swift Peter", starting with some reports from houndsmen in Mississippi who claim to have seen it in the late 1800s or early 1900s while hunting with their dogs. I know "Swift Peter" was an old urban legend in Memphis, but the people that I spoke to out in areas were the tale is still circulating had never heard that name before, so it seems to have lost a direct connection to that story, if there was one at some point.

Before I came across this, I thought that black dog stories were mostly found up in Appalachia. Anybody know or heard anything about it?

It was time. I've never just "quit" anything. Especially to predilect my health. This is a huge deal for me.

Edit: Thank you for all of the words of encouragement and support, everyone!

Hello r/askanthropology,

I am entering my second year in a Heritage MA program. I'm currently trying to create family trees and locate living descendants for those who are buried at a historical cemetery as a part of a larger reclamation project.

Is there a secure application or program out there where I can build out family trees and link documentary evidence (death certificates, census pages, etc)?

People with long term mobility and motor issues ~ what did you do to make your home more accesible? How did you pay for it?

Has anyone else experienced a loss of appetite with their illness? I'm taking Meloxicam, Plaquenil, and 2.5mg of Prednisone.

Hi all,

We have a 6 month old Bluetick/Golden puppy who's very "houndish" in her attitude and behavior (sassy, loud, stubborn, a bit bossy, but very cuddly, sweet and intelligent). She lacks confidence and can be shy, though. This makes what should be fun trips to the park or beach scary for her, sometimes. Someone who has raised hounds recommended getting her a buddy. Our local rescue has a 3yo Redbone girl for adoption. I don't know much about the breed, but she looks very sweet. Would a Redbone make a good big sis for our under confident puppy?

Just to clarify - I don't mean taking a break from treatment.

Just from the never ending, revolving door of doctors and specialists.

I told my husband today I don't think I want to continue down the Mayo route. I don't want any more interrogations about my diet or exercise practices or stress levels or eating habits. No more needles. No more pee cups. At least not for a week or two - until I can catch my breath. And no more new meds. The last one nearly destroyed my body and wrecked my life. I pretty much lost my job and may get booted from my grad program. How am I supposed to explain I got behind bc I was fighting for my life? How is that an excuse for poor performance when I always seem to be fighting for my life? It's my normal.

I promise I'll take my Plaq and supplements and hrt. I won't eat gluten or sugar. I'll exercise. I'll even take the psych meds they gave me to deal with the havoc the disease wreaked on my world. Just no more poking and prodding and feeling like a have to explain myself for not being healthy. Please. I can't handle another blown vein right now.

Is it wrong to want that? To want to just say no for a short while? Probably so. I just want a break so badly.

Hello all. I want to tell you lovely people a cautionary tale about why it is so important to trust your body and your intuition - and also BE YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE.

Storytime: I've been on prednisone for a long time. I mean a LONG time. Like several years. I know there are people out there who can count the number of years the have been stuck on this stuff in fives or tens, and I credit the stuff with keeping me alive and functioning when it was needed. But this story is about what can happen when you stay on it longer than it is helpful.

My rheums, you see, never took me off of it. One would tell me we needed to try tapering down, but we never actually got to that point. Another was resigned that I would be just fine on 5 or 10 mg for life. (I was not fine). I had no idea that any of this should be raising all of the red flags - especially because as my disease markers got better and better, I FELT WORSE AND WORSE.

In desperation, I went back to my rheum who gave me Imuran and upped my pred dose. I didn't know it at the time, but this is what made things get dangerous, fast.

I got bad...like REALLY bad...like ghostly white and 90lbs at 5'7" bad...this Spring. I was exhausted from just moving the laundry or taking a shower. I couldn't eat. I couldn't exercise. I struggled to catch my breath at times. I couldn't even think clearly sometimes. Then I started bruising everwhere. My skin got paper thin and the littlest pressure caused it to rip and bleed. I had a hard time stopping the bleeding, too.

At one point I thought I might have scurvy, or blood cancer, or MS, or any number of serious, potentially fatal diseases. I kept going to back to the doctor and getting dismissed because my lupus markers were fine. My Blood Count panels, however, were very not okay and getting worse. I felt like no one wanted to deal with me because no one could figure out why I got worse instead of better. But, I kept pushing and insisting that something was wrong.

Eventually my rheum gave in and punted me to the Mayo clinic where I was diagnosed osteoperosis and macrocytic anemia within the first few hours. But wait... My diet is meticulous, I take hrt RELIGIOUSLY as well as ALL the supplements - and all of those nutrient levels (B12, ferretin, Vit D, etc, etc) where all in normal range.

I didn't understand how this could happen. I was SO careful.

Well, it turns out that prednisone forever (or even long term) can significantly reduce your bone density. Imuran can actually suppress your bone marrow. And, the two together, in some people, are a recipe for hematological disaster. The worst part was that, because I was conditioned that the right thing to do was up my dose of predinsone every time I felt sick, I just kept throwing more and more of it at the problem, making it worse and worse.

I am off Imuran now, recieving regular B12 shots (just for good measure), and tapered down to 2.5mg of prednisone. I am supposed to start fossimax soon and hopeful undo the damage I did to myself being over reliant on this toxic stuff. I am grateful for the perserving benwfit it gave me when I really needed it. But please learn from me and do not overuse this stuff.

Finally, please never stop advocating for your health. If I had given in, and continued on with pred and Imuran, I don't know that I would be alive today.

Edit: Hey all. It was brought up that I really should clarify which meds contributed to my crisis in what ways. FYI see below -

Imuran: bone marrow suppression +  macrocytic anemia 

Prednisone: thin skin + fragile veins & vessels + heavy bleeding and bruising + loss of bone density

Together it was a miserable and frightening spiral that I am happy to be recovering from!

Does anybody else find clumps of their own hair lying around the house? I find them in the dryer, on the floor, on the stairs, in my car, on the sink.... Not just a couple of hairs. Actualy clumps. How long did it last? Did it grow back? Also, does anyone elses scalp kind itch with hair fall?