The lowering of my prednisone dosage finally has caught up with me.
Pain in the hips/hands (neuropath) have come back in force over the last few days.
Rather than increase the prednisone, the decision was made to put me back on the Neurontin at my previous dosage.
The pain return is not entirely unexpected but I do not want to go back on the oxycodone again.
I've also been experiencing some dizziness/lightheaded-ness when getting up.
The doctor called this orthostatic hypotension and can be caused either by change in position or medication.
I go back for my next scheduled visit on the 14th.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Dana Farber Visit Today
I met with the doctors today and my counts appear to be rock solid.
Red blood counts are at 4.36 where a normal range is 4.2-5.6.
Plateletts are at 200 where a normal range is 155-410.
White blood cell counts are at 16.2 where normal range is 3.8-9.2.
The WBC's are a bit high but this is to be expected because I am on prednisone.
Basically the numbers are all exactly where they should be which is fantastic.
My prednisone dosage is being lowered from 80 down to 60 which is great. The prednisone has fixed a lot of things but it is causing charlie horse effects in the legs, irritability, jumpiness, bloating, etc. Lowering the dosage will go a long way towards lessening the effects but there is a chance some of the GVHD and neuropathy issues will return. We shall see. According to the doctor, my weight has stayed pretty consistent which is odd. Typically, someone at my dosage of prednisone wil gain 50-60 lbs easy. My life style changes have helped to keep things in check. As the dosages continue to drop, the weight should go with it. It would be nice.
The doctors have also discontinued my use of neurontin. Really sorry to see that one go. That means 6 less pills a day which is nice. To be honest, I am not sure how much benefit we got out of it but it may need to be revisited if neuropathy returns.
I was supposed to get vaccinated again today but that has been pushed off to the next visit in mid August. The doctor didnt want to add that to the mix with all the medication changes being implemented.
All in all it was a good visit plus I got a handle on how to go direct from the office to Dana Farber and then home using the T.
With careful appointment planning, I can reduce out-of-office time to an absolute minimum which I also like. Getting from the T locations means a good amount of walking but its all good since the pain is no longer there.
Red blood counts are at 4.36 where a normal range is 4.2-5.6.
Plateletts are at 200 where a normal range is 155-410.
White blood cell counts are at 16.2 where normal range is 3.8-9.2.
The WBC's are a bit high but this is to be expected because I am on prednisone.
Basically the numbers are all exactly where they should be which is fantastic.
My prednisone dosage is being lowered from 80 down to 60 which is great. The prednisone has fixed a lot of things but it is causing charlie horse effects in the legs, irritability, jumpiness, bloating, etc. Lowering the dosage will go a long way towards lessening the effects but there is a chance some of the GVHD and neuropathy issues will return. We shall see. According to the doctor, my weight has stayed pretty consistent which is odd. Typically, someone at my dosage of prednisone wil gain 50-60 lbs easy. My life style changes have helped to keep things in check. As the dosages continue to drop, the weight should go with it. It would be nice.
The doctors have also discontinued my use of neurontin. Really sorry to see that one go. That means 6 less pills a day which is nice. To be honest, I am not sure how much benefit we got out of it but it may need to be revisited if neuropathy returns.
I was supposed to get vaccinated again today but that has been pushed off to the next visit in mid August. The doctor didnt want to add that to the mix with all the medication changes being implemented.
All in all it was a good visit plus I got a handle on how to go direct from the office to Dana Farber and then home using the T.
With careful appointment planning, I can reduce out-of-office time to an absolute minimum which I also like. Getting from the T locations means a good amount of walking but its all good since the pain is no longer there.
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