It took me out of a flareup AND I managed to lose weight on it. (Yes its possible, but EXTREMELY challenging. I won't lie, I was hungry most of this journey, but I told myself it was the prednisone speaking and not my actual body needing food. I nourished my body with 6-7 small meals with a protein and veggies. I limited fruit and carbs because I knew a lot of them would be stored as fat while on prednisone.
Prednisone is a corticosteroid, which means there is an increase in cortisol in your body- leading to an increase in the storing of fat, especially truncal fat. I experienced this the first time I took prednisone because I gave in to all my cravings. DO NOT DO THAT.
"Prednisone is like making a deal with the devil"
YES.
In one way this drug is an ABSOLUTE miracle. It has saved so many lives for many different autoimmune and diseases involving inflammation.
But with this comes a price. It destroys your physical appearance by giving you acne, increased hair, stretch marks, destroyed skin elasticity, and fat deposits in your stomach and back. Mentally, you become a hormonal, emotionally unstable DISASTER. Mood swings like you've never experienced. It gives you extreme energy, but with decreased strength and endurance and increased blood pressure. Some nights you won't sleep, and will stay awake in a cold sweat with the worst anxiety of your life. But you will have life. You will be alive, and all thanks to the Devil Prednisone.
I have never loved and hated something so much in my life.
This is my journal from the last time I was on prednisone. I stopped writing at 20mg because after that I barely noticed the prednisone and my bowels were great.
Hello.
My name is Mo, and I am currently a 22 year old s. I'm in my fourth
year but don't graduate until next year (partly due to missed courses
thanks to my UC) I'm a regular girl, and from the outside, no one
would expect me to have daily B.M.s that look like a bomb of blood
exploded in the toilet. I've had my ups and downs with this disease,
alternating apparent remissions and flare-ups. It's been a
rollercoaster for sure, and unfortunately at this point of my life
I'm at the bottom of the rollercoaster, stuck up-side down, hanging
on for dear life.
A
few traumatic events occurred in my life, and although I won't get
into details, they were traumatic to me. I had the worst anxiety in
my life and my heart broken my friends which resulted in me crying
uncontrollably for two days straight. I couldn't think or eat, I was
just in extreme despair. This occured on Saturday, February 23rd.
I had been managing my UC with the SCD (Specific carbohydrate diet)
and Mezavant which seemed to work for the most part. At this point
my bowels started getting looser and bloodier, but were no more than
3 times a day and didn't have cramping. For this to happen I wasn't
really worried, I figured I would keep going with my strict diet and
eventually they'd calm down.
On
thursday march 7, I had a job interview I had been looking forward to
all week., but hadn't been my confident self since the event on
February 23rd. I got ready for 2 hours for the
interview, looked great, studied the field I was applying for, and
then right before the interview I got unexplainable anxiety- I would
have rather jumped in front of a bus than go to that interview. This
made me even more upset after I went home because I began doubting
myself and life and thinking I would never be able to get a job or
live a normal life. This whole day I spent with severe anxiety, a
crushing feeling on my chest, and crying hysterically. I felt
hopeless. This night is when my bowels started getting very bad very
quickly. When I just went to the bathroom and passed pure blood with
no feces I knew I was getting much worse.
The
7 days escalated quickly and the few days before I started 10mg pred
I was in the bathroom with EXCRUCIATING cramps, huddled over, for
hours on end. My technical number had been probably close to 16
extremely painful and bloody BMs day. And this is where my adventure
on prednisone starts. It may have seemed like a regular Thursday
March 14th for others, but for me it was a new challenging
chapter of my life; a new adventure.
This
is how MY journey and prednisone have been. I'm sure there have been
a lot better and I'm sure there have been a lot worse, so don't lose
hope.
The original journal has pictures of every bowel movement. I thought that was a little too graphic for this blog, but if anyone is interested in seeing the progression of my bowel movements through prednisone I will post them!
40mg
Prednisone Begins:
Saturday
March 16
Began
40mg Prednisone @- day 1
Weight;
114.2 lbs
Poop
1: Morning poop Poop 2: Evening poop
- little cramping
- lots of flatulence
- moderate amount of blood
Prednisone
Side Effects:
- crazy hunger
- extreme emotinal (crying no reason)
Sunday
March 17
Day
2 40mg Prednisone- off Mezavant at doctor's orders
Poop
1: Morning poop
- Low cramping
- Significant amount of blood
- lots of flatulence
Prednisone
Side Effects:
- Extreme energy after driking 1 large coffee
- slightly euphoric
- very very hungry
- unable to sleep
Monday
March 18
Day
3 40mg Prednisone
Poop
1: Morning poop
- moderate blood
- little cramping
- lots of flatulence
Prednisone
Side Effects:
- sore bones/muscles (specifically ribs) and haven't worked out in a week+
- very emotional (anxiety in PM- took lorazapam- took away anxiety + made me sleepy)
Tuesday
March 19- Weight: 116.2
Day
4 40mg Prednisone
Poop
1:
- little blood
- slight cramping
- giant cloud poop
- moderate flatulence
- was in bathroom for 50 mins
Poop
2:
-
mostly blood/ low flatulence
Poop
3: (~2am)
- mostly flatulence
- bowels making weird noises, no crampsPoop 4: ~ 2:30 am
- same as poop 3
Prednisone Side Effects:
- fine emotionally
- LOW appetite (odd)
- extreme fatigue- slept 9 hours night before, having ~2 hour naps often throughout day, still exhausted. Could sleeep all day and throughout the night if I wanted.
So
it's day 4 on prednisone and overall I have just felt extremely
sleepy and have no appetite whatsoever which is odd because the other
days I have had the appetite of a 400 pound man. Overall today I've
been sleepy and lethargic but I really want to get a gym session in
later to try and prevent TOO much of my hard-earned muscle
deteriorating right before my eyes.
I
expect to be weaker but hope I can still push myself and have a
decent workout- I am aware it won't be the same as when I'm off
prednisone.
Last
time I was on prednisone, a weight at which I could usually squat for
20+ reps (65lbs), I squatted for 4 reps and then had to sit on the
floor with my head in between my legs because my heart was beating so
hard and I felt so light headed and dizzy.
2am
update: tried going to the gym at my usual late time of 12pm, body
too exhausted to go workout. Eyes wide awake and unable to sleep.
Fell asleep at 4am, woke up at 9am.
Wednesday
March 20
Day
5 40mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 10:30am)
Poop
1: (both pics are poop 1 with no flash + with flash)
- bowels rumbling all morning, making weird noises
- no cramps
- lots of flatulence
- appears to be mucous layer
Poop
2: (around 1030pm)
- no cramps
- no apparent blood
- no flatulence
Thursday
March 21
Day
6 40mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 2:30pm! Slept in for 12 hours)
Poop
1: ~10:30 am, woke up had to poop (pic 1 w/ flash, pic 2 w/o)
- slight craping :(
- flatulence
Poop
2,3, 4?
- later that evening went to bathroom and just pooped a bit of blood
- flatulence
Friday
March 22
Day
7 40mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 12:30am)
Poop
1:
-1st
log!!!!!!
- felt like a normal poop
- not too much blood
- slight cramping
Poop
2:
- little dot poop
- just felt like i had to fart, thought it would be full of blood but it was just these little dot poops! :)
- lots and lots of gas
Food-wise:
- Was feeling great, stretched & worked out
- treated myself to lots of almonds, some whey protein powder
- had 1 med black coffee @ 12 before gym (night time)
Saturday
March 23
Day
8 40mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 12:30am)
Poop
1:
- no blood! :) little dot poop
Poop
2:
- no cramps or anything
- bit of blood
- 4am
- feeling great ;0
Sunday
March 24
Day
9 40mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 1:30am)
Poop
1: 5:30pm
- looks bad, but felt like a normal poop!
- A bit of farting
- NO CRAMPS :)
Monday
March 25- 116.4- 2.2 pound increase
Day
10 40mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 2:30pm)
Poop
1:
- NO BLOOD
- only a few farts
- no cramps
Tuesday
March 26
Day
11 40mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 1:30pm)
Poop
1:
- little blood- not noticable. Didn't notice it until looking at these pictures
- NO farting- first poop like this since flareup
- feels like normal poop :D no crampnig r anything!
Wednesday
March 27
Day
12 40mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 12:30)
no
poop :O
Ate
pizza, wings, and protein powder!
3
coffees!
Thurs
March 28
Day
13 40mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 12:30)
poop
~ 10am?
Little
nuggets :D a bit of blood
1
large coffee tim hortons @ 6pm
Tried
going to sleep at 12:50 am- can't sleep at all. Horrible anxiety. At
1:50 am turned into anxiety attack- hyperventalating- negative
thoughts I can't push away. Feel dead. Hopeless.
Fri
March 29
Day
14 35mg Prednisone (taken at ~ 12:00)
No
poop :)
Sat
March 30
Day
15 35mg Prednisone
No
poop :) drank a few glasses of wine, ate foie gras, bread,
chocolate, etc. Enjoying eating whatever I want on prednisone :)
Sun
March 31
Day
16 35mg Prednisone
Poop1:
Pooped
this beauty at the trump hotel.
LOG
POOP felt so normal. No gas, no cramps. PERFECT YAHOOOO
Poop
2: ~ 3 pm
Wondered
where all my food was going! FOUND IT lol
Again
no cramps, farting, anything! Yayayayya! :)
I've been eating lots of foods I wouldn't normally eat:
- oatmeal
- skim milk in coffee
- whey protein powder
Mon
April 1
Day
17 35mg Prednisone
No
poop
Continuing
to cheat on SCD diet- lots of whey protein powder.
Tues
April 2
Day
18 35mg Prednisone
Poop
1:
- farting
- not a log:(
Poop
2:
- this happened like 5 mins after poop 1
- still farting.
Going
to try to stay stricted to SCD diet today- clearly it does make a
difference!
Wed
April 3
Day
19 35mg Prednisone
No
poop- SEVERE anxiety all day. Panic attack at 4am.- took ativan
Thurs
April 4
Day
20 35mg Prednisone
No
poop
Feeling
extremely sleepy and dizzy all day- not myself.
Lots
of nappying + no gym.
Fri
April 5
Day
21 30mg Prednisone
No
poop yet.
Down
5mg prednisone! Feeling a lot better today, took gravol before bed +
had 8 hours sleep+.
Hopefully
this is foreshadowing a great week on 30mg! WOOWOO (trying to be
positive)
Sat
April 6
Day
22 30mg Prednisone
No
poop yet.
2
poops :) firm no blood!!! no farting
Sun
April 7
Day
23 30mg Prednisone
No
poop yet.
Mon
April 8
Day
24 30mg Prednisone
No
poop yet.
Tues
April 9
Day
25 30mg Prednisone
Poop
Weds
April 10
Day
25 30mg Prednisone
No
poop yet.
Binge
drank in MTL- ate nachoes etc
Thurs
April 11
Day
26 25mg Prednisone (down to 25)
2
poops- a bit of farting.
Huge
giant breakfast, popcorn
Thurs
April 18
Day
? 20mg Prednisone (down to 20)
It's
been a week- 2 days last week I felt super super super depressed and
was crying all day.
I
feel much better now that I've been going to the gym!!!!!!!!!!
ENDORPHINS
WOO
Also, I weigh 113.2, so whoever said losing weight on prednisone is impossible is a liar. However, it has been a struggle. I have been calorie restricting and working out a few times a week. Prednisone cravings are insane!! I was craving sugar so badly I put sugar-free pancacke syrup on some egg whites with cinnamon- it actually has been curbing my sugar craving.
