Ulcerative Colitis- Prednisone Round Two

I wrote this journal on my last bout of prednisone which began in March and tapered off until June.

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 23^rd. 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 23^rd. 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 14^th 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 cramps
  Poop 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:

-1^st 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.