Hi all,

So, I was just discharged from Hospital yesterday. I had yet another bout of my D.R.E.S.S syndrome. (I had two episodes back-to-back) When I have these flare-ups, I have to go on high doses of IV corticosteroids called Methylprednisolone. Well, the last flare up I had (in the middle of Oct) they gave me the IV and then my treatment was done. Well, I flared up again within 5 days. So this time they did the IV steroids and now they are doing a long tapering down dose of oral Prednisone to see if this extra treatment will nip these flare ups in the bud. (like over 3 months)

I am now also on a different corticosteroid/immunosuppressant called Cyclosporine and apparently going to be on it for a year.

*whimper *whimper

With being on steroids there are A LOT of side effects.

Guess which one I'm most petrified of..? WEIGHT GAIN!

-it might not be literally weight (or fat) gain but it could be Water weight.

-my appetite may increase

-my weight can redistribute

-I may feel extreme exhaustion all of the time

-I may feel jittery and shaky

-I may be forever irritable

-I may be severely out of breath even with a mild walk

-I may have insomnia

** the reason I say I may have these particular symptoms is because I did have them the last time the doctor had me on this tapering dose of the steroids.

The difference back then was that I didn't have the WLS, and I DID gain actual weight because I ate a sh*t ton more than usual, wasn't watching it closely and didn't even think about exercising at all.

I'm devastated to be back on these steroids and I feel like I am going to be putting my weight loss on hold for at least the 3 months. I weighed myself this morning and I am still up 4 pounds from last week. Even in hospital I ate the best I could, ate my Protein, drank my water, and walked around as best I could. Came home yesterday and the first thing I did was went out for a trail walk.

Am I going to be stuck for at least 3 months?

WAHHHH

To make a LONG story short; I am looking for other people to tell me that they beat the odds and lost weight while on this nasty medication. Please tell me that I am not going to work my ass off, struggle as all heck, but not get anywhere!

Has anyone been on Prednisone and lost weight anyways?

I know it'll increase my appetite but I will ignore hunger and still eat what I'm supposed to eat. I know I will most likely experience water weight too, but I will do my absolute very best to beat the side effects of Prednisone.

I guess I need a little bit of hope that I might actually win this battle....

Heather

We are steroid heavy household, here. The important thing is understanding HOW you can gain weight. The meds won't cause you to form fat out of nothing, but it can change your behaviors to cause you to gain weight KWIM. So water weight- keep up on your fluids and eat foods that help flush fluids from the body. Increased appetite -make sure you're eating the right foods.

We are steroid heavy household, here. The important thing is understanding HOW you can gain weight. The meds won't cause you to form fat out of nothing, but it can change your behaviors to cause you to gain weight KWIM. So water weight- keep up on your fluids and eat foods that help flush fluids from the body. Increased appetite -make sure you're eating the right foods.

Thanks anchorup!

Question:

What does KWIM mean?

Know what I mean