muscle break down due to pred.

[annekat]

My rheumy told me to never drink Green Tea and also told me to never use a skin cream that also contains Vitamin E.
I have posted these on here, somewhere, before

- nothing about turmeric

Oh, that is weird, and I think I do remember you posting it. I hear so much about the benefits of green tea, including in the book by Susan Blum, MD, mentioned above, which is geared toward anti-inflammatory diet and recovery from AI diseases. I know of a forum member here who told me he drinks a lot of green tea. I'm not saying your rheumy is wrong. I just get confused reading so many conflicting things from different places. It may have been Sangye who warned against turmeric, but I'd have to do some searching to find out.

[Barbara N]

Hi Steph,

I'm down to 50 mg pred/day now. I've experienced a bit of muscle loss since disease onset. Also, my skin has thinned, and I bruise very easily. My legs and back are pretty good (I get a chiropractic adjustment once every 3 - 4 months), but my arms and shoulders aren't what they used to be. I weigh about the same now as before I got sick. At disease onset, I lost 20 -25 pounds. Once I was on high dose pred, the appetite kicked in and I regained the lost weight and about 20 extra pounds. I've managed to lose the extra weight, but am still carrying an awful lot of belly fat. I hope that once I get down to 10 - 15 mg pred/day, that I can control my appetite better and build some muscle in my core and upper body.

Best advice I can give is to exercise moderately once your lat has healed. I walk about 3 miles 4 - 5 times a week. It takes me about 55 minutes - a brisk, but not uncomfortable pace for me. Our new Medicare Supplement also will pay for a gym membership. One of my selection criteria is to have a trainer available who has worked with older folks. I want some tips on using weights and upper body exercises to lose a few inches around my middle and regain some degree of upper body strength. I don't want to be ripped like I was in my 20s and 30s. I just want the clothes I wore in my early 60s to fit again!!

Good luck!!

I just to reduce my prednisone from 30mg and was feeling pretty good but when I went to get on my horse: my husband has to give me a leg up because my horse is so big. Ususally it is easy, just a little push from him and <i am up. This time I found I had no upper body strength and couldn't even help to pull my self up. I do a lot of exercise and it seems to be getting a bit better every day. My skin is like paper, it rips if you just touch it and it bleeds or leaves a hole and I bruise very easily.My belly is bloated, not like a beer belly but sort of square. I guess I am starting to get the round face fat, moon shape everywhere. I can't wait to stop pred.

[TommyG]

Ive been on pred for 4 years and was on a high dose for 6 months (40-100mg). My initial weight gain hid my muscle loss. it was a year after diagnosis when RTX finally knocked out my active disease. I was able to shift from just trying to survive to focus on rejuvenation. I joined a gym and found a gentle yoga class.
I was amazed how weak I had become. I saw first hand what pred can do to your muscles. I started slow and still injured myself a couple times. Mostly pulled muscle. I learned to do high reps with lighter weights. 3 years later my muscle tone is back and my strength is up. Most importantly I'm back to enjoying an active life. I'm even back skiing and mountain biking again. Pred does make you much more susceptible to injuries, so start any new exercise program slow.

[stephwest]

Ive been on pred for 4 years and was on a high dose for 6 months (40-100mg). My initial weight gain hid my muscle loss. it was a year after diagnosis when RTX finally knocked out my active disease. I was able to shift from just trying to survive to focus on rejuvenation. I joined a gym and found a gentle yoga class.
I was amazed how weak I had become. I saw first hand what pred can do to your muscles. I started slow and still injured myself a couple times. Mostly pulled muscle. I learned to do high reps with lighter weights. 3 years later my muscle tone is back and my strength is up. Most importantly I'm back to enjoying an active life. I'm even back skiing and mountain biking again. Pred does make you much more susceptible to injuries, so start any new exercise program slow.

Hi Tommy. thanks for that, what dose of pred are you on now?

[TommyG]

I'm on 5 mg of pred.