Re: Prednisone again

May 10, 2006

Hi Steve:

I hope someone can give you some advice about the sinus drainage. Have you

thought about raising the head of the bed a few inches like they do with reflux

problems? At least the drainage won't stagnate. Just a suggestion and I can't

promise it will make a difference . . . but it might.

Carol

Steve wrote:

I am on Prednisone .5mg every other day. I have been on pulse doses

as high as 60mg then tapering off. I hate the stuff. I am also getting

2 vials of Xolair in each arm twice a month. I have been getting the

shots for about 2.5 months so far. I am waiting for it to take

effect..

I was really doing good until yesterday. I had what I felt was a bad

asthma attack. It was very difficult to breathe. My inhaler worked

for about 5 minutes. I tried my nebuolizer and it worked for a

while. When I sat still I could breathe a little but each time I

found breathing very difficult. I got really scared. I actually

contemplated going to the hospital.

I thought the Xolair would be taking affect by now. I have an

appointment with my allergist on Friday but I am not sure if I want to

tell her about this episode because it was only once and I am afraid I

will be put back on the Prednisone. I am on a very little dose now

and do not want to go back on it again. I want to get off now!!. I am

also taking Byetta which levels out blood sugar quite will. However

in my case the Prednisone is causing higher averages. It really

messes up the levels.

Questions:

1. How long does it take for Xolair to work?

2. When it does start can I feel confident I will not have any more of

these breathing episodes?

3. I also have a lot of sinus drainage which the doctor tells me is

the cause of my shortness of breathe and most of my asthma problems.

Does anyone know what I can take to STOP the drainage? My lungs fill

up at night and I spend the first hour of the day coughing until my

chest hurts. During the day it gets a little better but I still have

the drainage and cough at work. It is really annoying to those around

me. I tried Guaifenesin. It clears up the chest congestion but the

drainage is still there and bringing it up is very difficult.

May 10, 2006

Carol,

That did for a short while. Now, I have to resort to sitting upright in

a recliner most of the night and even this is beginning to fail because

there is so much drainage and it simply will not come up when I cough

and try to clear out the stuff. I don't know if you have ever done

this but you don't get a good night sleep; you only doze and get up more

tired than when you went to sleep the night before.

I spoke with my allergist this morning and found out she wants me to go

back to taking 20 mg of prednisone twice a day for a week and then go

back to the 5mg every other day. At the risk of sounding negative, I

know how this is going to work. I will feel rather well after a couple

of days then when I go back to the 5 mg dose 2-3 days afterwards the

symptoms will come right back. This has happened each time I have been

tapered off the darn stuff. It is getting very old not to mention what

prednisone is doing to my body. I know it has began to reduce the

calcium in my hip bones.

I also asked her if the Xolair I have been taking should take away these

problems. I was told it should and she recommended when I see her on

Friday they draw blood to check my IGE level again to see if the amount

of xolair I am taking is enough. Guess I will just have to wait and see

what happens in the next week.

Thanks for responding.

~STEVE ZIMMERMAN, CPM, CVOM~

________________________________

From: [mailto: ]

On Behalf Of Carol Corley

Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 11:57 AM

Subject: Re: [ ] Prednisone again

Hi Steve:

I hope someone can give you some advice about the sinus drainage.

Have you thought about raising the head of the bed a few inches like

they do with reflux problems? At least the drainage won't stagnate.

Just a suggestion and I can't promise it will make a difference . . .

but it might.