Thanks, guys!

The nurses at the apheresis unit said the same thing- that it would take about two months after stopping the prednisone for the moonface to go away. It's just kinda interesting that sometimes the swelling goes down while I'm still at a pretty high dose. Seems like it's something that I may be able to control to some degree, just have to figure out what it is I'm doing...

Rach- I noticed that you said that the moonface started to subside during the taper...What dosage were you at when you'd say that the moonface started to really go down?

I pretty much have all of the side-effects of prednisone now. The only one that I really don't have is the weight gain. In fact, I may have lost a pound or two. Insulin resistance, crackling bones, moon face, hump, HAIR (moustache, chin hair, side burns, and hair between my actual hairline and jaw bone), I finally just resumed my period after not having it for 4-months, was having mood swings, not so much anymore (maybe 50mgs is a real turning point in terms of intensity of certain side-effects?), acne, intense pressure in my head, the whole shebang.

My neuro. wants me to get to a place where i'm at 50/0, alternate day-therapy tapering by 10mgs each month- I want to go faster! I hope that helps with the side-effects, and that by the time it's done, permanent damage hasn't occurred!

P.S. I ordered the book, 'Coping with prednisone,' and it should be here any day. I'm so glad that someone here mentioned that book as I think it might be a godsend it terms of preventing permanent damage- knowledge is power!

Thanks again, guys!
Nicky