No problem, Tyson...I'm like you in that I didn't think that BP would be a problem for me for one thing, because I'm pretty young too, and for another, because I had always had low/normal BP prior to starting prednisone (110/70)...I also had never thought sugar would be a problem either because of my age.

I wasn't really informed of the side-effects of prednisone prior to starting. In fact, one day the nurse came to me in the morning, when I was at the comp. in the entertainment room, and there were some new pills in her hand. I was like, "What are those?" She's like, "oh this is your prednisone." I was really upset, and protested. I hate taking pills (as everyone does) and I especially feared prednisone (but knew I'd have to take it eventually 'cause of the way things were going).

Mental illness runs in my family (many have bipolar disorder, OCD and one has Schizophrenia), and I was terrified of losing my marbles from the 'roids. Moonface, blood sugar, salt, and all those other things, were the least of my worries at that time...My dad has been taking prednisone for over 12-years, and went psychotic when he first started taking them...He'd still have psychotic episodes every now and then...Don't ask me why they didn't try a different immunosuppressant for him...

So anyway, I was sitting in the hospital eating the delicious food *barfs*, which would be salted normally, and grabbing bags of chips from the caf...It was weird because I had developed a bit of an aversion to salt when I was sick during the year prior to surgery and what not, and suddenly I wanted chips, chips, and some doritos on the side...The nurses saw me eating them, but didn't say much...

I think I was under the impression that the sides from prednisone only affect a small percentage of people, like other medications...Was I wrong when you pretty much get every side effect listed...Taking it is essentially having Cushing's, so it's not really surprising...

Anyway, I'm glad that you're getting some help, and I hope things with your heart get sorted out...I want you to get the answers, and on that road to recovery, without all the potholes!



Nicky