INITIALLY I LOVED PRED! WAS @ 80 MGS FOR A LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG TIME! IT FELT SO GOOD TO HAVE ENERGY AGAIN! I COULD ACTUALLY FEEL IT HITING MY SYSTEM.....ON THE OTHER HAND, I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO SWALLOW AGAIN - WENT A COUPLE OF MONTHS WITHOUT EATING AND TOWARD THE END COULDN'T EVEN FINISH AN ENSURE - MAJOR, MAJOR CRISIS! SCARY STUFF!

I GUESS THAT'S WHY MY BODY WAS SO RAVAGED BY THE TIME I ENTERED THE ICU.........

DO I MISS HAVING THE ENERGY OF A 2 YR OLD? YEPPERS! DID THE PRED AND CYCLOSPORINE MIX CAUSE CUSHINGS? YEP? AM I NOW HALF A FOOT SHORTER DUE TO CHRONIC BACK FRACTURES AND GIVE MYSELF FORTEO SHOTS IN MY STOMACH TO REDUCE FURTHER DAMAGE? YEP!

I WAS ACTUALLY DOING GREAT UNTIL THE CYCLOSPORINE WAAS INTRODUCED......ONCE THAT HIT,, I HAD PERMANENT COLD SORES AND WENT UP A SIZE A WEEK..........IT WAS AWFUL!

I GUESS @ THAT POINT ANYTHING WAS BETTER THAN SLOWLY STARVING TO DEATH........

LOVE,
ERIN