It's still freaking numb.

I'm wondering if he's even giving me a high dose.

The pills are 10mg pills, and there's only 70 of them.

I'm taking 6 for three days, 5 for three days, 4 for three days, 3 for three days, 2 for three days, and 1 for three days.

and I think I might have just figured out the math for that...and it's not correct...maybe (I suck at math)

If I took 6 for the first 3 days, that was 18 pills, then it's 15, 12, 9, 6, and 3.

18 + 15 + 12 + 9 + 6 + 3 = 63

There's 7 pills not accounted for.

What the heck?? (calling pharmacist...)

Edited to add:

ARGGGGGH!~~

His directions may have been wrong. The pharmacist said the directions were confusing to her. They say

Take as directed.
Beginning at 6 tablets
three times daily

Friday, when I picked it up, it was nearly 10pm, so I called the after hours number for the neuro. Got a different neuro. He said the directions were confusing too, and did the math and said for me to take it the way I was taking it.

Maybe this is why it's not working?

argh1!!! SIX DAYS! I've been taking it for SIX FREAKING DAYS and apparently taking it wrong!

dangit!

Altho, the last time I had oral steroids, which was 2yrs ago and prescribed by a different doctor, his directions were very similar to how I've been taking it this time.

Now I wonder if he really did want me taking 18 pills in one day. But, that's a lot of pills to choke down.

Does any of that make sense?

I guess I have to call him in the morning. Maybe he'll adjust the Rx, or add some more to it or something... Next time he needs to write it out better.

180mg a day would be too much I think. It sounds like a tapering dose from 60mg down would be about right.
i took 75 for 3 days then tapered down when I had my (not) Bells palsy.
The thing with pred is that it only reduces a swelling. If your numbness is from nerve damage then pred would not work would it? If its caused by inflammation, say from a spinal lesion/swell, then maybe it would help. my neuro has often said that pred would be of no use for numbness.
Or it's quite probable that I'm talking absolute pants and got it all wrong.
take it easy anyway.

I'm thinking that he didnt give me the pred for the numbness. But for the pain and what might have been the impending paralysis of my hand/arm/entire left side.

I've noticed something that I was overlooking because I've been so centered on the numbness. My hand no longer feels like someone parked an aircraft carrier on top of it. And, I can move my fingers better than I could last week. (still cant feel the yarn when I'm crocheting or knitting. Keep dropping my working strand because it slips out from between my fingers and I dont notice it)

Last week my hand hurt so bad, that I was crying myself to sleep. It felt like it was being crushed right on the joints where the pinky, ring and middle finger meet the hand. Now it doesnt hurt there any more. Fingers are still a bit stiff, but they also feel like polish sausages to me. I can now bend them without much problem.

I noticed tonight that I can do the alphabet in sign language with that hand better than I could before the pain and numbness started.. (been using the sign alphabet as a way to keep my hands agile for crocheting for years..)

So, maybe the prednisone is working, I was just not paying attention to the right symptom. The numbness is annoying and the most constant, so I've been centering on that symptom, and not realizing that my hand doesnt hurt like it did last week.

So, yay! I guess the prednisone IS working...just not on all the symptoms that I want it to work on. I guess I'll take being able to move my fingers over being able to feel them. I just wish that yarn didnt feel so craptacular to my skin right now.

I do think I have something new starting tho...not sure if the steroids are causing it. My left leg is really really tired feeling. Enough that I'm noticing it when standing for more than a few minutes.

I'm going to go attempt to sleep. The steroids are giving me some pretty nasty insomnia tonight. That's starting to get old.

no advice, just hugs

Sometimes Prednezone just stops working after you've had it several times. IVSM and pred stopped working for me..

It may help with your pain and other inflamations, though.....Here's hoping..

I'm going to assume that it's working. My hand is still numb, but this morning, it's been a lot easier to move my fingers.

I think I was just so centered on the numbness...

Erin - how's the numbness? Any relief?

~Keri