[Erin524]

Just got home from getting my steroids.

Is it just me, or is a 500mL bag of glucose with a ONE GRAM of solumedrol in it, is that a really small dose??

I have the nasty taste in my mouth, but it just tastes like I didnt brush my teeth for a few days. It's no where near the nastiness I had in 2007 when I had oral pred.

They had food there! I ordered a salad and some garlic bread. (garlic bread helped with the dirty penny flavor actually...I'm getting that again tomorrow...maybe with a hamburger) The food wasnt the greatest, but it was pretty tasty.

[dmplaura]

Yes the amount's tiny. I forget what the rest of the contents are. I had asked before, sugar mostly I believe, but don't quote that.

I chew gum when I get mine done, keeps that nasty taste away.

[bluenurse]

Actually, 1 gram of solumedrol equals 1000mg , so it is not a small dose. It is the standard dose given IV for MS. Just think how many nasty prednisone pills you would need to take to equal 1000 mg.--Thank goodness, we can get IV.--Hope you are feeling better.

[Erin524]

and each one of those nasty little pills taste THOUSANDS of times nastier than the 1 gram of solumedrol. So much easier.

I had a bigger problem being bored out of my mind than any problems with the IV. I also thought I'd have to pee more with 500mL's of glucose. Maybe I need to drink more water?

I'm taking my laptop tomorrow and leaving most of my crochet/knitting projects at home. Taking my Kindle because it was really nice to be able to just sit and read without anyone bugging me every 10 minutes.

I'm really surprised that I'm not bouncing off of the walls tonight. Those nasty pred pills made me absolutely wonko two years ago, and the IVSM seems to be making me feel calm and relaxed and feeling kind of good. My index finger is burning a teeny bit right now, but it kind of a pleasant sensation, so I wont complain much.

Cant wait till I'm done, it's just so boring!!!! I started walking around the short hallway because my knee was stiffening up (it does that) and I just wanted to have a laptop and some dvds and hadnt thought I'd want one until I got there and decided I didnt just want one, I needed one! SOOO BORING!

Two more days to go...and I forgot to ask if they're going to torture me with oral pred after this. They didnt mention it. So, maybe they're not, or they're just waiting to surprise me. (ohyay...not!)

[Lady]

Erin,
Sodium, not sugar, is in the IV bag along with 1 gram of methylprednisolone (Solu Medrol). Eat potassium foods. Bananas, yogurt, potatoes, etc., to keep from retaining the salt.

That may be why you did not feel the need to eliminate the fluids. High sodium depletes Potassium (K) in the blood. It can't hurt you to eat less salt, and drink fluids, while getting the IVSM, and for a week after too.

Good Luck Erin. I hope you feel better real soon.

[FaithS]

Yes; 1000 mg of IVSM is not a small dose, as bluenurse says. It is the standard dose given IV for an MS flare. In fact, it is given IV because it is too large a dose to be very convenient to take orally.

Because my veins are difficult to find (it once took 2 competent nurses 2 hours and 6 sticks to get my IV started!), I request my steroids in pill form (oral Prednisone). It takes twenty 50mg pills per day. And, yes, they take horrible! I put them in several Tbsp of yogurt; that helps to mask the taste of the pills.

The first time my physician rx 1000 mg of oral prednisone per day, the pharmacist called him, to be sure that rx was written correctly. 100 mg of oral prednisone is considered to be a high dose.

~ Faith

[dmplaura]

Originally Posted by Lady

Erin,
Sodium, not sugar, is in the IV bag along with 1 gram of methylprednisolone (Solu Medrol).

Thank you Lady! That's why I said don't quote me on it!