Hi, everyone. Will you help me think through this? I am 45 years old. I work a bit from home doing editing and such, but mostly I'm taking care of my kids (I'm homeschooling three of them). In a few years they'll all be in school. I would like to get a degree in special education and work with autistic children. I think I have a gift for it. But I would have to be a lot healthier than I am now.

My neurologist is treating my illness very conservatively. Part of the reason is my decision: I told him I don't want to try Prednisone, at least not yet. My eyes are fine and I have no breathing trouble, and I'm able to do what I need to. But I don't want to be put out to pasture. I have other stuff I want to do in my life.

So: what next? Do I press for more aggressive treatment? More drugs? Different drugs? Prednisone? I've been on Imuran for about a year. I'm not sicker than I was a year ago, which may be because of the Imuran. But I'm not better, either. Do I push for CellCept, or something stronger (and more toxic)? I am taking 200mg/day of Imuran, but for most of the year I was taking 100 and 150mg. He should have upped my dose sooner. Maybe he should up in again now. I'm not noticing any side effects.

I'm willing to be patient, and I'm grateful that my situation allows me to live with this disease. It may well be that I'll never be healthy enough to do more than part-time editing from home, and if that's the way it's going to be, I'll have to deal with that. But I don't want to settle for less than I could have, just out of inertia.

Abby