Adaptation

I had thought it would be hard, coping with less steroid.

Actually, it's not too bad. Of course, I've only gone down from 12.5mg per day to 10mg per day - so the story may change in the next few weeks.

What I've found is that my pain levels have increased a bit, and my fatigue has come back. (While I was on 12.5mg per day, I didn't even need an afternoon nap. I had so much energy and so little pain, I even tried riding a bike.)

So why isn't it as difficult as I expected?

lupus.cheezburger.com

I guess because I've been here before.  This isn't the first time I've felt like this, and I know how to handle it.  I have to re-examine my energy budget to ensure I get what is most important done, even if everything else fails to be done. I need to go back to my energy conservation strategies, some of which have fallen by the wayside. Some of my energy conservation strategies - like using the dryer for the big stuff, I had stopped doing because in my new year's resolutions, I had decided to be more energy conscious. I've had the clothes dryer unplugged since the start of January - while I still have some energy, I'll leave it off, and hang the big stuff on the clothesline. In a month's time, when I'm down to 5mg of prednisolone, I might be reviewing that decision.


I've done basic things, like buying a hose to water my few herbs and vegetables, instead of carrying buckets of water. Thankfully, it's rained so much lately I haven't needed to water much anyway.  I have to resist the urge to pull out weeds, even though the ground is soft at the moment - but wait for a fine day and spray them instead.

It's time to rediscover all of the arthritis gadgets I haven't bothered using in ages. One day, I must share with you photos of my gadgets and descriptions of what I use them for.

New favourite shoes, worn twice, now retired.

My fabulous new stiletto shoes have been relegated to the back of the wardrobe, even though they are less than a month old.

 Yes, the prednisolone had been at a high enough dosage that I could wear high heels for short periods of time without pain.  Now my ankles are hurting when I wear flat shoes, or even clump around the house in my slippers.

All in all, after a couple of wonderful months of being pretty much "normal", I'm returning to my miserable, tired, much-pained self. But at least this time around, I'll know how to handle it. Experience is a great teacher, and I've been here before.  I survived then, and I'll survive now.