Operation- Prednisone Drop

I sit here doing my best to type. My ears are still plugged. My head hurts. My uppers arms/shoulders as well as my thighs/hips hurt.

I went to see my nephrologist on Thursday. My hemoglobin is “holding steady” at 81 (or 8.1). Still quite low, but much better than 50-something.

After much talk, it was decided that I will remain on the antibiotic, but I can begin to drop this 40mg prednisone dose. I am to drop the prednisone by 5 mg daily, and when I get to 10mg, I’m doing to drop my 2mg until I get back to my previous standing dose, which waas 8mg. The main reason for raising the prednisone was the fact that it was uncertain whether or not these manifestations I was experiencing had something to do with Lupus or not. It has been safely determined that it does not have anything to do with Lupus, therefore its ok for me to drop my dose.

In the meantime, I have now finally gotten an appointment to see an ENT. I’ll be going next Wednesday. There were some problems getting me an appointment as apparently all (or most) of the ENTs in my hospital all went on some conference and won’t be back for a number of weeks?? The first initial solution was for me to go to emergency, ask to see an ENT, and kinda cross my fingers. I don’t know about you, but my idea of a good time when your limbs hurt, your head hurts, and you’re hard of hearing is NOT spending what would very likely be an ENTIRE day in the emergency department. When I refused that option, my very diligent nurse managed to get me into a clinic appointment run be residents and not by staff. I’m all about residents…but I’d feel better knowing for sure that a staff doctor would be there to make “final comment”. Oh well, I guess everyone is a trained professional.

I’m oh so squirmish when it comes to my ear. Did I mention previously that when I was at sick kids hospital, a student doctor was looking in my ears with one of those instruments, and she shoved it in to far and actually cut my ear? I had blood trickling down the side of my cheeck by the time she was done! Since then…not a fan of people getting too rough around my ears.

Well…that’s all for now. Will blog later.