Something new and even positive to report:
My regularly scheduled appetite has been back all day. I ate normal amounts of normal food, just like a normal person. My goodness. In fact, I ate more than usual (thank you, Indian takeout and your powers of temptation).
Which is all for the best, I imagine, since I've been eating significantly less the past few weeks and had to keep a food journal just to make sure I got to the bare minimum amount of calories I need in a day.
Let's hope my appetite is here to stay? At least in a normal capacity?
I am still hoping I don't start to have crazy appetite surges now, though. That does seem to be the most widely-reported and most-hated side effect of prednisone. But not being able to eat is not any better. I was starting to worry I was doing myself further damage or that I was deteriorating somehow, in spite of the drugs to stop my immune system attacking my liver.
Increased energy and an elevated heartrate have been other omnipresent side effects, much like the frequent bouts of insomnia and mania. I'm a little concerned about this as well. Will ask my doctor about what it might mean when I see him next week.
This is my last day on 40 mg, incidentally. Starting tomorrow I am down to 30 mg. Hooray for tapering.
Hi Michelle. I was diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis in November,2000...I had just turned 25 years old. I was also diagnosed with the early stages of cirrhosis. My liver enzymes when diagnosed were over 1000, normal rate should be about 15 for ALT and AST. I was 110lbs at the time and had just had my first child who was only one years old at the time. At the time that I was diagnosed, there was not much information about Autoimmune Hepatitis. It is still considered a very rare liver disease. I had to learn things literally on my own as there was minimal information about the disease.
ReplyDeleteMy doctor started me off with 60mg...within 2-3 months I was about 130 -140lbs with a pumpkin face...I was so young and always small it was extremely hard dealing with this. Fast forward after being on and tapered only to have to go back up on dosage and now on a maintenance dosage of 5mg I am still taking prednisone. This year will be 20 years in November. I am now 46 years old and did have 2 more children while on steroids. At one point I was up to 180lbs!! Unbelievable...was not happy. I did lose the weight after an emotional ordeal. I am now about 135lbs. There is so much more I can tell you about the effects of the prednisone over the years. Just let me know if you would like to hear them.
There is a support group in Yahoo Groups...this is for people with Autoimmune Hepatitis. I go there to hear others stories...and actually learn a lot there too. I have a long history AIH and prednisone. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Take Care.
Yes! Absolutely, I'd like to hear more.
DeleteI am doing okayish on the prednisone, but haven't had a check-up in a while, so we'll see... (that happens Monday). I also found out I have other complications that I'm now being treated for: portal hypertension and stomach ulcers/varices. That definitely eased some of the physical discomfort I was experiencing.
I haven't weighed myself in a while (don't own a scale, so it only happens at the doctor's) but there's definitely a difference in the mirror.
So what happened with your liver? You say you had the early stages of cirrhosis. Did you receive a transplant? My doctor has told me I will definitely need one and that my liver at this point is barely functioning. The thought of a transplant, and the waiting list, are the scariest parts for me.