Tapering

Wednesdays typically find me posting some sort of picture that documents my life. In honor of some very good news, I decided to mix it up a bit. I am ecstatic to report that after a positive visit to my nephrologist on Monday, I can officially begin tapering off the steroids! HALLELUJAH! She said I look great, my kidney function is normal, and there is no more protein in my urine (sorry for the TMI). All of these are very important things, because just three months ago I was puffy, my kidney function was horrible, and there was a plethora of protein in my urine (and again, sorry for the TMI).

It is such a blessing to receive this news at this time. I've been fortunate to not feel many of the traditional side effects of the steroids until recently. It was only a few weeks ago that I adopted what The Momma refers to as "the prednisone moon face", which basically means my face is very full and very round right now. I've also only recently seen a dramatic increase in my appetite, the surprise visit of acne (didn't I do my time when I was a teenager???), and an interruption of sleep. Oh, and the short temper. That has reared its nasty little head recently as well. My doctor is optimistic that all of these side effects will disappear fairly quickly since I responded so well to the steroids.

So, what exactly does tapering mean? Well, starting today I am decreasing my dosage by 5mg every four days until I see her again next month. At that point we will reevaluate and work on weaning me off entirely. This is a longer process than I had originally imagined (2-3 months), but worth it in the long run. If I were to try to quit cold turkey, I could face many adverse side effects, and quite possibly a return of the minimal change disease.

I will continue to update as things change, but that's where we are now. Many thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers-we appreciate them SO much!