Good Choice

I returned from the UAE on Friday morning feeling a lot better, and after unpacking at home, headed off back to hospital for another appointment. With a little bit of colour, it would be hard to disguise the fact that I'd been somewhere where there was sun, but I'd already decided that I'd tell the doctor, that, despite his advice I went awol.

Looking back on my decision to fly out, I can say that it was the right one. I feel so much better having been away just for the week, physically and mentally.

Some Improvement

I've had so much more energy since I started on steroids, and I'm constantly doing things to keep as active as possible. I'm going to sleep quite late in the evenings after midnight and waking up pretty early, usually between 7:30 and 8am. If I can keep this pattern after coming off the steroids then I'll be pleased. Sometimes I may get a little bit hyperactive. My girlfriend would probably say more often than not, but I think it's because she's feeling a bit run down at the moment. It's clear that my early morning enthusiasm hasn't worn off.

I'm able to do certain activities now that five weeks ago I was struggling to do, like swimming. I'm still getting out of breath fairly quickly, but after changing my breathing (from the chest to the stomach) I'm able to last longer and start working my muscles. I've really atrophied and really notice it by looking at photos from earlier this year. Still the muscle loss isn't an issue as I've been there before and know I can regain it. I've got a bit more of the 'moon-face'. It's takes a little getting used to in the mirror, but on the other hand, it's making me appear healthier as my cheeks are fuller.

Lowering the Steroid Dose

After a long wait in the clinic, chatting to a friend who has recently had a bone marrow transplant, I eventually saw Eduardo (the consultant).I told him I'd been away, along with my reasons for doing so. He was very understanding and was happy that I was indeed feeling better.

He could see that I was looking and acting stronger, with more pronounced movements of the body. So he suggested lowering the prednisolone from 60mg/day to 40 mg/day. I'm to come back again in 10 days time to see how things are going. In the meantime I'm keeping myself busy writing Christmas cards, and reading about hypnosis and NLP.