Leah B.
Servant of All
Praise God, I am on the first day of my prednisone taper. I took 40 mg for five days for a COPD exacerbation; now I am down to 20 mg for five days. Then I am off. Please pray that at this lowered dose, I suffer no side-effects. The last five days at 40 mg of this drug have been brutal, with insomnia, extreme anxiety, jitters and shakiness. I am thankful to say that I believe I have turned the corner. I did "test" exercises last night. I was able to do 40 chair squats with just my baseline shortness of breath. I was on my bike for one-half hour but on setting 2 only, not letting my heart rate get past 125. I did fine. More importantly, it felt like I was doing the breathing, not the prednisone doing it for me. Today I plan on no rescue inhalers or nebulizer treatments, just the prednisone and my maintenance inhaler. Please pray in Jesus's name I am truly recovering and that I can even improve on my baseline breathing. I think I learned from this flare-up. I waited too long to see my pulmonologist because one day I was okay, then I would feel lousy again. I thought I was getting better, but I wasn't. It's way better to stay right on top of this disease than to let it go. Maybe a three-day symptom limit, then call the doctor is the best approach. Please in Jesus's name pray a hedge of protection over me as I go to the dentist to get a crown today and as I venture out in public. I still should have antibiotic coverage, but it's making me nervous anyway. Please pray too that I am well for "Little Christmas" on the 17th, a dinner with my great niece, great nephew, niece and father at my apartment, and that I am also well for Christmas holidays. Also please pray for cure of/improvement in my thumb arthritis. Thank you.

