MCTD Support Group

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) or Sharp's syndrome is a human autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body. MCTD combines features of polymyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic scleroderma and is thus considered an overlap syndrome. MCTD commonly causes joint pain/swelling, Raynaud phenomenon, muscle inflammation, and scarring of...

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Dropping predizone again

Livin-Right
Livin-Right
Was at 40mg with directions to drop by 10mg till I got to 20. Then 15,10 and then 5. Seems it takes about three days to start feeling the effects, 40 to 30 was fine. 30 to 20 started to give me some trouble.last Friday I got to 15, today is my 3rd day and sure enough all the normal joint twisting but the lungs are involved. Pulling from 85 pulse/ox to 92. 92 makes me very uncomfortable. Does anyone have an Idea about acute lung involvement. I feel like crap and hate to tell the doc because i know he will finally agree that cellcept isn't working so in the meantime up the Prednisone again. I hate Prednisone. I see a new rhumy in 5 days. Hopefully he wants to help.
klwfroggy
klwfroggy
I don't know much about the lung involvement, but I know there can be some. My rheumy sent me to get a PFT (pulmonary function test) to see why I get short of breath. I have some sort of mild obstruction. Maybe you could talk to your new rheumy about it and see if they'll send you to get one.
-Kate
p.s. Prednisone sucks, good luck with the tapering!
brunob
brunob
I have severe lung involvement.....I'm on O2. Do not mess around with it, the sooner they treat for that the sooner the scarring stops and you keep more lung function.

I did 2 infusions on rituxan and that seems to have put me into a remission of sorts and everything has stabilized.

Maybe try reducing the prednisone slower......I usually reduce 2 weeks at a time.....it seems to work better that just a couple of days.

Good luck
Beth