The doctor decided to put Bella on Prednisone(steroid) pills to help reduce the inflammation from arthritis. I have to say it is doing an AWESOME job!! She has very few pains and her mobility in her neck is back. Now, the tricky part is that they start her on 3 days of a high dose and gradually drop it down over a 2 week period to see what dosage level is most effective. I don't quite get the concept, but it seems as if it is common. There are also some crazy side effects to taking this medication; mood swings (tween hormones on top of it), weight gain, and a few other concerns. This is not a long term fix but we were looking for a quick fix until we get to the next appointment.
But Bella got to play in the snow and goof around like a 10 year old girl with minimal complaint this weekend....it was awesome. The mood swings are a little irritating but gave Dan & I quite the chuckle the other night. No really, she went from giggles to psycho in 2 seconds.........I laughed until I cried. I really thought her head was going to spin like in the movie Exorcist. Then 10 minutes later she was back to normal........fun ride.......NOT!!!
I do feel bad for her because these meds, tests, and appointments are enough to make anyone crazy. She goes through a lot and is so sad about not being able to play sports right now. She feels left out because she can't go play basketball and her other favorite sports with her friends. Until we can get her pain/inflammation under control, we can't do any high impact sports. The hidden danger most people don't think of is the long term effect it has on her joints & organs. Though most of us don't "see" the problem, inside her body is attacking itself and trying to ruin her joints and organs......that is our everyday reality.
When she hurts, swells, or looses mobility she is to rest the body to reduce long term damage.....it's hard keeping an active 10 year old down.
Hoping 2014 brings a cure!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment