How is this for irony

Sometimes life really has a sense of irony.

Before my platelets drop I was suffering from a lot pain all though out my back, abdomen and arms.

Eventually I was diagnosed for a sticky thoracic vertebrae however I couldn't get it treated due to my platelets being so low.

Also since the birth of my first child I suffer from bouts of eczema, mainly on my hands and elbows.

Here is the irony, since being prednisone all my back pain and eczema went away. Now I am more or less off it, only taking 5mg every other day the pain has come back with a vengeance and my hands resemble sandpaper.

As much as we hate the damn drug it can also be a help.

You know I am half inclined to ask my hemo if I can go back up to 10mg and stay there lol.

Prednisone is a wonder drug that's for sure. I have been on 10 mg's for the past 8 years due to inflammation. I become the Tin Man when I try to get off of it. On bad days I bump the dose up. I used to hate this drug like everyone else, but love it now. Can't function without it.

I've had eczema on my hands, that is miserable! It's impossible to do dishes or touch any kind of soap. Steroids shots help with that - ask your doctor.

I too get eczema on my hands, so does a son - that is not fun at all. I just try to use a good hand cream on them all the time and use gloves when doing dishes.

You like prednisone as it helps other things going on - well I wish Percocet wasn't such a "bad" drug as when I took it for 2 1/2 days after hand surgery for that pain it also took away my neuropathy pain and other joint pain - it was heaven as I had not been without pain 24/7/365 for years, off the Percocet and as you said the pain back with a vengeance. I will again enjoy no pain for 2 1/2 days after another hand surgery in August.

Sorry the eczema is back and the back pain.

Melinda - you should let yourself enjoy at least 3 days in August! Go for that extra 1/2 day!

I used to try gloves too when doing dishes, but they made my hands get sweaty and itchier. It didn't work. Any hand lotion I used would burn and cause it to break out even more. At one point I had every finger wrapped in gauze for weeks because they were so broken out and oozing. I'm so glad that stopped - don't know why it suddenly went away after years of it.

I wish the drugs that helped with pain were not all so bad. It's just as debilitating living with pain as it is living on the drugs that help it, maybe more so.

Sandi I am going to take your advice - 3 full pain free days it will be! I was given 30 Percocet pills but only used 7 of them, so didn't even use the recommended dose and it stopped all pain.

I used the "exam" type gloves - but lately haven't used gloves. Know what you mean about lotions/creams burning - thankfully my hands never got as bad as yours did, mine would split but not like yours.

One lotion I liked was www.skinmdnatural.com/
The normal one, not the one with SPF in it. It didn't burn, for me anyway. Got it at the grocery store's pharmacy - not cheap, $18 for 8oz.

It is debilitating living with chronic pain - really it would be wonderful if a medication was made that gave us pain free days [heck at this stage of the game I'd go for a 50% decrease in pain] and not evil side effects.