On 8/12 I was prescribed a prednisone burst... because I've been getting flare symptoms. I feel much better already though. My burst will be finished by Sunday I think. 

Well, a lot has been going on for sure.

[x] Promotion @ work = busy.
[x] On July 21 I turned 20 years old! :)
[x] Preparations for wedding on August 30th.
[x] Hangin' out with friends...

Over the weekend Haste the Day was here so we did some serious hanging out with them. It took its toll on me (staying up late and walking @ Heavenfest on Saturday) and I got really sore and stiff on Sunday, but other than that things were pretty ok. Took me until last night to catch up on sleep haha! It was really fun and thankfully I was able to handle some elements without serious consequences.

Plus, my tan for the wedding is coming along VERY nicely :) Of course, having Lupus I am extremely wary of the sun. But as long as I have the right protection and I'm careful, it's all good. 

Besides the following symptoms...

[x] Soreness/achey/stiff
[x] Exhausted
[x] Slight fever

...which only lasted about a day long anyway, I have been feeling totally normal.

I will be seeing my Rheumatologist once before getting married and going on my honeymoon... I'm so stoked that I'm feeling well :)

I'm definitely not thrilled right now. Yesterday I slept in and when I finally decided to get out of bed I discovered that I felt extremely fatigued. I couldn't do more than walk a few steps without losing my breath. I've been suffering from "sore bones" (musculoskeletal pain) since then. Especially in my spine. Last night it wasn't bad bad, but it was enough to keep me awake and not be able to find a comfortable position. I should have taken some ibuprofen - I will right now though. I'm at work and the pain in still bugging me. From my shoulder blades down my spine and into my hips.

Another symptom I'm experiencing is shortness of breath. I feel like I'm about to faint. But it's gotten better since yesterday. There is also the constant fluctuating body temperature. One of the reasons I couldn't sleep well last night is because I got too cold, then too warm, then too cold again... all night long.

So this morning I feel *overall* better but still, this pain is bugging me. I really, really hope it's not my body telling me to prepare for another flare-up. Because I will freaking cry. My wedding is coming up and I don't want to be on tons of prednisone and all fat looking.

I've narrowed this sudden onset of symptoms down to a few possible causes:

[x] Lowering my prednisone doses, but I doubt this because I'm only down to 5 mg/day and that should be safe for me.
[x] I took my Boniva yesterday morning for the first time, but Dr. Day said that I shouldn't experience any side effects from it.
[x] The rise of overall stress levels within the past few weeks with wedding planning, new job, house, etc.
[x] The diet change my parents have been trying. Its the South Beach diet which tries to completely eliminate sugars for the first 2 weeks. I wonder if it's because my blood sugar level is low, and this is very new to my body, so it's just freaking out a little bit.

Anyway I'm praying this isn't another flare. I don't have the time, energy, or money to go through something like this again... and so soon. It was only last November that I had the worst flare of my life and I'm only just starting to feel normal again since then.

I feel fantastic. My prednisone has now been lowered to 5 mg/day. My bloodwork is still coming up very normal though which is a huge relief. I think the other medication's I'm on are really helping. Its good to know that now I'm on better stuff for my lupus, instead of just doses of prednisone all the time. I should be looking great in time for my wedding :)

When I was having my flare last year, my sed rate was 110!! Eeeek! Now it is GREAT... it's 24. I'm so happy.

Pretty soon, I'll be off the prednisone. I feel great which means I'm probably not suffering any ill effects from my dosages being lowered. I absolutely cannot wait until I am rid of this drug. Of course I understand we need to do it slowly, lol... but I have all the confidence in the world that I'll be able to leave it behind soon.

Dr. Day put me on Boniva to reverse my borderline-osteoporosis. I am very glad that there is a remedy for weak bones, lol. For a little while I thought nothing would be able to help much. But he showed me models of bone mass before and after. And the after... well, it looks GOOD! Maybe soon I won't be afraid to do physical activities again. I would love to be able to take horse riding lessons. But I'm a little nervous because I don't want to break anything falling off, if I ever do.

I won't have to worry about it soon :)
 

I haven't been so healthy in quite a while. All my bloodwork continues to be normal. We are gradually reducing my prednisone now, 1 mg per week until I get to 7 mgs/day. Then I am to see my rheomatologist again to ensure everything is going smoothly... and we can continue from there.

Recovery from my wisdom teeth extraction couldn't have been more flawless. I was really afraid that I would be healing forever afterwards but it was only less than a week before I was eating normally again and experiencing minimum pain. As of a little over a month later, I feel like nothing has ever happened :) I'm glad it's over with and that I won't have to worry about my wisdom teeth later. My flare recovery wasn't affected either! Very good news.

Lupus Support Group is tonight. We have a balloon release on Friday. I have been asked to share my Lupus story and I am a little bit nervous.