pregnancy flare up...

[JL23]

The past few days my symptoms have been at their worst. My eyes and mouth are so dry I cant stand it. And my lips keep cracking and bleeding from being so dry especially at night. My first I OB appt is next thurs but im not sure if u should just call my rheumy and see if the can see me but I dont really know if therevis anything they can do.

The funny thing is I had just finished tapering off my prenisone I has been on for 2 months and stopped the evoxac due ro the paratid gland swelling. I dont know if there is anything else i can do to minimize my symptoms?

[Carolina]

Ah JL,

Coming off Prednisone is always very hard.  It just makes the symptoms goes away, doesn't it?

Perhaps once you've been off a while, your body will settle down.  Remember your own Adrenals now have to produce the cortisol that prednisone was providing. 

I usually have periods of weakness, trembling and sweating as I reduce my dosage of steroids.  It isn't fun.

I'm sure being completely off is difficult.

Use Chapstick, or whatever other comforting and soothing things you can find.

Hang in there, it will get better.

[irish]

I am sorry to hear that you are having issues. I know that in my third pregnancy (I was undiagnosed back then) I got sick within the first week of my pregnancy and I was not very well during my whole pregnancy. I did not know it then but recognize the symptoms of the Sjogrens when I look back now. I had severe reflux, gastritis, sinus and lung infections, yeast infections, gall bladder issues, severe back pain which I now recogonize as related to tendons inflammation. My doc could not put me in traction to relieve the pain but did give me a cortisone shot in my second trimester which did help some. I don't knowhow I got any rest as I could hardly sit, stand or lay down much of the time. I moaned a lot!!!!lol

I just had to tough it out and rest and not stress my body much which was hard to do with 2 young children. I don't know what they can do to help you these days cause I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that some meds are supposed to be "safe" during pregnancy. I think that treating the symptoms externally is something that just has to be done full speed ahead.

Take care of yourself the best you can and keep occupied to help make the time pass. I had to quit my job when I was 5 months pregnant and I only worked a couple of days a week. It was tough physically and financially but we made it through. Don't ever get so that you frazzles yourself with worry, etc. as these thingsusually play out as time passes. During the events like this it is easy to see only the dark side but know that these times do end or change enough to give us the strength to make it through. Good luck.