Hi all. I have a question about Prednisone. My Dad just recently got out of the hospital and isdx with Congestive Heart Failure. They sent him home with a prescription of Prednisone ( among other things) and I'm wondering is 5mg. a day a low , med or high dose? I'm a bit confused because he needs to get rid of more swelling and water retention and yet, one of the side effects is swelling. I am working on a new eating plan for him and I think he is finally taking this seriously since he's having a hard time breathing. Scary.
Leah
prednisone
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5 Mg a day of prednisone is a very low dose. If your dad is struggling to breath with the CHF, the prednisone will help with the inflammation. I think the doctor probably put him on such a low dose because of swelling and water retention. Is he on a diuretic as well? That is usually the norm. It would be something like Lasix.
It is important that he take the diuretic in the morning so he is not up all night running to the bathroom. Sometimes they don't tell people this and they wonder why the patient is non compliant.
How old is your dad? CHF is no fun and can feel scary, but if controlled, people can live a decent life. (Sort of like us!
)
It is important that he take the diuretic in the morning so he is not up all night running to the bathroom. Sometimes they don't tell people this and they wonder why the patient is non compliant.
How old is your dad? CHF is no fun and can feel scary, but if controlled, people can live a decent life. (Sort of like us!
)Jane
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis 12/19/12
"When it gets dark enough,you can see the stars."
Charles A. Beard
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis 12/19/12
"When it gets dark enough,you can see the stars."
Charles A. Beard
Thank you Jane and Tex. He is 79. He is on a diuretic, but has been for a while now. Before he left the hospital, he last 10 pounds of fluid! Now he needs to change his diet and lose some weight. It frustrates the heck out of me that it has taken this to make him see the light. I have been trying for over 15 years to get him to eat healthier.
Leah
Leah
Terri wrote:Yeah....men can be stubborn when it comes to eating healthier....NO OFFENSE TEX..hehe!
Actually, you're right on target. "Eating healthy" has never been one of my priorities. I avoid the foods to which I am sensitive, but I tend to ignore conventional advice about what constitutes "healthy eating".For example, I don't have the foggiest idea what the USDA is currently promoting as a healthy diet, nor am I interested in hearing about their recommendations. If there's any fiber in my diet, it's purely accidental, because I sure wouldn't eat it on purpose. Fortunately, significant amounts of sugar in my diet cause D, otherwise I never would have abandoned my sugar addiction.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Leah, I am so sorry that you are having to deal with all of this on top of your own stuff. Your dad is fairly young, and it may be that he is scared into doing something about his diet for good. That is my hope and wish for both of you. However, it has been my experience that unless he gets immediate "feedback" as we do if we eat the wrong thing, he won't stick with a new lifestyle change. Years and years of eating the wrong things have piled up on him. No use stressing yourself to get him to be compliant--you will only alienate him and cause yourself grief. I am guessing that his doctor has him on fluid restrictions which are sooo hard to do. Trying to convince him that this is a good idea to save his life, may make him feel that if he has to be this deprived, he doesn't want a longer life.
You can help him make wiser choices, but if you find that he is just not "into it" after awhile, do yourself and him a favor and don't press it. The frustration you have felt these past 15 years will be nothing compared to watching him try and decide he just doesn't want to lose the weight. He is going to do what he wants to do and he has that right no matter how much sense or not it makes. I have always marveled at people who have CHF and how they manage to stay alive in spite of feeling so terrible. You would think that the water weight gain and the struggle to breathe would be enough to change things, but quite often it just doesn't. I think also when people look ahead and think that they are going to have to lose a lot of weight it just overwhelms them. Fifteen pounds is certainly not a lot to lose, but it probably seems as doable to him as losing 100 lbs.--or will when he gets over this latest scare. I am sorry to sound so negative about it, but I guess I've seen too many patients with CHF who have given up. I hope that he is not one of them.
You can help him make wiser choices, but if you find that he is just not "into it" after awhile, do yourself and him a favor and don't press it. The frustration you have felt these past 15 years will be nothing compared to watching him try and decide he just doesn't want to lose the weight. He is going to do what he wants to do and he has that right no matter how much sense or not it makes. I have always marveled at people who have CHF and how they manage to stay alive in spite of feeling so terrible. You would think that the water weight gain and the struggle to breathe would be enough to change things, but quite often it just doesn't. I think also when people look ahead and think that they are going to have to lose a lot of weight it just overwhelms them. Fifteen pounds is certainly not a lot to lose, but it probably seems as doable to him as losing 100 lbs.--or will when he gets over this latest scare. I am sorry to sound so negative about it, but I guess I've seen too many patients with CHF who have given up. I hope that he is not one of them.
Jane
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis 12/19/12
"When it gets dark enough,you can see the stars."
Charles A. Beard
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis 12/19/12
"When it gets dark enough,you can see the stars."
Charles A. Beard