One of the early signs of a flare is a facial rash. This is not the "typical" early sign but the last time I went through a major flare, the rash was present for almost a month. I never did anything about it at that time and it escalated into a fever and then a full-fledged flare.
Well, after my mother left Canada on April 29th, I noticed a small facial rash. It didn't go away with my usual creams. In fact, it got worse. I let it fester for a few more weeks but after a month, I realised that this was something more than just allergies. It was right around this time when the sleep deprivation was really starting to get to me. Rayan was going through his 6-week growth spurt and was waking up every 2 hours and feeding for 45 mins at a time. That, coupled with the added stress of not knowing if he was getting enough milk, and I was feeling pretty rundown.
Enter Prednisone.
Normally, I'm not a fan of Prednisone but I do know that it works instantly. I started taking it in the last week in May. Just 5 mg a day after breakfast. Within 2 days of taking it, the rash started to subside. Also, by this time, Rayan had started taking less time to feed and he fed less often. Could be considered coincidence but I'll give Prednisone the credit.
After a week of taking the meds, I thought it was time to stop. The little pills had served their purpose and I didn't want to overuse them. I stopped a few days before we went away for our Quebec vacation. Well, by the time we left for Quebec, the rash was back in full force! At the last minute, I packed 7 little Prednisone pills and took them with us. Once again, by the 2nd day, the rash started to clear up.
I've been on Prednisone for 2 weeks now and just ordered another refill. The rash hasn't disappeared completely but I am feeling a lot better. Even with only 6-7 hours of interrupted sleep a night, I don't have the overwhelming urge to just drop everything and go for a nap. Rayan has become a lot more predictable with his feedings and usually lasts a minimum of 2.5 hours between feedings. Generally, it's more like 3+ hours. He's also sleeping a 5 hour stretch at night so that's helping me loads.
The point of this story is... Prednisone works for me. I like it and taking a small dose like 5 mg a day doesn't sound effective but it's just enough for me to ward off an impending flare. I'm almost certain my bloodwork won't show flare activity and I'll have that tiny white pill to thank for that.
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