Instead of sitting around waiting for the effects of my latest Prednisolone reduction to knock me for six, I decided to try and keep busy to distract myself. I managed to have a nice Bank Holiday weekend, spending time with my visiting Aunt, had a morning at the local antique fair, Sunday lunch with family and another lunch with a good friend. I’ve worn myself out physically, but I seem to have kept everything else at bay so far and most importantly, I enjoyed myself.
I read somewhere that lemon balm is very good at lifting mood, so I bought some seeds that I’m going to try and plant today and keep in our snug. Apparently, just the citrus scent of the leaves can work wonders and you can also make teas to drink too.
I’ve been looking into a few similar natural ‘remedies’ recently, not to try and cure myself or anything, but to assist in the healing process / improve general wellbeing. If anyone has any they’d like to share, I’d be interested in hearing.
Still need to find my get up and go, maybe I need to file a missing report.
L
aromatherapy blend for RA & arthritis;
put 5ml grapseed oil in a small glass/ mini jar and stand this in a pot of hot water for 5 – 10 mins until it reaches a comfortable temperature
add 2 drops pure lemon essential oil and 2 drops of black pepper essential oil.
mix well using a plastic stirrer.
apply the oil in small amounts to affected joints and rub in gently
get extra relief by covering the area with a warm towel and rest for 15 minutes.
you could also try pure lavender oil or lavender and chamomile (blue)
mood lifter oil blend: whilst lemon balm is often used to lift mood the absolute best oil is 2 drops Neroli ( expensive but worth it) it can also be blended with a few drops of orange oil or mandarin or lime oil.
add oil mix to water in oil burner
or blend with full fat MILK and add to bath water
enjoy
trish itec qual aromatherapist RA sufferer
Thank you for the aromatherapy suggestions. My grandmother used to suggest / make blends etc for me when she was alive but I’ve only recently considered trying it myself again. I will definitely try the Neroli; I don’t suppose you can bend it with the Lemon balm?
Best wishes x
Hi laura
sounds really great that you are managing to wean off the pred, i know how hard it can be but don’t give up! if you don’t mind me asking, what oral dose did you take during the flare and what rate are you reducing at?
Nisha
Thanks Nisha. I’m determined to get down to a minimal dose of Prednisolone and I’d love to do so by July, when I’ll be celebrating my 30th Birthday in Paris. This is the Tapering Regime I’ve followed:
I was on 60mg in hospital and went down to 40mg on leaving two weeks later. I was on 40mg for 7 weeks while things stabilised and I started the new infusion, then reduced by 5mg a week two weeks running to get down to 30mg. I then reduced 5mg a fortnight to get down to 20mg and have just reduced by 2.5mg to get to 17.5mg as, from past experience, when I get to 20mg it gets harder to withdraw and I find that slowing the pace reduces the likelihood of Still’s symptoms returning. I’d been on 30mg for a number of months before being admitted into hospital, so I’m not surprised it’s been harder this time round.
Hope that helps anyway!
Take care x
Wow so you’ve done fantastically to get to 17.5mg. Will you then go straight to 15mg when its time for the next drop, or use the 1mg tablets to do it more slowly? I use the 1mg’s when I’m tapering at lower doses which I really find useful in minimising withdrawal symptoms.
Yay Paris sounds amazing-my fingers and toes are crossed that you’ll be feeling even better by the time you go 🙂 xxx
I’m going to try and go to 15mg and then I might use the 1mg tablets to taper the next drops. The slower you go, the more likely you are to keep there I think. But I do want to lose a bit of this water retention before my birthday. I have this idea that I want to wear pretty little dresses the whole trip. I know there’s nothing stopping me really but the Pred weight gain effects random places making me look oddly out of proportion (face, back of my neck, chest + stomach), so I feel a bit self conscious.
We’re definitely taking a wheelchair this time (even though Paris is supposed to be the least wheelchair friendly place in Europe!), just to give me a break when I need it. But it’s going to be a relaxed affair, no rushing around trying to see everything, I just want to enjoy being there and soak up the atmosphere 🙂