I have been reading some of yall's posts and I was diagnosed with Lupus after the birth of my son so its been about 20 yrs ago. I have a metal plate in my neck and herniated disk in my L-spine and degenerative disk disease all added together to make one BIG PAIN not to mention the frequent miagraines and severe muscle spasms. My pain guy thinks the answer is always injecting cortizone. He did so frequently on top on oral cortizone I ended up in the hospital three times in a year, last year. He never authorized the injections thru my cardiologist as I requested and after the third hospitalization we were talking at a follow up office visit he said what injections and I told him and he saw a "buffalo hump" on my neck and he blew a gasket!! He said the injections had never been cleared thru him and that I had Cushings disease now because of all the injections and that he (the pain Dr.) just about killed me! He said the constant use of cortisone weakens your blood vessels, builds up plaque in the vessels and gave me the tumor on my neck, not to mention the weight gain and hormone disfunction (I grew a mustashe) it causes so many more problems than it fixes. PLEASE reconsider cortizone as a option unless its a last resort because for me it almost cost me my life!

I think these pain guys are scard to give you anything for pain even with diagnoses and they dont make the $$$$ for pain meds other than a office visit! HUMMMMMM. Also I want to throw out there to watch the anti-inflamitories. They are the greatest thing for our kind of pain unless they are over prescribed. I was prescribed three times daily 800 mg. until it ate a hole in my stomach. I went from 135lbs to 106 lbs in two months and after all the cortizone, after being a size 5 all my adult life (until cortizone) I am now a whopping 216 lbs!!!! and very uncomfortable and I know its making my heart disease worse not to mention all my joints. My next question is why do we have to suffer in pain so much, constantly? They just dont get it do they? For years I said I wont take the cortizone any more because of how serious of a drug it was. The pain guy convinced me he was using VERY little and it wouldnt make a difference except in my pain level. I said I was told you should only have three shots a year 4 at the very most. He promised me it was not the same and it was o.k.....o.k. for who?? He may as well shot me with a gun. I went to his office afterwards for a couple of visits (it was so difficult not to say anything) just to see what he said and he keep suggesting more injections even after being told what my heart Dr. said and told me, no we dont have to get clearance for those procedures even after I told him my Dr. said to do it!! These are the type Dr's that shouldnt ever be allowed to practice medicine!

In 2004 my rheumy doc. put me on a diet and light exercise program and it took me probably 2 years to lose 55 pounds since that time I had to go up on my prednisone once again and gained 20 pounds back and I am doing everything to lose the extra 20 and can't. I am happy with the one I am but would love to lose the 20 pounds. Once I started going down off the prednisone my moon face went away but still have a slight hump on the back of my neck. It is very hard to see onself looking puffy when you normally don't look that way but with the support of family and friends they know us and they know why we are a little puffy at times and love us no matter how we look so hang in there and know that we have an illness were trying to treat the best way we and the doctors know how. I will be praying for each and every one of you.