Sophisticated...moi?

In my last post, I mentioned that my lab results weren't too good.  When I went in for my appointment with Rheumy, I think he was surprised when he asked how I was feeling and I said I felt okay.  He went over my high ds-DNA, which is much higher than it has been in the past.  My WBC and RBC counts were low, which is somewhat normal for me.  My C3 complement, which I mentioned in my last post, is also low, which is often seen when lupus is active.  None of my prior labs had shown low C3 complement, so this is something new for me.  I also showed small amounts of protein in my urine.

Overall, though, since I was feeling okay, we decided to keep my medication the same and just keep an eye on things.  Rheumy thinks that being on the low dose of prednisone is helping to keep the lupus under control.  He thinks it is better for me to be on a low dose rather than trying to get off and risking a major flare.

I did ask him if it would be okay for me to self-adjust my prednisone dose based on my symptoms, and he said that for me, since I am a "sophisticated patient," he would say okay.  LOL.  He warned not to jump up and down too often and to stay at a dosage for a few weeks before changing again.  He said that some patients try to jump up to 20 mg then drop back down again too quickly.  I reassured him that I was only thinking about small changes, like bumping up from 1 mg to 2 mg if I am having a lot of joint pain.  Anything major, I would call in.

My last question to him was what was considered "remission."  He said that different people have different definitions -- to some, it means no symptoms and no medication.  To others, it is okay to be on some medication.  I told him the reason I was asking was that I wanted to apply for life insurance and it was one of the questions on the form.  He told me that with my recent lab results and the fact that I was on prednisone, I should probably wait because I'd likely get rejected again.  Le sigh...

- a little lupie -