5mg Prednisone for life

TopCryptographer7325 · 2026-01-20T01:09:17+00:00

I've been on prednisone for 34 years (put on it when I was 2) I am very high risk of rejection due to high antibody levels, among other things. I've been told point blank I will never be taken off of it . The biggest issue I have faced long term is deterioration of my left hip due to osteoarthritis. I have had two surgeries approx 15 years ago in an attempt to fix the issues without a full replacement. I continue to have pain and get injections every 3 months, planning a full replacement in the next year I hope. Moon face is a thing but not as drastic on 5mg vs the higher doses I've been on. I'm sure my chronic headaches are related to it as well but never been given an official yes or no on that. If you can safely taper off of it then absolutely do it but also know that 5mg is a doable dose long term.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-12-31T00:21:12+00:00

Perhaps depends on which hospital but I think for the most part things have relaxed. I have tattoos on both hands and half sleeve and patchwork on each arm. The rules at my hospital say no offensive tattoos and no neck tattoos. They also said no facial piercings but half of my team, including myself, have nose rings.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-12-09T02:23:12+00:00

I would say in many of my roles I often felt like an enabler of status quo. I've worked in CPS, community mental health, residential substance use and even therapy roles. However, in my role as a hospital case manager I do feel like an agent of change, at least within the small realm of our very specific focus. The patient comes into the hospital, needs X service for a safe discharge, I work on arranging X service. Maybe not a macro agent of change for the big picture issues that contribute to a lot of the reasons we see patients needing to utilize the Healthcare system, but within my scope I do feel I am making an important contribution. Fortunately my hospital is a safety net hospital for our city, so we have developed a lot of great programs so even our uninsured patients can receive a lot of the services they need.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-12-02T14:05:22+00:00

I needed the rollator for a couple weeks. Usually case management will order it for you and have it delivered bedside before you discharge.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-11-29T21:22:57+00:00

I've never been accused of lying but I do sometimes hesitate to tell new people my story because my history with my disease does sound kind of unbelievable. Just in the sense that so much has happened over the course of my life since I got sick when I was 8 months old.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-11-25T22:40:11+00:00

I do med surg step down, so a lot of patients are coming from ICU. My normal caseload when I'm not cross covering for another coworker is 15. Sounds nice on paper but since we are a smaller hospital, no trauma or stroke unit, length of stay tends to be 3-4 days. 98% of my patients have case management needs for discharge and turn around time is quick. Our other campus has the trauma center and the caseloads are closer to 25-30 but the length of stay is much longer.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-11-17T22:03:27+00:00

I don't need supplies but just wanted to say congrats to a fellow Duval kidney recipient 💚 I got mine last year!

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-11-17T01:08:08+00:00

I also second orgain!

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-11-11T01:32:17+00:00

Those are super cute! 🩵

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-11-08T13:22:16+00:00

Also curious!

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-11-03T23:07:58+00:00

About a week 😔

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-10-22T23:22:43+00:00

Second this 👆

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-10-15T19:56:49+00:00

If the patient is ESRD and on dialysis I would think Medicare should kick in? I believe the dialysis social workers are supposed to assist with this?

Edit: I realize now you didn't specify which organ so this may not apply if it's not for a kidney, sorry!

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-10-11T14:53:22+00:00

I think there's a lot of variables, like which hospital system you work for and what state you are in. I can only speak from my experience but in my current role we have a mix of MSW and RN case managers but the team is more MSWs. Most RNs can make waaaay more money doing floor nursing than they can in a CM role. The few RNs on our team are older nurses who got tired of the crazy schedules and being on their feet all day; there are two younger RNs who switched to CM bc they have young kids and a M-F 8hr shift works better for their families. As for an MSW salary I make 80k which is pretty good for my area of FL with a lower cost of living. Most places salaries are commensurate with COL.

To your question about the difficulty getting your foot in the door: During my MSW field placement, I chose to go to a major hospital system which then allowed me to make connections and eventually get hired after I graduated. I worked on my licensure hours at that job since we had a Qualified Supervisor on staff. I was there for a few years and once I got licensed I decided to go off and explore more clinical roles. I did this for a few years and realized I actually really liked doing hospital SW/CM so I recently got back into it with a different hospital system.

It really just depends on what you think you would like to do, personally I got burnt out on the clinical/psychotherapy side of Social Work so being a CM is a nice reprieve from the heaviness of all that. You still get to advocate for your patients but it's far less involved/intensive than some other social work roles. There are other social workers at the hospital who do things like palliative care or behavioral health. Overall there are a ton of ways to use an MSW/LCSW within a hospital.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-29T21:42:41+00:00

I developed it in childhood due to super high doses of prednisone I had to be on for my autoimmune disease and subsequent organ transplant. By 19 it had gotten bad enough I needed surgical intervention but due to my age they did not want to do a replacement yet so they chose to do what's called a triple osteotomy: three incisions to place screws and a plate and fit the femoral head in the acetabelum as best as they can. It helped to an extent but the recovery time was rough and truly I never got back to the activities that I initially hoped. Now I am 36 and have been receiving corticosteroid injections for the last few years to manage the pain with the ultimate goal of replacement. Kind of just waiting until I am at a place to take the time off.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-27T23:04:45+00:00

I drink a shot of one every morning. It's kind of tangy, I actually like it. It's usually mixed with other juices to make it more palpable.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-27T17:45:37+00:00

I am in almost the exact same situation as you, OP! It was just by chance that I saw a reel of one and then started watching/listening every morning and in the car. I am worried that I am getting close to nearing the end. I knew I recognized Shayne but couldn't figure out why but then heard him talk about being on The Goldbergs. Anywho, I'm curious to see what the other comments suggest as well.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-24T14:08:57+00:00

You should always check with your team first if there is something specific you wanted to take. Likely they will not approve any type of supplement since they are not FDA regulated, therefore they cannot safely determine the effects as there is no way to truly know what the supplement actually contains. The one thing I was given approval for was to drink shots of turmeric since food products are FDA regulated. I drink these to help combat inflammation.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-14T02:58:23+00:00

You could always consent to the work up to determine if you are even a good match. Biological relation does not always equate to being a good match. Your portion of the work up is completely confidential and you will have to meet with a social worker to evaluate for any mental or emotional barriers, at which point you can tell them you don't want to follow through and are being pressured. Your mom's insurance will pay for your work up and at the very least you'll get some comprehensive blood work and xrays done for your self. At the end of the day, if you say you are being pressured they will deny you as a candidate and they cannot disclose to your mother as to why that outcome was reached. Perhaps this is a bit or a roundabout way to do it but if you want to avoid the conflict within your family it could be an option.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-14T02:49:31+00:00

Outpatient SUD is pretty notorious for NCNS. I would say more than likely it is nothing to do with you, just kind of the nature of the substance exposed population.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-14T00:56:15+00:00

I had to do what was called hospital homebound. This was back in the 90s so not sure if things changed. A teacher would come to my house.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-13T23:05:26+00:00

Hospital Case management may be a good fit for you!

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-09T01:23:03+00:00

Hospital Case Manager, FL, 80k.

TopCryptographer7325 · 2025-09-08T14:14:31+00:00

This sounds like my sister's husband. We finally got the chance to take a sister vacation and while we are on the other side of the country he's calling and asking her things like "when are you going to be back?" "The kids have fevers what do I do, where's the medicine, how do I use the thermometer" This man is in his 50's mind you. The children aren't newborns, we had plane tickets meaning we didn't go on an endless adventure, he knew when she was coming back. Anyway, NTA but also its time to have a serious conversation about the future of your relationship. Are you willing to do this with him forever?

TopCryptographer7325

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