I was very recently diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. It’s been a whirlwind and I’m finally feeling like I can catch my breath.

The initial course of treatment to get the UC under control is Prednisone. I was on a fairly high dose (60mg per day) for about a month. And now I am tapering off. I’m down to 30mg per day. But it’s a slow process.

Prednisone is an amazing drug and without it I would have been hospitalized and miserable for a lot longer (they wanted to but I asked to please give me a couple of days with prednisone and fortunately it worked quickly for me).
But the side effects are awful and I’m just looking for support from others who have experienced it. And wondering how long after taper you got back to “normal”.

Longer more detailed version:
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I know it’s consmetic and a small price to pay, but I have some major “moon face” right now and it makes me want to cry every time I look in the mirror. Not because I don’t like having an insanely round face. It’s because it’s a physical reminder of my chronic illness. To me. To others. To my husband. I can’t hide it from people. I can tell it makes some people in my life uncomfortable. If I wanted to keep it private, I can’t because people who know me can clearly see something is wrong. I’ve had to tell people i otherwise would have liked to hide it from.
Heck, I’m sure that people who DON’T know me can tell something is wrong.
My problem is, I hate not seeing “me” when I look in the mirror. I look warped.
I started IVF 2 years ago for my 2nd son, injecting myself, failures, and the emotional rollercoaster of all that. Then I was pregnant, which was wonderful but I felt horrid and then of course the hugeness and discomfort of that. Then I was postpartum and all that goes with it (physical and mental). Then I finally got UC at 3months pp. And now I’m in remission, but I’m on prednisone and just feel rotten emotionally. I also get Remicade infusions and for some reason that has been mentally and emotionally tolling. Sitting in a hospital with an IV for 3 hours makes me feel...sad. Sickly.
It’s been 2 years of not being “me” and I’m just so over it.

Other side effects of the prednisone are hunger, insomnia, anxiety and rage. I’ve had them all, fortunately rage is the least of it.

This is all really new (diagnosis) and I know most of this post/rant is me still processing this change. I am seeing a therapist at my GIs office to talk through it all.