Top 3 Side Effects of Prednisone for Patient with Rheumatic Heart Disease

Top 3 Side Effects of Prednisone for Patient with Rheumatic Heart Disease

Hi, there! It has been 2 months since my son was diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease. It was not an easy journey for us and there are times when I am getting paranoid even on simple things. There are sleepless nights where I just look at him. I started feeling chest pain and there was always a battle on mind pulling me down. I am thankful that God doesn’t allow me to be tricked anymore on what the enemy is doing. Yes, fear and worries will really hit when you personally encounter the side effects of prednisone. Prednisone is a steroid used to treat the inflammation of his heart.

 

1. Gain Weight

His food intake is a lot.  On top of the regular meals, he can eat between 10 to 15 biscuits per day.  His gain weight causes it transformed into a moon face.

2.  Acne

It started with a small red pimple at the back, then it goes in his front part of the body and then to his face.

3.  Stretch Marks

Once the gain weight is going back to its average weight, it creates stretch marks on his body.

Insomnia Problems: 5 Proven Techniques to Beat Insomnia

Insomnia Problems: 5 Proven Techniques to Beat Insomnia

It’s 3am. You are exhausted from all day of work. You are lying in bed for a number of hours yet you still can’t fall asleep. This is not the first time, you’ve been like this for consecutive days  and even if you fall asleep after hours of lying in bed (counting sheep or singing a lullaby to yourself), you still feel tired and sleepy in the morning and throughout the next day. Getting a good rest is really not easy for you. 

Does it sound just like you? If yes, you might be suffering from a sleep disorder called insomnia. 

This disorder is characterized by struggling to fall asleep or staying asleep at night, which makes you tired and sluggish the next day. It’s a very common condition and many people experience this.

Many factors can contribute to having insomnia such as poor sleeping habits, too much caffeine, stress, anxiety, environment, or it may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition and many more. The good news is: It is curable.

So, here are some tried and tested tips on how to beat insomnia.

  1. Have a regular sleep schedule and stick to it. Try to go to bed at the same hours every night and get up at the same time every morning. Even if you still feel tired and even if it’s weekend. It might be hard at first but it’s like setting up your biological clock which will lead you to a good sleep rhythm.

  2. Avoid drinking caffeine in the evening. Drinking coffee makes you alert. No question how significantly it can affect your ability to fall asleep and get a good rest at night.

  3. Set up a good sleep environment. Invest in a comfortable bed and pillow, make sure blankets are  clean and smelling fresh. Room temperature should be comfortable and not hot which could wake you up at night sweating. Also, make sure that the room is dark or wear an eye mask, it helps it getting a good night’s rest.

  4. Eliminate screen time at least an hour before your bedtime. Avoid using your phone, laptop, tablet, or watching TV before bedtime because it can stimulate your brain and will affect your ability to fall asleep.

  5. Get help and have some sleep exercise. There is a proven method and studies have shown that this simple and natural “sleep trick” can help you get a deep and restful sleep within 12 minutes. To learn more about the exercise, just click the picture below.

Curing insomnia may need a lot of effort to take, but it is worth it since having a good rest is essential in living a happy and successful life.

Vertigo Exercises At Home

Vertigo Exercises At Home

Do you often feel a dizziness sensation of being off-balance? You may be experiencing vertigo. One common type of vertigo is benign positional paroxysmal vertigo, also known as BPPV. It is caused by small crystals of calcium that build up in your inner ear, which navigates your balance. 

If you suspect that you have vertigo, seek professional help. Your doctor will help you in determining what type of vertigo you have. If it’s BPPV, your doctor will also pinpoint which of your ears is affected.

Don’t worry, BPPV is the easiest type of vertigo to treat. In fact, here are a few exercises you can try to help relieve the dizziness:

Epley Maneuver

  • Sit on the bed. Make sure that when you lie down, there’s a pillow under your shoulders. 
  • While sitting down, turn your head 45 degrees towards your affected ear.
  • Lie down on your back with your head still turned. The pillow should be under your shoulders, not your head. Stay still for 30 seconds.
  • Turn your head 90 degrees towards the other side without raising it. Your head should be facing your unaffected ear in a 45-degree angle. Stay still for 30 seconds.
  • Turn your head and body towards your unaffected ear so that you’re looking at the floor. Stay still for 30 seconds.
  • Sit in an upright position for a minute.

Repeat three times. We advise you to perform this exercise at night before going to sleep. 

Semont Maneuver

  • Sit in an upright position on the edge of your bed. Turn your head 45 degrees towards your unaffected ear.
  • With your head still facing your unaffected ear, lie down with your body facing the other side. Stay still for 30 seconds.
  • Quickly sit up and turn your body towards your unaffected ear and proceed to lie down without changing your head position. While transitioning to this position, do not pause in the sitting position. Stay still for 30 seconds.
  • Slowly return to your sitting position and stay still for a minute.

Repeat three times. Since this is a much more complicated exercise, most people have a hard time learning how to do it. If you’re having a hard time performing this maneuver, ask your doctor to teach it to you.

Foster Maneuver

  • Kneel. Look up at the ceiling for 30 seconds.
  • Place your head in a somersault position by making it touch the floor. Your chin must be tucked and your head must almost touch your knees. Stay still for 30 seconds.
  • While staying in a somersault position, turn your head towards your affected ear. Stay still for 30 seconds.
  • Raise your head to back level while maintaining the turn of your head. Stay still for 30 seconds.
  • Raise your head until it’s fully upright while it’s still turned towards your affected ear. Slowly stand.

This exercise requires strength and flexibility to execute. Rest for 15 minutes before repeating until your vertigo is relieved.

Vertigo can be a symptom of an underlying condition that needs medical help. While these exercises work as a short-term solution, you must still consult with your doctor to determine the exact cause of your vertigo. Diagnose the root cause of your vertigo and treat it. Meanwhile, these vertigo exercises at home will provide you relief.

Stop Snoring Exercise

Stop Snoring Exercise

Can’t sleep because of the loud snoring of any member of your family? That could be your husband, right? And you are looking for ways on how to overcome snoring. You are looking at a permanent way to reduce and completely stop snoring. Well, there must be some proven methods to stop someone from snoring. In fact we are going to focus on stop snoring exercise your husband can explore with. Let’s get on and see what might apply to him.

Before you find the solution, understand first why you snore. Snoring happens when you can’t move air through your nose and throat during sleep. This is attributed to different factors. This includes but not limited to sleeping position, gain weight or even menopause .

Or it could be because of large tonsils, nasal passages block or the muscle tone in the throat or tongue is weak.  There is a lot of cause but let’s look further to the different ways to stop snoring.

 

Rheumatic Heart Disease : It All Begin With Step Throat

Rheumatic Heart Disease : It All Begin With Step Throat

Disheartening! My 15-year-old son’s diagnosis is Rheumatic Heart Disease: Mitral Valve Prolapse. We need to go through with at least 2 years to 6 years for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) treatment; every 21 days he will receive treatment through injection. Sad but there is nothing we can do but to accept things and believe for complete healing through Jesus, my Lord, and Saviour. We can only hold on His promise that he will restore my son’s health.


How The Rheumatic Heart Disease Started?


Feb 26, 28, he had a fever with the highest temperature at 39.8. March 4, he had a fever with the highest temperature at 39.4. This time, I already brought him for a check-up but there was nothing wrong with his urine, blood, and lungs.
March 7, 8, he had a fever with around 39.1 and paracetamol was only given.
March 9 was ok but on March 10, he had a fever with highest at 39.3. Another urine and blood test were done and found out that it is already UTI.

We were referred then to an Infectious Specialist and 3 laboratory tests were done: ASO Test, CRP ( C Reactive Protein) and ESR. The ASO (
Antistreptolysin O  ) test was the main identifier as the suspected Rheumatic Heart Disease. The normal range is only up to 100 IU/ML but my son had 400 IU/ML.

The ASO test helps determine whether the person had a recent strep infection with the bacteria group A Streptococcus.

How it will be treated?

For 2 months, he will be taking Prednisone. It’s a drug that is used to suppress the immune system and decrease inflammation in the left valve of his heart. After 2 months, that will be replaced with an aspilet.

We were advised that my son will gain weight and will always be hungry

Along with it, every 21 days for the next 6 years and with minimum of 2 years he will have to undergo an injection medication ( I just forgot the term) .

There’s still a lot of things to work on but we believe that God will heal my son not in the next 2 years but in God’s perfect timing. God is our great physician and He will completely heal my son.