Monday, December 7, 2009

PMS: Prednisone Mood Swings

I had a first this last week. It was the first week I ever dated myself while on my period. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??" you ask? Let me explain...

As many of you know, Ronnie decided to do a burst of Prednisone to get rid of some of the inflammation in his lungs. AND, as many of you know, Prednisone makes people irritable. Well I found out this week that apparently Ronnie is no different than the average bear when it comes to how Prednisone effects him. He is on edge, a little snappy with me, and nothing is wrong, per-say, but nothing is quite right. It is SO foreign to me to experience him like that. If you know Ronnie, even in the slightest, you know it is HARD to get a rise out of him. I can TRY to and still can't. But since he started Prednisone, it is all too easy. Yesterday, I'd had my fill. I was frustrated that he was not being his typical self. I was annoyed that he wasn't quite as loving towards me as usual. I was sad that he seemed a little agitated with me.

And then it hit me...this must be what it's like dating me once a month. Talk about a wake up call. It made me rethink my frustration with his sudden attitude change. I actually began to feel a little guilty. I began to think, "well shoot, if he can put up with this 12 times a year, I can put up with it a few times a year."

For those of you who have never been on Prednisone and want a little more details about it's side effects, I here is a link from webMD of all the side effects. And below I've listed some that Ronnie seems to be experiencing (from my perspective):
  • Increased Hunger
  • Visible Water Retention
  • Mood Changes
  • Temporary Redness of Face and Neck
  • Not Feeling Well
Needless to say, I'm excited for his burst of Prednisone to be over, but I'm glad I got a little insight into what it must be like to date me once a month and I hope I remember this down the road, to be sure to curb my own PMS. I must say though, he is REALLY trying. I can tell he is making an extra effort to keep his agitation inside and that he's going out of his way to love on me when he catches himself getting snappy. And that makes me feel a lot better. Regardless though, I'll be happy when Prednisone gives me my fiance back!!!