There are a couple of things you can do to minimize the prednisone you have to take in order to keep your symptoms at bay. One is directed radiation, which is NOT the RAI, it’s a beam of radiation directed at your orbit, in multiple sessions (a few, at least, I think). If prednisone is working to keep the swelling in your eyes down, you are probably a good candidate for radiation as well. The other possibility is intraorbital injections of steroids ~ I know, it sounds terrifying, but it’s injected in the fluid behind your eyes, not IN your eye, and it has shown a lot of success, according to one of the eye doctors who spoke at our most recent conference. It is possible that your local doctor may not have the information necessary to do the injections, I don’t think it’s all that common right now, but the radiation has been used for many years. The eye doctor who spoke of the injections specifically pointed to it as an additional treatment to use in order to use less oral steroids, and a second doctor spoke of radiation in the same way.
Besides those things, I don’t know of anything else medically that would reduce your swelling as effectively as prednisone. If your symptoms are really bad, this could save your eyesight, so take that into consideration. Also, typically the better care we take of ourselves, the better we heal, the better we feel, etc. etc. So eating right, reducing stress (can’t eliminate it, but reduce what you can), taking good care of your body overall will serve to keep you feeling the best you possibly can under difficult circumstances.
Please let us know how it’s going for you!
