An Equestrian Adventure

 Back in  1974 a type of vasculitis called Wegener's Granulomatosis caused my kidneys to fail.


 Forty years later, my transplanted kidney is still working splendidly, but there has been a relapse of the vasculitis. This disease is now affecting my lungs (fibrosis). The first line of treatment is high doses of prednisone which are, over several weeks, tapered down to a maintenance level. In my case the maintenance level* is about triple the I have been on for nearly 40 years to prevent rejection of the kidney. So now I am re-living all the side effects. Incidentally, the good Dr. Wegener, who first described this type of vasculitis, it turns out was not so god after all. He was a Nazi during the 30's and 40's and was suspected of being involved with 'medical' experiments at Ausschwitz. The medical community now refers to that disease as Granulomatosis with polyangiitis, or GPA.

I wrote a poem about being on higher dosages of prednisone.

The Ride on the Prednisone Horse

“I think I have just what you need”
“It’s like an equestrian ride on a steed”
Answered the doctor when I asked please
Can you help me to stop this disease

So I will Ride on the Prednisone Horse
The name of my new treatment course
A metaphor befitting the verse
Called the Ride On The Prednisone Horse

Now I’m riding the prednisone horse
Feeling so good I could burst
Ravenous appetite, feeling the best
I'm lovin this prednisone hoss

As I’m riding the prednisone horse
A bit of a wild ride on this beast
No saddle or reins to coerce
Or tame this incredible force

While the prednisone horse does the healing
I’m having some uneasy feelings
Moon face and puffiness swelling
While my unstable feelings go reeling

Rages and tantrums are par for the course
When riding the prednisone horse
If the man in the moon is the look you choose
Then come ride on the prednisone horse

“Beware of this horse it's the devil’s
Those little white pills
Come with all kinds of ills”
They warned me to no avail

With weight gain and blood sugar perverse
Thinning hair, bones and skin are the curse
Blurry vision, fractures and worse
It’s barely better than riding the hearse

I hate you damned prednisone horse
Your double edged sword is the worst
I want to be rid of this treatment course
You’ve turned my good life into farce

But I do love you dear prednisone horse
You’ve knocked my disease off its course
I need you my prednisone horse
Or the disease will just keep getting worse

So I’ll stay on the prednisone horse
But with just a little remorse
It is more of a cure than a curse
And for now there’s no better recourse

* Note as of mid 2017, the "maintenance level" for me is 5mg, much lower than when I first published this poem.