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← Return to Prednisone for radiation pneumonitis
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Prednisone for radiation pneumonitis
Lung Cancer | Last Active: Jan 12 9:36am | Replies (20)Comment receiving replies
It seems to be helpful for me during the day but I'm still waking up with quite a bit of chest congestion. The ER doc prescribed me five days' worth and I'm only on my third day of taking it. I'm not exactly convinced that after I finish it the pneumonitis will be gone.
Have you also experienced no sense of taste or smell with the pneumonitis? At first I thought I had covid, but I tested myself and so did the ER and I was negative. I can't taste or smell anything.
Replies to "It seems to be helpful for me during the day but I'm still waking up with..."
I also experienced lack of taste and smell with the pneumonitis. Once finally put on prednisone (more than a month later) taste and smell returned.
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My non-expert thought is that a 5 day taper for pneumonitis is brief, but obviously I don't know your situation so take this comment for what it is. I developed pneumonitis 30+ days after receiving 54GY of SBRT. For me, pneumonitis caused significant breathing issues and fatigue but I don't recall losing my sense of taste and smell.
I suggest you contact your radiologist about the pneumonitis and prednisone treatment. Don't know how severe your pneumonitis is but I know it needs to be treated for you to recover.