This brings up an issue that I have noticed with my rheumatologist: he does very little monitoring for drug side effects ( prednisone in my case). I took the initiative to get my eyes checked for glaucoma and cataracts. I take my blood pressure and have a kit to measure my blood sugar. I feel my pulse occasionally to see if there are irregularities. I had to request a DEXA scan from him to see how my bones are holding up. I went to my primary to have blood work done. I would think that these things would be standard to see how a person is tolerating the prednisone, especially since I've been on it 15 months and have only gotten down to 7.5 mg. I least I would expect him to remind me of what to have checked and watch for. It's another reminder of how much the patient has to do if they want a good outcome.