Welcome to Connect @miker46! Allow me to introduce you to a few other members who may be able to share their experience. Please meet @bertbiz, @billindc, @mardellepoff and @billymac65. Do any of you know of any over-the-counter medication to alleviate MP pain?

Hi Mike,
I was diagnosed with MP in May of this year. I had a lot of pain leading up to the diagnosis. I had a CT Scan and once diagnosed, the doctor put me on 40 mg of Prednisone for a few weeks, then started to taper me off which took until early August. The high dose of Prednisone made me feel "speedy." I didn't sleep well, but the pain went away. I didn't have any pain until I was tapered off to about 15 mg. a day. I was put on a low-fiber diet (white rice, white flour, no veggies, etc.) Then the pain was mild, nothing crippling. I had a second CT Scan and the doctor told me the MP was "resolving." So that news was good. The doctor also told me to think of MP (at this milder stage) like it's IBS. We will be managing flare-ups if they happen. I was put on the FODMAP diet. On that diet you are encouraged to incorporate certain vegetables back in your diet, but slowly and only one kind of vegetable at a time so that you can figure out which ones work for you and which ones don't. It's a lot of trial and error, but worth it. I've noticed one "sore spot" in my abdomen and have to be careful not to roll over in my sleep and set it off. I also have to be careful my cats don't walk on the spot. I may be hyper aware of my pain levels at this point. Some days are much better than others, but it is manageable. At the beginning I drank a lot of banana smoothies made with Kefir and Cinnamon. That was very soothing. So if I'm feeling like I'm having a flare up, I eat soft foods, like eggs and tofu with rice. http://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/ As for pain, I've been taking over-the-counter acetaminophen (Tylenol). I have been banned from taken any Ibuprofen ever again, as that may have contributed to this condition. What other contributing factor for me are family genetics. My father had Crohn's Disease and my mother had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

I will be going to the GI Doctor next week to view my CT Scans side-by-side. I am going to talk to her about the mild pain I am experiencing and find out what else can be done, if anything.

I hope this has been helpful to you.

Take Care,
Roberta
@bertbiz

Thank you, Roberta. This information is very insightful. Other than feeling "speedy" did you experience any other side effects? (ie the dreaded, "moon face").

I'll try figuring out what my triggers are with respect to my diet..and try the soft foods on flare up approach.

Thanks again for your time,
Good to hear things are better! 🙂

Hi miker46, I did not get the dreaded moon face. On the good side effect front, nothing, I mean nothing hurt! Not my back, my hip, my neck. All the things that are always sore. The speediness was the biggest side effect. When I was tapering off I noticed my hair falling out. I researched it and it seems to be common, and it does grow back. I started taking Biotin. The hair loss seems to be lessening. I am lucky to have really thick hair. No one would say, "OMG, you're losing your hair!" But I can tell the difference.

I'm so glad you found my post helpful. All this experience should count for something, right?

Roberta