Hi all. I have just checked group. Congrats to you Ann! That is a major accomplishment woman! Donna and Chip, I know just how you feel. I have been on 40mg for three days then bumped up to 60mg prednisone. This is day six. I am at the point th

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Hi all. I have just checked group. Congrats to you Ann! That is a major accomplishment woman! Donna and Chip, I know just how you feel. I have been on 40mg for three days then bumped up to 60mg prednisone. This is day six. I am at the point that I can't sleep, think, eat, cook, clean......... I am totally wired and too physically exhausted to do anything about it. I have also been on Levaquin for 5 days now. Tomorrow is D-day. I have to go see the doc. I really hope I am some better than I am today. I do not want to go to the spa. I am supposed to go with my mom and daughter on Saturday to buy two pairs of shoes and some desperately needed pants. This is really ticking me off. My lungs are crossing a

line. Everyone knows that you don't get between a woman and a new pair of shoes. I think this has been a very hard time for many people with lung conditions. I have contacts from around the globe who just are not doing very well. I have finally found something to blame this miserable fall and winter on though. LA NINA! Peak flows. I just can't say enough how important it is to learn how to interpret and apply your peak flow. I am at a point where I check mine only when I know it is not good. However, I have had nothing to do for four years now other than to learn as much as I can about my body and it's reactions. I also use it regularly for a week twice a year to reestablish my maximum. You should never measure your personal maximum against some generic chart. That is one of the ultimate exercises in futility. As Ann said, you should establish your

zones as green between 80 - 100 percent of your max (even if your max is rare). Yellow is 50 - 70 percent (at which time you should be using your inhaler/nebulizer), and below 50% call your doc or go to the ER. I really don't want to offend anyone, but if your doctor says that peak flows are overrated, unnecessary, or other such garbage, he/she should not be treating asthmatics. Knowing your peak flow is an excellent indicator of the state of your asthma unless you have another disease process that can inhibit the flow (in which case you really have to evaluate symptom by symptom).Lynne, I haven't forgotten you either. I am still working on it. I do have a solid lead that I need to further check before giving you a name. I have been so sick for the last week and a half that I have not been able to get to it. Online drug stores. Again I have to agree

with Matt and Ann. I am not saying they are all bad, but many of them are not regulated (especially if they are outside of the US). There is no way to truly tell exactly what med/dosage they have actually packaged. It seems very attractive (especially for the insurance challenged), but I would be very very careful. The wrong thing at the wrong time could do much more harm than good. There is also the fact that prescription meds purchased outside of the US from online sources is illegal. Not very well enforced, but illegal all the same.I hope everyone else is out having the time of their lives. I hope I haven't rambled too much. It is a bit challenging to make sense even to myself today. CaI pray for you all often. Hugs!Madeline