Fashion sense
“You don’t look like yourself, but we know it’s you.” That’s what friends told Allyson when the prednisone she was taking made her gain 30 pounds almost overnight. Other JM children, like Julia, thought that people were looking at her and talking about her because the drug gave her a round face. Gaining weight and getting a round face are problems for adults on prednisone, too.
If you’re taking prednisone or other steroids for your myositis, you may have gained some weight, too. Doctors warn against any weight-loss diets. You’ll most likely return to your normal size once you start taking less of the medicine and being as active as you once were. Though you shouldn’t diet, you should watch what you eat-eat foods low in fat, sugar and salt. And stay as physically active as your doctor says is okay.
In the meantime, your clothes may not fit quite right while you’re on the medicine. So what can you wear? You don’t want to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe. You’ll most likely lose the weight as you cut down the medicines. But you can get a few things that are comfortable for you. Try looser fitting clothes that may not draw attention to any extra weight you may have. Here are other tips from teenagers with JM:
Advice from those who have been there
Lauren, a 13-year-old with JM, says to keep it simple. She avoided form-fitting clothes and bought a larger size than normal. She didn’t, however, buy too many clothes at once since her weight changed pretty quickly.
“I had more luck with cute short skirts than pants that were cut tighter through the thighs,” she says. “An over-blouse did not emphasize my bigger tummy as much and was more comfortable.” Try dresses with an empire waist rather than a fitted waist, she adds. She suggests choosing material with more “give”-khaki or cotton rather than denim.
Since she was also taking methotrexate, she was even more sensitive to the sun. She chose hats of different colors and styles to match her flip-flops, which had flowers, beads or other extras. She also kept her fingernails and toenails painted in bright colors with different designs. She had been a dancer: “Since I couldn’t dance for now,” she says, “Mom said my feet could still have fun!”
More general suggestions from Lauren and others are:
- Wear darker colors.
- Choose patterns that compliment you; avoid patterns that are too busy. A single color may work best in the end.
- Go with flat-front pants rather than pleated pants.
- Buy V-neck shirts, which make your neck look longer.
- The most important thing, she says, is not to worry what others think. This will just bring you down.