u/Flaky-Kangaroo6204

I’m a 27YO F female dealing with Minimal Change Disease. I was a "fast responder" during my first bout, but my relapse is proving to be much more stubborn. I was diagnosed in January following a cold/flu. I had swelling in my legs.

The Timeline:

• Initial Diagnosis: [January 2026] – Responded instantly to a high dose of 70mg Prednisone. Hit complete remission quickly.
• The Taper Failure: I was tapering down successfully until I hit the 10mg every other day mark. The leak returned immediately.
• Current Relapse (Mid-April 2026): * April 16: Restarted Prednisone at 20mg daily (Lower dose to avoid side effects).
  • April 24: Labs showed stability. Albumin at 3.1, Protein/Creatinine ratio at 2.6.
  • May 1: Significant progress. Albumin rose to 3.3, Ratio dropped to 1.4. I felt like I was finally heading toward zero.
• The Current "Wall" (Last 10 Days):
  • Caught a stubborn respiratory virus (cough/heavy congestion).
  • Attended a wedding this past weekend (some alcohol and high-sodium food).
  • Today (May 11): Dipstick is back up to 3+, and I’m feeling significant tightness/swelling in my calves for the first time in weeks.
• The Frustration: Even though I’m staying hydrated and sticking to a low-sodium/anti-inflammatory diet 99% of the time, the 20mg dose feels like it’s "stalling" out against the virus and the weekend's salt. I’m currently waiting on labs from last Friday to see if the internal numbers are as bad as the dipstick looks.

The Wedding Factor: I’m getting married in September. My biggest fear is that I won't be able to taper off the Prednisone in time to lose the water weight and feel like myself in my dress.

My Question for the Group: Since I relapsed at the 10mg mark, it seems like I’m steroid-dependent. Has anyone else moved to Rituximab while still on a 20mg dose of Prednisone? Did it help you finally "bridge" the gap to zero and get off the steroids for good?