prednisone - joint pain but NOT tapering?

I started talking prednisone (40mg) about a week and a half ago. This past Wednesday, I woke up and my knees, shins and ankles hurt. I can stand/walk and it doesn't hurt, but pushing myself up from a sitting position is pretty painful because of the pressure. This is new for me -- I have had no joint pain at all until this week. I am not tapering (I will be tapering to 30mg this upcoming Wednesday). I haven't gained any weight.

I've read a lot about joint pain when tapering prednisone, but not as a side effect otherwise. Thoughts? I feel like an old lady and it's hard to push myself up off the toilet.

Ugh that does not bode well for me -- another 6 weeks of this (but it's stopped the urgency, D, and most of the blood...soooo....). It is also making my wrists hurt a lot (I think they are a bit swollen) -- it feels like I am in a carpel tunnel flare, too, but I know I am not because there is no thumb pain/twitching/numbness.

I had joint pain from high doses of prednisone too, but not the first couple times I used the drug, only after I had used it more often in the past. I remember there was a point where I couldn't grip anything. it was like my hands were those of someone with really terrible arthritis. It went away when I reduced the dose. Joint pain can come with UC, but I know with my GI, she would say that as a cop out when she didn't know what was happening. Perhaps for some it is the UC, but in my case, it was from the drugs. I know because my flare up was the same or worse, but off drugs, I had no joint pain.

Update.

Tapered from 40mg to 30mg last Wednesday, so been there for about a week now. Hands and feet still hurt, but not as much. Getting crazy leg cramps when sleeping (started a calcium & D3 supplement, and am tracking my potassium intake as a result). I think I am getting a little moon face, too, which I am not surprised since all I do is crave sugar. Symptoms also returning at 30mg.. At 40mg my only bowel-related complaint was that I was a bit constipated, which hey, I can deal with. In the past week, the blood has come back and at first I thought it was maybe hemmies because of the constipation, but nope, it is back in full force now and way too much to be the hemmies. Frequency is also increasing, though my stools are still solid. E-mailed my GI and waiting for a response.

Sigh