Hi! I can relate to a lot in your post. So I completely get where you're coming from. I'm more of an endurance athlete than a bodybuilder & my physique is probably nothing compared to yours but I've got to a nice lean level and so can appreciate how much discipline it takes (and I didn't have to work through freaking kidney failure to get there, worst I had was a few sprains and one broken arm).  I've also taken psych drugs whose side effects were far, far worse than the symptoms they were trying to treat. Some things to maybe think about: -Last time you were on it you were a lot younger, right? IIRC you mentioned being fat in your youth -- not sure if this overlaps with that time period but healthy (see: swole) people tend to have less negative reactions to bad health events in general.  -I get the bloated water filled look next day after drinking too hard and dislike it. But it's not anywhere near being a lardass. You're not going to look fat/be fat from a few lbs retained water. You think you do, but if you're into BB level fitness I can assure you, you're far more critical of yourself than other hot people are of you. -Hair loss: fucking sucks, I know. I've had red-gold Jon Snow hair for 20 years and about flipped my shit when my brother told me a couple years ago it was thinning (apparently, I never look at the top of my head when getting ready). MFW. Are you sure though it came from the prednisone though and not other issues in your life though? With a big health crisis major organ failure it's can be hard to pinpoint the exact cause of hair loss. Are you sure you're not misattributing this? Practical suggestion: look into minoxidil, it's over the counter, easy to use and dirt cheap as a preventative measure. I bathe my scalp in that shit. -Hair gain: sucks, hair removal products these days are pretty good though. Practical suggestion: dollar shave club membership? Once you get personal care shit down to a routine it becomes rather mindless. -Acne: had severe cystic acne as a kid which caused permanent scarring, so this one is painful. One thing I do remember from my dermatologist is that the vast majority of acne issues go away with age so now that you're older the symptoms probably won't be as bad.  I'm going to be a fucking monster of a troll I could starve myself and eat nothing  You're overreacting dude, and I don't blame you. You're not going to lose your gainz over this. Just because you had these issues in the past, doesn't mean you'll have them now. The horrific-medical-advice politically incorrect answer is: you could always tell them you're taking it, and not take it, but that's kind of a nuclear bomb of an option. WWCDD? CD would go forward with the transplant and tell them he's going to take the prednisone as prescribed. If CD experienced horrible side effects, he would lower the dose or stop taking it entirely while googling studies about how important it really is. This is not advice but that's what I would do. Wish you the best.