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05/25/2007: "Who is on Steroids?"
Now I am not so sure about Floyd Landis and what he might have been taking during the Tour de France but I know I would be disqualified.
To reduce the swelling around the nerves coming out of my spinal column and thus to reduce the pain, my doctor put me on the steroid, Decadron (Dexamethasone). It sure did work, as I haven’t had to touch the bottle of morphine pills that she also subscribed. Unfortunately, steroids come with a few other side effects as you have probably heard. There is supposed to be a weight gain though I have managed to lose 5 lbs this week. Increased blood pressure is also a possibility but mine is 120/70 as of this morning. And the other main one is shortness of breath and allergic reactions. Since my lungs are in trouble, the shortness of breath seems to come with the package.
I can vouch for the supposed lesser side effects.
Insomnia – Try dealing a cancer diagnosis and negative prognosis when you can’t sleep. Lots of nights laying in bed thinking.
Upset Stomach – They usually prescribe an H-2 Inhibitor with this because the stomach gets in trouble.
The Jitters – This one is my interpretation. My body feels like I am living on a constant speed dose. And that has never been my drug of choice as I just get way too over wound.
So now I start to taper my dose back. Every warning says not to stop steroids abruptly as your body’s thyroid has shut down from producing now for “flight or fight” response. I am also warned that stopping it will bring the pain back to my arms. So I will try to find a happy medium here and cancel my plans for this year’s Olympic Trials.