Post Easter Update

Well we are back from our trip to North Wales and had a wonderful time, although things could have been better as none of our rooms had lift access which was a real struggle for me.  I get weaker by the day and my appetite gets smaller, so by Friday it was as much as I could do to get in and out of the car.



Coming off the steroids can produce a variety of problems and I seem to have a good selection of these:

Irritation of the stomach lining

Steroids can irritate the lining of the stomach and may cause a stomach ulcer, or make one worse. I feel nauseus a lot of the time and have little appetite.     

Temporary changes in blood-sugar level

This may happen if you have high-dose or long-term treatment. I just feel completely drained with little energy.....yes - worse than before :-)

Fluid retention

My ankles and fingers are starting to swell to a grand size so hopefully I will be getting some more pills to sort that out.

 

Appetite changes and weight gain

Whereas the steroids increased my appetite, putting weight on around the middle and jowls etc, now I have no appetite.  One extreme to another!

Muscle wastage

My leg muscles in particular have wasted and I have real problems with stairs, slopes, getting in and out of the car etc.  Hence, on the Anglesey break we were unable to do the walking we'd planned.  It has also led to real pains in my hips and back.......there isn't much of me that doesn't ache at the moment.

My eyesight and hearing have both been affected and I have a visit to the optician on Weds and need to see the ear specialist. 

Not surprisingly with all this going on, a lot of people then suffer with depression.  I am still trying to keep positive and having Sian running around after me helps me to smile!