Solumedrol 2023

5 days after getting my MRI I was at the doctors office with my husband. I cried as soon as the doctor and nurse practitioner walked in.  They found an active (ring?) lesion and told me they had an available seat in the IV room to start steroid treatment. 3 days of 1000mg of Solumedrol was what they had prescribed to bring down the active lesion and hopefully help with my symptoms. I continued to cry.

I cried because I'm so fucking frustrated with my treatments not working. I cried because I was scared of the steroids. I cried because I now have to research new meds and decide what I want to do next. I cried because I still haven't even told my family what I was going through. I cried because I didn't know what to say to anyone. 

The first day of steroids took an hour and a half to infuse. My last steroid treatment 7 years ago was in pill form, this was definitely much easier. Except the side effects were still there. It didn't take long for the metallic taste to show up. I felt like I had a bit more energy that afternoon, even popped back in at work and sat through a few meetings.  The NP warned me that I wouldn't sleep and to make sure I was prepared, she sent me home with Ambien and I made sure to take it that night and the next few nights. Day two of steroids went a bit quicker and I went straight home to sleep, I was exhausted. Day three was just about the same. And that was it. The steroids were done. Days four, five, and six were horrible. I had body aches as if I got kicked by a horse. I could barely catch my breath and I felt so ill from being full of fluids (I quickly gained 13lbs in two days just from fluid retention).

We're at day 8, I think my energy is finally getting back to normal, the aches are still there (in my rib cage) and my legs feel like I have sandbags attached to them.

I went back to my post from the last time I took steroids and I wrote that it was absolute hell at that time, but I was so happy to have been able to take the steroids. I have faith that I'll get to that point again. Adapt and overcome.