It is now just over a week since I have been taking steroids (daily 2mg Dexamethasone) and they seem to be working. I have had more energy and less nausea, though Thursday morning just gone I did wake and threw up, but felt fine after. None of the persistent nauseous feeling that I have had previously. It was more like having eaten something disagreeable and then feeling fine once one was rid of it. I was only prescribed 2 weeks of steroids and it will be interesting to see how I get on when they finish. It will be another 2 weeks after they finish before I see the oncologist again.
Tag: Dexamethasone
Battling Drug Side Effects
This is all a bit earthy, so don’t bother reading it unless you are suffering similarly, or know someone who is.
The first half of last week was pretty bad for the side effects of my Everolimus and Lenvatinib medication. Sunday was not too bad. I just felt a bit queasy and had no appetite. Monday was rather the same and things turned down on Tuesday afternoon. Sadly I had to miss Christ Church, Brownsover, men’s Film and Chippy evening that day through not being able to keep anything down. This nausea and lack of appetite lasted through Thursday. Although I was very bad again Thursday evening, things did look up a bit after that.
Thursday morning I had a face to face appointment with Dr Ik Shin Chin, a doctor who had recently joined Dr Yakhub Khan’s oncology team. I did have a telephone appointment with her 5 weeks prior, but this was our first actual meeting. I was weighed prior to the appointment, showing that I had lost another 4kg, over half a stone in old units, that I really don’t want to lose. Total lost so far 14kg or over 2 stone. Not good.
We discussed the two side effects that were giving me the most trouble. One was the nausea, vomiting and attendant loss of appetite; the other was the tiredness and lack of energy. She decided to prescribe a short trial of steroids (daily 2mg of Dexamethasone). Also a more powerful laxative than over the counter types in case I needed to take Ondansetron again.
Getting Better
Friday morning I took a final Ondansetron and started on the steroids – one tablet with breakfast. I actually felt better that day, though I can’t say which medication was responsible. Saturday I rather surprised myself. Lyn was planning to drop round to her daughter, who lives quite close, to help with the construction of a raised bed in their garden. I decided to go along too, not planning to do anything other than sit in the sun and give advice. It turned out I did quite a lot – just no lifting of the heavy timbers, which I left to the younger folk. I had to take a few more rest periods than in pre-medication days, but altogether quite promising.
And yesterday I felt fine after a good breakfast of toast, fruit and my diet of tablets, and then walking the half mile to church and then back after the service. Praise God.