Lori's Cancer Blog
Steriods R hurting me and they didn't tell me!
wow had to go to ER tonight. I am so swollen it scared me. Come to find out I have steriod induced edema and steriod induced diabetes. I recieve steriods before every chemo treatment which I recieve every wednesday Taxol. I am on my 6th treatment. The ER doctor wondered if they discussed it with me last wens at my chemo treatment. Of course they didnt – He said he pulled my records and my sugar was way over 230 then it was 290 tonight;.
So I cant trust them. they take my blood before every chemo and to make sure i am ok and they didnt care to tell me about my sugar levels rising each week. I even called them Monday and said I was swollen – my face, neck and arms and they said take benedryl and we will see you wens. I am glad I went to the ER tonight cause chemo is in the morning and they could have sent me into a coma if I didnt find out what was going on by the ER dr.
I’ll post what the Onc’s excuse is tomarrow – when I confromt him about this. What would be an acceptable excuse. My levels rose every week they just got higher and higher and no one cared. Now I am scared.
I’m so sorry that happened…there is no excuse good enough. My onco stays on top of every level and is quick to treat all the extra sypmtoms…I didn’t develope diabetes but I do have asthma from all the treatments and he makes sure I keep an inhaler…my onco told me that for all purposes he is my primary and that anything that is going on he will address…if the onco isn’t acting as your primary I would question that…he is the one with the most info so he better get better at manager your info…let him know we are all watching him and he better get it together! When I used to swell up my kids would call me squishy…lol
Posted on Lori-
I really hope you get some satisfactory answers today and are able to speak face to face with the doctor. I know that in my center when I went for chemo ,y doctor didn’t always see me. It was the nurses and they are not trained in every thing and they are overwhelmed most the time running around like chickens with their heads cut off. We patients must be our own advocates and address issues directly with our MDs. No offense to any nurses out there, but it ultimately falls upon the doc. He is the one who prescribed those drugs. I fired my first oncologist. I felt a bit like I was cheating on him when I went to interview another in the same hallway but as it turns out, the first guy was recommending a totally off protocol regimen of Herceptin. We’re not talking about Tylenol here, but a heart toxic chemo agent! I was very glad I questioned things. From what I understand the steroids are to prevent nausea. Maybe you can just go with out them and use other types of anti nausea drugs instead and see how it goes? I wish you the best and hope your numbers come down quickly. Let us know what happens today! Be strong, firm and if necessary request a new doctor. Then sit him down and explain that you want his direct phone number and for him to work very closely with you. I think most of them just expect us to sit back and do any and everything they say and never question them. It might bruise their egos but it is your health and it is your right to have the best care.
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