Posts tagged: side effects

The dreaded Steroid effects

February 28, 2024 - Posted in Uncategorized by Todd with comments

Well, we expected it to happen. The side effects of the Steroids are now starting to pop up.

My face and mid section is now slightly looking a bit more bloated with water weight. It's not too bad at this point, but may get worse before it gets better.

My blood glucose has shot up to very high levels now, although I have been managing it fairly well at keeping it down with the use of insulin adjustments.

My sleep is slightly more challenging as the Steroids does cause some sleep disruption, I have moved to taking the Steroids first thing in the morning so that is kind of wears off by night time.

All of these side effects are temporary, and will return to normal following the end of the steroid treatment.

For the time being, I can live with the side effects as it's now showing a healing of my kidneys and my creatinine leves are coming down. That's the most important effect from the steroids.

But, I just couldn't avoid the negative effects of the Steroids, no matter how hard I tried. :o)

Immunotherapy side effects

February 18, 2024 - Posted in Medical Update by Todd with comments

Hello All,

Had a bit of a rough day yesterday. My abdomin was quite painful all day, making it a bit of tough time. Low appetite, drowsy and just not feeling well at all.

It's very difficult to determine exactly WHAT is causing the pain. Many of my medications cause side effects that can create pain in my abdomin or stomach area. But it is also very possible (and most likely) that the immunotherapy is causing me these symptoms.

The immunotherapy continues to work in my body months after an immunotherapy session. Some of the symptoms I am having, which could be attributed to the immunotherapy, are stomach and abdominal pain, stomach upset, nausea, vomitting, skin rash and itching, headache, stuffed up sinuses, signifcant fatigue and muscle pain (leg).

The only way to stop the immunotherapy is to use high doses of steroids for a period of time, which actually shuts down the immunotherapy completely. Of course, the use of steroids will cause me more strife. Steroids will reek havoc on my blood sugars (they will go through the roof) and will probably cause me water weight gain (which would go away after I stop the steroids). The only advantage to doing so is possibly getting rid of some of these nasty side effects of immunotherapy.

For now, while the immunotherapy keeps doing it's thing, I will have to try and manage these symptoms as best I can. Given my increased creatinine levels, the medical oncologist is likely to stop the immunotherapy.