I'm on steroids too :(

by MsMcDucket 37 Replies latest jw friends

  • Eyes Open
    Eyes Open

    An allergic reaction to the cat thread? Was that the one I posted? I'd hate to be responsible for that, MsMcDucket!

    Hope things improve soon.

  • MsMcDucket
    MsMcDucket
    Get better soon...I really hope the new meds help! I hate the feeling of not being able to breathe, I can't imagine going through what you are. *Hugs* ~April

    April, I had a botched thyroid surgery. That is what caused my breathing difficulties. I haven't been the same since. If the doctors can't get meds to control it, I want the trach back in. I was serious as a heart attack when I told the doctor that.

    Thanks for thoughts

  • MsMcDucket
    MsMcDucket

    What a scary thing to go through.

    Wishing you comfort now and some resolution soon for the health problems. I enjoy your love of music. May music continue to soothe your soul.

    Dagney, it was horrifying! After the spasm went away, it felt like I had used up all my breathing reserves; and it felt like the cord would go back into spasm again. Normally, after I have a spasm, it doesn't leave me feeling like that.

    My family tried to get me to sit at the computer and play music or my games; but I was too panicky to sit down. I think I will try to play the music today. It's nice to know that I haven't burnt out everyone with the amount of music that I post!

    Thanks Dagney!

  • MsMcDucket
    MsMcDucket

    Hang in there Ms. I don't know anything about your condition, but my dad had a permanent trach and there were always complications. It was quite awful whenever he had a cold. Are you able to talk?

    Hello Switch! Being a nurse, I was able to do my own trach care. I just didn't like carrying that big suctioning machine everywhere. I joined a group called "Neck Breathers" when I had the trach. That group is full of anecdotes and comedies about trach care.

    I can talk because my cord/s were paralyzed in a closed position. When both were paralyzed, I had a really soft voice. With one paralyzed, my voice changes to normal, to gravel-like, to almost inaudible. Sometimes, I sound like a man (to me). It took my ability to sing away. It did paralyze both superior and recurrent laryngeal nerves. The Superior Laryngeal nerves affect how high you sing and the recurrent laryngeal affect my ability to control my breath.


    Etiology

    This syndrome results from injury to the superior laryngeal nerve. This injury may be unilateral or bilateral. The superior laryngeal nerve supplies sensory information to the larynx and hypopharynx as well as motor innervation to the cricothyroid muscle.

    Diagnosis

    History
    Typical complaints

    • choking
    • trouble swallowing liquids
    • problems with singing
    • problem started after neck surgery
      • thyroid gland removal
      • carotid artery surgery
      • anterior cervical fusion

    http://www.voicedoctor.net/diagnose/sx/sln.html


    The lady that sings in "The Sound of Music" had something like this happen to her vocal cord, which ended her career. Julie Andrews:

    Last Updated: Monday, 25 September 2006, 14:23 GMT 15:23 UK altalt
    alt E-mail this to a friend alt Printable version
    Lifetime award for Julie Andrews
    Dame Julie Andrews Dame Julie has been unable to sing since a throat operation in 1997
    Actress Dame Julie Andrews is to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).

    Dame Julie, 70, came to international attention when she played the role of Eliza Doolittle in the original stage production of My Fair Lady.

    She won a best actress Oscar for her film debut, Mary Poppins, in 1964, but is perhaps best known as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

    The SAG Awards will be held in Los Angeles on 28 January, 2007.

    Recent winners of the Guild's lifetime achievement award include Shirley Temple, Clint Eastwood and James Garner.

    Dame Julie, who is married to director Blake Edwards, has been one of the world's best-loved screen and stage stars for more than 40 years.

    Born and raised in England, she moved to the US in the wake of the success of My Fair Lady.

    But she lost the lead role to Audrey Hepburn in the film version of the musical, and was given the part of Mary Poppins as a consolation.

    That film and The Sound of Music helped to cement her in the minds of the public as a squeaky-clean leading lady.

    It was an image she was keen to shed, and later she appeared in the risque comedy 10 and even switched genders in the film and stage show Victor/Victoria.

    Vocal drama

    But in 1997, she had to cancel several Broadway performances of the gender-bending comedy after suffering from voice trouble.

    A subsequent operation to remove a small polyp from her vocal cords caused serious damage to her voice.

    For years, the actress feared she would no longer be able to sing professionally, and she settled a malpractice claim with two doctors at New York's Mount Sinai hospital over the operation.

    However, by 2004, her voice had recovered sufficiently to allow her to perform a musical number in the Disney film The Princess Diaries 2.

    The song, called Your Crowning Glory, was written in a limited vocal range so it was not too demanding.


    I went off on a tangent on that one!

    Take Care Switch!

  • MsMcDucket
    MsMcDucket
    An allergic reaction to the cat thread? Was that the one I posted? I'd hate to be responsible for that, MsMcDucket!

    Hope things improve soon.

    I was just joking! It didn't happen unless you sent me cat hairs telepathically (sp?).

    Thanks for the well wishes!

  • momzcrazy
    momzcrazy

    Me too. For major back problems. Nothing as serious as not breathing though! And yes, I cannot lose the weight I have gained and my face stays round no matter weight I get to.

    I hope you feel better.

  • MsMcDucket
    MsMcDucket

    Hello Momzcrazy! I've been look up steroid facies, moon face facies, and Cushingoid facies. One thing that I found interesting is:

    steroid round face

    I took steroids for 3 weeks for a very severe case of poison ivy. I finished the medication 5 days ago, but the "round face" side effect still persists. How long can I expect to look like this?
    There is no exact answer. Since you were on steroids for such a short period of time, I would expect that the "moon facies" or "chipmunk cheeks" to resolve rather rapidly over the next few weeks. For people on steriods for longer periods of time, I tell them about 3 to 6 months. Exercise helps.

    Last update: 03:37 PM Friday, March 30, 2007

  • betteroffdead
    betteroffdead

    i had massive steroid doses for cancer treatment years ago so i know a little about the side effects. depending on dosage and duration yes you will get bigger. also if the steroid is for long term use discuss avascular necrosis with your doctor it is a nasty little side effect of steroid where the blood vessels in your joints die therefore your joints die, not fun and i know i have three metal joints. but good luck with everything you seem to be pretty well informed.

  • MsMcDucket
    MsMcDucket
    i had massive steroid doses for cancer treatment years ago so i know a little about the side effects. depending on dosage and duration yes you will get bigger. also if the steroid is for long term use discuss avascular necrosis with your doctor it is a nasty little side effect of steroid where the blood vessels in your joints die therefore your joints die, not fun and i know i have three metal joints. but good luck with everything you seem to be pretty well informed.

    Because of my large family, I very often have lots of stuff going on. I had only told one person on the board about this. But I have a brother in the hospital with paralysis (neck down) and another sister that had to get her other breast removed due to breast cancer. My brother is in the hospital and my sister is going through chemo. We're trying to figure out who's going to take in my brother; but everyone's sick! If isn't one thing, it's another. I didn't tell anyone because I don't want anyone to say anything. Thanks for your response Betterofdead.

  • PEC
    PEC

    MsMcDucket, Best of luck for you and your family. It must be terrible not being able to breath.

    I have been on steroids a few times. I never had any side effects; but, I have not been on them long term, just one or two coarse each time. I have been on topical steroids for itching and rash for over a year. I don't think that topical steroids have the same side effects as oral/injected.

    I am seeing the doctor Wednesday, about get steroid injections for low back pain, I hope they will work; because, the only other option is surgery.

    Philip

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