Well the steroid taper is starting to take effect with some withdrawal complications. First it began about a month ago with being more tired during workouts at the gym. It is amazing how great I felt at first going on them compared to without back in early December. Activities which exhausted me (such as the stairmaster) all of sudden became easier and I could increase the level and not be panting for dear life by the end of the 15 minutes. I was also able to increase the amount of weight I could lift and take advantage of that.
Currently I am still lifting a good amount but I had to slightly scale back a few pounds or not do as many reps because my muscles are getting fatigued faster. I am also sore today which I have not been in awhile. Although I did not take a day or two off last week, I did 2 days of hill walking, did my leg weight routine on sunday, and then ran yesterday with the final portion going uphill. I guess it is time for a break. But it is supposed to be nice this afternoon. Perhaps I will take the dogs to the dog park.
Other than having more fatigue during workouts I have been getting nauseous in the morning or throughout the day and the headaches are starting. Today is like the day I had a month ago when I missed water aerobics. I just don't feel good. I woke up a little before 7 am incredibly nauseated with a headache. I was having a bad dream that I was in college and was pressed to finish these caculations I had no idea how to do.
When I get sick or have a headache in my sleep it manifests itself into an unpleasant or uncomfortable dream until I wake to solve what is really going on. It is interesting that happens. In Mexico 4 and a half years ago I picked up some kind of bacteria which hit me while I was sleeping. I had a dream that I was scuba diving and got a bad case of decompression sickness. When I finally awoke I was sweating, my body hurt, and I was running a temperature of 104 degrees. It was a pretty bad illness which lasted about 3 weeks so at the time I don't know which would have been worse...getting bent or suffering through what my sister calls "Montezuma's Revenge".
So in any case, I am sick again today. I have to force myself to be awake because I have too many things to do today and it is supposed to get nice out this afternoon. Lying down and keeping my eyes closed gives me relief but I have already gone back to sleep 2 or 3 times this morning. It is time to stay awake and get through it.
The headaches have also begun and I had a bad one last Friday at 4 am which I had to get up and take pain reliever for. It took a half hour to kick in so I could go back to sleep for a couple hours before waking to go on the Friday morning walk with my sister and TSNW.
Usually the nausea is accompanied and probably caused by headaches. Sometimes it takes me a little while to realize it like this morning as I was focused more on the feeling of having to vomit. I got up and took some antiacid tablets and pain reliever. The area of the pain is concentrated in my sinuses, around the eyes, and frontal part of my head.
As for the weakness/blackout spells, I have only had two which were mild. There was no "going black" of my vision and I did not collapse. There was only the light headedness and tingling and weakness feeling in my arms and legs. The second one, which happened a day or two after the first, was more mild.
This is all pretty normal for me when going off the steroids (or tapering). I am waiting it out and keeping an eye on it. The withdrawal so far is not that bad and more spanned out. In the past, side effects were more immediate and became to the point I could not function when going off. When I finally did go off in spring 2005 I felt like I was runover by a mack truck! So this is not so bad. I just have to hang in there and make it work.
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