Steroid Induced Mania

I have now officially been taking my steroid, prednisone 50mg, for a whole month. And no, it is not the same kind as conseco or whoever the latest baseball phenom gone bad is. There is a difference between anabolic (for sports) and metabolic (to medically control inflammation) I am in full swing of the benefits and the downfalls of these litle white pills.

I'm calling it steroid induced mania.

The benefit is I'm actually able to accomplish things and live life. The downfall is I want to do everything right now, all at once. 

My mind races in a thousand different directions thinking about a hundred different ideas of what I could do right now at this instant.

If I was an octopus, I would be drawing, knitting, writing on my blog, and making a photo album simultaneously.

My home is finally relatively organized, both floors. The beds are made and the halls passable. I'm getting ready to host Winter Carnival Weekend starting Feb. 6th at my house and my lovely NY ladies are coming with their families in tow.

That would be three families and one couple coming from NY for the weekend to stay at my bed and breakfast. I'm ready and armed. I can't wait actually. 

But then my house is cleaned and recleaned every morning.

 I am accomplishing ALOT of things. I cook muffins in the morning for X. I made Grandma's home made spaghetti and meatballs. I make desserts once a week.

Jon has told me to stop cooking because I'll make us both fat.

Eating is a huge steroid induced side effect. I eat constantly anything in my sight. I try to stick to a health diet but for the first month if anything with sugar was in my path it would be in my belly.

I finally discovered YOGURT, which comes in chocolate mousse, banana creme, cocounut creme and low cal. I also drink water instead of anything containing calories. I eat baked chips and multigrain sun chips. Anything I can munch on.

I need to keep my hands busy at all times.

X and I have scheduled playdates just about everyday. Xander is so chalk full of activities he is trying to get rid of me. He certainly does NOT want to play another game of UNO/Old Maid/Life/Sorry/Candy Land.

He does not want to paint pictures or do art.

We did FINALLY figure out the bakugan game. For Christmas he asked for 30 bakugan from Santa Clause. SC, his elves, and friends came through in  big way with characters, cards, a game board, and all the works.

With an investment like that it had to be played. 

Except it's intellectually complicated. It is a battle game that requires tactically knowledge and cognitive reasoning. Something I'd been missing when I had no oxygen. FIALLY, I've been able to do that.

We're going to Boston on Thursday to spend the night at my sisters with Steph and Dylan.

I'll get dropped off at my pulmonology appointment at Brigham and Woman while they head off to The Museum of Science.

I've been wanting to do a day like this for so long, it's great I've been given the capacity to do these things.

I try not to let the reality that I'm going to have to manipulate my medications, and eventually decline, get in the way of how I feel now.

Steroids do cause mania. They can cause psychosis. It is adrenaline. Every once and a while, I feel a panic rise or I get angry in a full bodied physiological way I never have before. The alteration in levels causes osteoporosis. I will eventually start having fractures with long term use.

I have all ready lost a millimeter in the root of my teeth. I had to have my front teeth wired together to strengthen them and keep them from falling out.

I don't even want to know what the rest of me looks like.

I've been unable to take bisphosphonates (such as boniva like Sally Field) because with these medication comes the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw.

If I were to have a dental surgery in the future, such as getting the wisdom tooth out that needs to go, my jaw could erode and fall apart. Prior to bisphosphanate treatment, I need the tooth out since it poses an infection risk. Ugh.

That's why I can't keep my prednisone forever, but for now, life is good. I'm off to enjoy it.