I know that steroids are substances made naturally in the body. Lately I found out they can also be made artificially and used as drugs. Steroids can be taken for many different reasons, but it surprised me what I have heard. They said steroids could be used as chemotherapy in Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I want to know if that is true, and I want to hear more about this topic.
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You have to know steroids are used for many different illnesses and conditions. If person is taking prednisolone, dexamethasone or methylprednisolone, he or she has treatment with steroids. Steroids could be taken in tablets, having injections or having eye drops. Steroids are also used in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, where they are given along with chemotherapy drugs. This is because many doctors have found that the treatment is more successful when steroids are given along with chemotherapy drugs. Steroids can be tablets or injections, but when they are given with chemotherapy, steroids are only given for a few days or a week at a time. However, patient will have to take them each time he or she has a chemotherapy treatment. This means patient with chemotherapy will be on and off steroids for quite a while. There are also some side effects, but since steroids will not be take for very long without a break, patient is not likely to have bad side effects from them. Most side effects are unlikely to happen unless person has been taking steroids for some time. However, there are a few side effects patient may notice, such as having more of an appetite, having more energy, difficulty sleeping, and indigestion.
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For one, any time any medical professional states I "will be" or "I will have to", I, now, immediately rush to investigate and research, and, in some cases, get a second opinion.
I have been on chemotherapy off and on for nearly two years (folfox 5f/u, June-Nov. '21; Capecitabine Oral, Nov. '21-Apr. '22; Interventional Radiation treatments to liver, Left Lobe, Aug. '22, Right Lobe, Sept. '22; February 7th, '23, started on Folfir 5f/u, did a round of Interventional Radiation to Left Lobe on the 16th, and will alternate those treatments for the next few months, continue with the Folfir treatment indefinitely.
My first round of infusions had me with an oncologist that didnt seem to feel the need to explain anything in any kind of detail. I had no idea that the myriad of debilitating side effects, roughly two-thirds, that I was experiencing were due to the dexamethasone being prescribed. I have now permanently lost the feeling in my fingertips, have severe joint issues and pain, short term memory loss that has yet to improve...all somewhat normal side effects according to peer reviewed papers on the effects of steroids. Interventional Radiation tends to like to prescribe mid-to-high tapers of prednisolone, another steroid with high levels of side effects associated with it.
I refused the taper with the Interventional Radiation department...they still push it through injection for the procedure, but I have refused it after.
For the Folfir treatment I have refused the oral dexamethasone, will not take it much to the chagrin of my team.
Another fact, steroids are now being used for everything from breathing issues to treatment of depression...it's a blanket drug being used to treat everything, and that, in itself, should send alarm signals. Any time a drug has been used in this manner, it always wnd up being worse for society than was touted by the "professionals", aka Drug Manufacturers and M.D.s...
I now stay off the steroids as part of my cancer treatments, and I feel much better than when I was on them. My energy levels are far more steady and long lasting, as opposed to the blast of chaotic energy that comes with steroids that leave you drained and burned out. The neuropathic issues, although bad from my first round, are not getting more severe. I can focus a lot better than when I was on them. And, most importantly, I have found that they are absolutely unnecessary and that the risks of taking them far outweigh any benefits I ever saw.
If you're medical professional is demanding you take them, get to another ASAP and get a second opinion. This is YOUR body, YOUR fight, not the doctors...you have the ultimate authority over your treatment, not your doctor. If you have a doctor that refuses to listen to your concerns and at least take into consideration the possibility of adjusting your plan, they are worthless and in a grey area that might be eligible for a malpractice suit, non-disclosure of potential side effects and a refusal to address such issues are major concerns, especially if they cause long-term/permanent health issues. Dexamethasone has a very long list of potentially life altering permanent side effects that include a whole slew of issues beyond indigestion and insomnia. Prednisolone is even longer and worse. And in my case, the small amount of assist with the chemo was never worth the price I had to pay.
I have been on chemotherapy off and on for nearly two years (folfox 5f/u, June-Nov. '21; Capecitabine Oral, Nov. '21-Apr. '22; Interventional Radiation treatments to liver, Left Lobe, Aug. '22, Right Lobe, Sept. '22; February 7th, '23, started on Folfir 5f/u, did a round of Interventional Radiation to Left Lobe on the 16th, and will alternate those treatments for the next few months, continue with the Folfir treatment indefinitely.
My first round of infusions had me with an oncologist that didnt seem to feel the need to explain anything in any kind of detail. I had no idea that the myriad of debilitating side effects, roughly two-thirds, that I was experiencing were due to the dexamethasone being prescribed. I have now permanently lost the feeling in my fingertips, have severe joint issues and pain, short term memory loss that has yet to improve...all somewhat normal side effects according to peer reviewed papers on the effects of steroids. Interventional Radiation tends to like to prescribe mid-to-high tapers of prednisolone, another steroid with high levels of side effects associated with it.
I refused the taper with the Interventional Radiation department...they still push it through injection for the procedure, but I have refused it after.
For the Folfir treatment I have refused the oral dexamethasone, will not take it much to the chagrin of my team.
Another fact, steroids are now being used for everything from breathing issues to treatment of depression...it's a blanket drug being used to treat everything, and that, in itself, should send alarm signals. Any time a drug has been used in this manner, it always wnd up being worse for society than was touted by the "professionals", aka Drug Manufacturers and M.D.s...
I now stay off the steroids as part of my cancer treatments, and I feel much better than when I was on them. My energy levels are far more steady and long lasting, as opposed to the blast of chaotic energy that comes with steroids that leave you drained and burned out. The neuropathic issues, although bad from my first round, are not getting more severe. I can focus a lot better than when I was on them. And, most importantly, I have found that they are absolutely unnecessary and that the risks of taking them far outweigh any benefits I ever saw.
If you're medical professional is demanding you take them, get to another ASAP and get a second opinion. This is YOUR body, YOUR fight, not the doctors...you have the ultimate authority over your treatment, not your doctor. If you have a doctor that refuses to listen to your concerns and at least take into consideration the possibility of adjusting your plan, they are worthless and in a grey area that might be eligible for a malpractice suit, non-disclosure of potential side effects and a refusal to address such issues are major concerns, especially if they cause long-term/permanent health issues. Dexamethasone has a very long list of potentially life altering permanent side effects that include a whole slew of issues beyond indigestion and insomnia. Prednisolone is even longer and worse. And in my case, the small amount of assist with the chemo was never worth the price I had to pay.
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