Those aren't acorns in my cheeks!

The good, the bad and the (not yet) ugly....

I've been on steroids now for two weeks. Everyone's experience will be different, but I must say this has been an interesting road.

My skin is smoother and clearer than I ever remember....but I'm also bruising more easily.

I have unbounded energy and strength on most days, but next to no sleep! I'm lucky if I'm getting four hours a night. Getting lots done though (and working a bit too thankfully).

I'm not gaining weight overall, but it's a little disconcerting to see my face expanding every day! My dear husband and daughter tell me they see little difference, but it's okay to tell me that you do.

Most days I have a great sense of elation, but I've had two days of the nasties. Family was warned, and I went into seclusion. Tears were cried, vengeance wreaked upon the vacuum cleaner hose. Don't ask (but the vacuum cleaner and I both survived the altercation).

I can finally breathe easily without any chest pain most days! The drugs are working.... my heart races a bit throughout the day (but that of course is from seeing my husband come round the corner) :-)

I had almost two weeks of not feeling any leg pain from the bone tumour, pretty wonderful - I haven't bounced around like this in a long time. Overall muscle and bone pain kicking in now, I understand this is normal at this point in the treatment. Not nearly bad enough to keep me down.

I'm not as hungry as I was the first week on treatment, I think I've learned just to ignore it for the most part. Although I did get into a box of crackers at 1 a.m. this morning, the first time I've given in to the hunger during the night.

More hair seems to coming out in my hands when I shampoo. Thankfully not in any patches, it's just thinning out a bit.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that my doc hears no evidence of pericarditis at my appointment on Monday. If it's still there, the dosage goes up (eek!). If not, we start the weaning process (you can't just quit prednisone, normal adrenal function of the body has been altered and it needs time to produce its own cortisol again).

The thought of a full eight hours of sleep has me drooling far more than the hunger that comes with this treatment!