What steroids do to your body

This post uses information from Duke University Hospital's Patient Binder.

Sorry, back to the negative. I had to take the steroid Decadron to keep my brain from swelling. I hope I never have to take it again. The worst was that, as a diabetic, it jacked up my blood sugar, and made me dependent on insulin. In other words, I can't eat a bite of food at a meal until I check my sugar, and get an insulin injection. Few things annoy me more than having food withheld from me, so I will be glad to go back to managing diabetes with just the Metformin pill.

Next was roid rage! Although I wasn't violent, I was constantly irritated, especially at the boys. Jaci thought I was demanding but not loving, and I walked away from a lot of arguments saying things like, "I don't care what you do, I am going to bed." Also, it's probably a good thing I wasn't driving, because drivers around here are either hot rodding jerks with a death wish or oldheads who go 10 mph below the speed limit. Also, to make a right turn, they begin to slow down 1/2 mile before the intersection and turn the corner at about 5 miles per hour. If you pass them while you are turning, you are guaranteed to get a dirty look. Getting the real brunt are the telemarketers selling credit cards and security systems. I would cut them off and say something like "I just had a major surgery, and I am waiting for important calls from doctors and nurses. DO NOT CLOG UP MY PHONE LINES WITH YOUR F-------- B-----S----! Do not call me again and take me off your list!" Finally, I am obsessive-compulsive about wasting food, so I completely freaked out when Jaci, who honestly didn't know any better, left a plastic lid on a tray of food and we lost the whole dish.

Sleeplessness: Spent many nights staring at my feet or at the clock. The fact that the oxygen concentrator is a bit loud doesn't help. I am sleeping better with the CPAP, but still get up in the middle of the night.

Insiatable appetite: When I first got home, I had nearly constant snack cravings. I still crave tomato and vegetable juice with Sriracha Sauce. I constantly crave salt, spicy stuff, and now I have even developed Sandy's sweet tooth.

Blurred vision: Check. I had to use reading glasses to see my phone and some books. That's also improving. I despise opthamologist appointments, and hate getting liquid dropped into my eyes.

Muscle weakness: Steroids weaken your thighs, so it was very hard to get up and move. Since the weaning began, I have had more energy to get up and move, wash dishes, do laundry, and panic during power outages.

My wife insisted to the medical team that I wean off the steroid as soon as possible.

Supposedly, the weaning is going well, because some people coming down off steroids get violent and angry, and I am taking it at least in stride.