[jml]

Hi~
I'm hoping Hema is starting to feel more and more like herself.
I completed 15 rounds of WBR, and am approaching 4 weeks since finishing, and only now starting to really feel the fatigue lessen.
It was confusing, trying to decipher how I was feeling and why...
Some specific side effects that persist are stuffed up ears, occassional ringing in the ears, inability to really focus sharply on something, which makes driving little nerve wracking. I never had issues with dizzyness, or losing my balance or Thank God, no seizures or even headaches.
My hair started rubbing out of my head at day 10, and my scalp in completely burnt from the base of my skull all the way down my forhead to my eyebrows. Even behind my ears is burnt, so that is annoying and a little painful.
The decadron (steroids) certainly masked some of the fatigue, especially at the beginning of WBR, but it wasn't without its own yucky side effects, like not able to sleep, fixation on food, chubby cheeks & just feeling a little edgy & off.
I started on 4mg of decadron BID, then 4mg/2mg, then 2mg/2mg, then finally over the next 15 days after finishing WBR I was weaned down to 1mg/1mg, .5mg/.5mg, then finally just .5mg. Without the decadron in my system the fatigue was more prevalent - I could just feel the weight of my limbs and my body and just didn't have any get up and go. I could keep up with low key activities and visits, but could lay down at any moment and sleep.
Now that I'm a month out (with wonderfully, fabulous NED in the Head results!) I am feeling better and see glimpses of my old self.
I do have some other stuff going on that requires antibiotics that are causing me all kinds of problems, but during those windowns of time when I'm not having GI or nausea or running a temp, I think I feel pretty okay.
Encourage Hema to be patient, and the body will bounce back with time. And so will the face swelling will lessen every day on it's own.
It's a strange thing bc even though you know your "done" with treatment, remember the effects of the WBR can persist long past the days of actually getting zapped and the kindest thing we can do for our bodies is give it the time and space it needs to heal, rest and recuperate.
Sending much healing your way~

Jml