[Gina]

I guess many of us on the board sort of have a love/hate relationship with decadron...I remember taking it years ago as a complement to taxotere, for reasons similarly to why you are taking it now. I, too, remember the INCREDIBLE surge of that FAKE high running through you...I had just bought my house so I remember many nights on decadron, painting whole rooms, by myself,...bald as a bat--crazy as a loon...smile. I remember thinking that Gee, this must be what it feels like to be a guy--all that energizing hormone racing through you, so similar in many ways to testosterone--and eat...oh yes, I have always been a big eater (love to cook), but on decadron...the sky was the limit...yes, it is wild...until....the LOW sits in...usually, a few days or so after the the decadron prep for the chemo and after the chemo has started knocking the blood counts--the LOW is like NONE other I have ever experienced in my life...everything was was at least 10 shades worse in my mind than reality, which, was--at that time in my life, I must admit, already bad enough...hee hee , but I got through it and you will too. There is not much you can do alternatively in this case as you can not risk messing up what the combo of the decadron plus chemo is trying to accomplish. I would suggest, though, giving yourself AMPLE rest after going off the decadron as when you are not tired, the decadron low won't be so LOW, but if you are truly exhausted, the LOW is horrible and does no one any good. Walking, if you are able, may help EVEN out the high period some...of course, when on decadron, I, though NEVER a runner, actually found running a couple of miles no big deal...the question is "WAS my body TRULY able to handle that much cardio-vascular stress"--given that I had never run even a mile prior to that only walked...don't know, but I did survive.

Hang in there, kid, smile....
Gina