September was simply a rough month. :( I went back to the doctor on the 18th because I was still not getting better and was having some other problems due to the medicine. This time I went to the Baptist Works Clinic because I couldn't get in at Dr. Foxx's office. Again, I had to tell my entire fascintating history. The doctor gave me more medicine and assured me that I'd be all better with a bit of rest.
Besides not being able to get well , I was also very emotional. I was crying constantly. I was not myself at all. I didn't know what was going on or who to talk to. I had heard about people have a tough time emotionally or a sort of depression after heart surgery, but I was nearly four months out??? I was embarrassed, confused, and very frustrated. I felt like everything about me was completely falling apart. Things were not good, and it was getting harder to pretend like they were.
I was at the end of my rope and had to do something. Whatever was wrong was only getting worse. Stacey talked me into calling the therapists we have available for us through work. I met with Jan on Wednesday, September 29th at 5:00 p.m. I shared my story and my concern for what was going on. She was intrigued by what I had been through. She said she was impressed with my strength and I was just fine. I should consider writing my feeling down from time to time and we could make another appointment for 3-4 weeks that I could later cancel if I felt better.
I left that office feeling worse than when I had arrived. I felt like I was falling apart when I arrived, but I left feeling like I had completely failed therapy. How could she think I was okay?? I was so far from okay! It was taking everything in me to hold myself together to focus on anything anymore. I hurt all over. Something was not right and I didn't know what to do. I was devastated.
Thursday, I decided to email Cathy Christopher for advice. She replied almost immediately telling me to contact my doctor or get to the ER because it sounded to her like symptoms of adrenal shock or adrenal crisis from the medrol taper. I was stunned! These were not symptoms Dr. Myers had said to look for! I called Dr. Greisner because Dr. Myers' office was already closed. He called Dr. Myers and they had me immediately take a dose of medrol. I went for labwork the next morning which revealed I was near kidney failure and all kinds of other terrible things like liver and even heart failure! They put me back on medrol and I was back to my stable self :) again in just a few days!!! It's just unreal what the body learns to handle and how it handles it!
Needless to say, my dream of getting off steroids by the beginning of October was squashed with this little crisis. I was pretty heartbroken by the whole thing, but what could I do. I had to believe that one day soon it would happen. I would be able to stop taking steroids. After all of this, it had to be possible.
