Life can get pretty interesting when you’re taking high doses of steroids.  In general, I’m pretty fortunate. I don’t have too many major side effects.  My face is flushed most of the time and I’m sweating  more than normal.  I am retaining a lot of fluid and can tell it’s harder on my system to carry that around (I’m out of breath much more easily than normal.)  The main thing I notice is that the steroids affect my sleep and energy.  I mentioned that the first couple of weeks after all of this happened to me, I was very exhausted almost all the time.  I think it was mostly due to  the mental toll of all that was happening and the newness of it all.  I think it might have taken some time for the drugs to build up in my system, but now I’m experiencing the opposite.  I’m only able to sleep for about 4.5 hours a night, but that’s really all I feel like I need.  It’s weird.  I’ll fall asleep around 12 or 1am and then wake up again around 5 or so.  If I can’t go back to sleep I’ll read or something and see if that makes me sleepy.  Usually it doesn’t and after a while I’ll get up and start my day.  If you know me at all, you know I’ve never been a morning person, but along with the lessened need for sleep I’m also having huge bursts of energy!  Not just “feel like doing stuff” bursts, but really DRIVEN to do stuff bursts!  It’s crazy.  On Saturday I was obsessed with moving furniture around in my living room (by myself – I have multiple scratches and bruises to show for my aggressive efforts), throwing away an old couch that I hate and deep cleaning everything!  I’m usually more of the mindset that males have stronger muscles and can do  heavy lifting and moving with much less effort so the “normal me” is probably going  to ask for help moving stuff, but this time ” I wanted it done and I wanted it done now and I’m going to get it done!!!!!  – stop – breathe – ”  I also felt the need on that same day to remove all of the drawers in my dresser and move the whole thing out from the wall, and dust and vacuum……and the same with my nightstand……changing sheets on beds and doing laundry…..My house is in great shape (today anyhow)!  I figure if I’m in that mode I’d better take advantage of it.  I’m not normally a person that feels the need to rearrange furniture too often!  (or deep clean for that matter! lol)  I would have thought after all of that physical effort and hard work  that I would have been really tired that evening.  Not so.  I had to take a lot of short breaks while I was working to catch my breath and cool off, but at the end of the day I had just as much energy as the beginning and still wasn’t sleepy at all until 12am and still was rested enough after only a few hours! It’s that way from the time I wake up until I go to bed.  I feel driven to find stuff that needs doing.  I think I’ll take advantage of this and get as much done as I possibly can while I’m still on the drugs.  Not sure how much longer that will be.  I have a hearing test tomorrow at 1pm and then an appointment with the doctor.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

On a different note, last night while I was reading my Bible I finished a book and sort of randomly decided to read Proverbs through.  Here’s the thought that stood out  boldly to me in light of all that is going on in my life and the things I’ve been talking about here on this blog:

Proverbs 2:1-5:  My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you,  make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding;  for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding;  if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures;  then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.

I see this from a fresh perspective today and I couldn’t have come up with a thought that was more relevant to me right now than this one.  I loved it and wanted to share!