Roid Rave

I just started steroids, and i feel great!

For the first time in what seems like an eternity, i woke up this morning with NO PAIN in my Achilles tendon, just a mild stiffness that quickly went away with some stretching.  It's probably from getting my Dexamethasone Iontophoresis yesterday afternoon.

To be more precise, my steroid is not the (alleged) Barry Bonds type of steroid, which would be more of the androgenic/anabolic kind, but rather a glucocorticoid, which fights inflammation and causes a host of other effects when taken systemically.  This is significant difference, as when people hear the word "steroid," it evokes plenty of (undeserved) negative connotations.  I myself actually grew up deathly afraid of steroids, having grown up with the phrase, "Naku, naka-steroids ka na!" ("Oh no, you're on steroids now!") from various sources whenever i got a severe asthma attack.  Only much later (in medical school) did i realize those people probably didn't - and maybe still don't - understand what steroids are and what they do.  Not all steroids make you big, beefy, and angry.  Used with a clearly defined indication, dose, and duration - they can actually provide significant relief of symptoms.

So i'm supposed to get around five to six treatments delivered locally through the iontophoresis patch, and if it works - perhaps another six.  I'm optimistic right now, but i'd like to see what happens when it wears off.  I'm also a tad bit skeptical because the treatment seems odd: Astym to promote inflammation, but steroids to calm it down?  Ummm...  But anyway, i am trusting my therapist to know what he's doing.  I personally know how annoying it can be to have your opinion questioned by somebody else in a semi-related medical field, so i'm trying hard not to be "that" patient.  Onward!