Coming off steroids

Victor
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I am suffering a bit having finished my course of steroids at the weekend. I have big aches and pains – particularly in my joints – and I am ridiculously tired all the time. The good news is that my guts seem to be behaving themselves.


Fortunately, I managed to squeeze in a trip back to the UK before the steroids stopped. It was really nice to see family and friends, but otherwise there was nothing much I was missing (apart from curry) and I felt like I was ‘coming home’ when I arrived back in Caen.


I have struggled a little bit getting back into listening to and speaking French – but I haven’t forgotten it. Speaking English for a week was a luxury and brought home to me how much work it is to live in a country were you don’t speak the language.


The first thing I had to do after returning to Caen was to have a blood test prior to tomorrow’s Remicade© infusion. The last couple of blood tests have been stressful as I haven’t really understood what was being said to me and I felt really stupid afterwards.


What threw me last time was being asked my weight by the receptionist. Because so much of my comprehension is based on the context rather than understanding all the words, I was simply not ready for this question. No-one has every asked this before a blood test in the UK.


I might as well have been asked the cube root of 27 or who was the second president of the USA. I know the answers to both*, but would not expect to be asked such questions prior to a blood test so my brain would never think that those were the words being spoken to me.


Anyway, these weren’t good experiences, so I decided to try another laboratoire this time. Everything went well and I understood what was going on. I was asked my weight, but I was asked very clearly by the phlebotomist (rather than the receptionist) and with a nod to a set of scales. And I was anticipating the question this time.


I got the results through the post this morning and everything looks okay (and better than last time). Even my haemoglobin levels are up – must be all the steak and red wine.


*3 and John Adams if you wondering

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