DAY 23: Steroid Induced Cushings

Have you ever had to take steroid medicines long term? For any medical condition, like asthma, crohns, or other inflammation issue? Well I mentioned a few days ago that my son was sick with kidney issues when he was younger.  Three years old to be exact.  It was the scariest time.  He had something called Minimal Change Nephrotic Syndrome. His damaged kidneys leaked protein into his urine. As a result, not enough protein was left in the blood to soak up water. The water then moves from the blood into body tissues and causes swelling. He gained quite a bit a weight very quickly before we realized what was going on.  He wasn't peeing and he started getting edema.

Fluid Retention 2003

We saw a nephrologist (kidney specialist) who put him on high doses of steroids.  It was the oral version of prednisolone - Orapred. He was on this for months and we even had to wean him off it.  We had NO CLUE what this medicine would do to him and the doctors didn't tell us.  Or if they did, they stuck it in there with "it will help make him better" which is all that parents really listen to! They also gave him some Lasix to help remove all the excess fluid from his body.  While taking the Lasix, he peed and peed and peed!! He lost all the weight he'd gained in fluids!  But then came the steroids.  It came on slow, that we didn't even really see it til it had already made an impact on him.  I hate showing pictures and I feel so bad for my lil' guy, but you can see in the pictures I added how he's got total moon face.  He also got very moody and angry too.  It wasn't until my issues that I understood why.

Swelling in face due to Steroid use 2004

Could there have been another drug to help him? I don't know.  I know the doctors could've been more informative, but I would've done anything to make him better.  That's the problem with steroids.  It's so easy to be used to just fix an issue.  But long term use can really mess things up inside the body.

Today doing just fine.

My son is fine now and has not had an issue since.  (Knock on wood!!) But I will always be looking for any damage that the use of steroids did to him.  I pray it did nothing, but now I think twice before letting my family take steroids if it's not absolutely needed!