I Will Say Goodbye: A Song for that Devil of a Relationship with Dex

Right after my myeloma diagnosis, I started a new relationship that put me into a spin. It was nothing like I've ever experienced.

I would stay up late at night, laying in bed staring at the ceiling until 2 am. I became a neat freak, making five trips a day to the laundry room to obsess about how the laundry was stacked, or randomly throwing away formerly useful items that were now "clutter." I was indignant for the first time that my house was not at all Fung Shui-friendly and started noticing that my kids were really, really LOUD.  

Depending on the day, I would cry without warning or become enraged at someone who took my parking spot in the middle school parking lot. I had it bad.

Losing my sense of humor was my husband's first clue. This mad woman was not the girl he married. Was it the stress of the myeloma diagnosis? Was something or someone else on my mind? It took us both months to realize what was happening - and none too soon.

Yes, my new bad co-dependent relationship with Dexamethasone (dex) was throwing us all for a loop. It was one of those truck broke down/husband left me/dog just died times in my life, which meant that it deserved a song. I wrote this song for the myeloma drug we all love to hate and the drug that makes everyone else stupid.

Hope you enjoy it! 

While dexamethasone might bring about a cleaner house or a shopping spree, it can also bring about severe mood swings and unwanted rapid weight gain. If you are experiencing side effects from the dexamethasone that significantly lower your quality of life (or the quality of life of those around you), please talk to your doctor about a dose reduction. No physician or treating medical team wants you or your family to be so negatively affected by treatment. 

If you want to learn more about dexamethasone, consider one of the following resources. 

• HealthTree Medication Information Pages: Dexamethasone 
• HealthTree University (Free Myeloma Education): All About Dexamethasone and other Corticosteroids 
• Myeloma 101: Dexamethasone and Blood Sugar 
• Recently Published Dexamethasone Research: Seniors Enjoy Life with Less Dex (ASH 2022) Article 
• Steroids 101: Darn that Dex Webinar with Myeloma Specialist Dr. Banerjee