Steriods

Hi Lily. I don’t think a decrease in appetite is a side-effect of steroids. To the contrary, one of their purposes is to stimulate your appetite. Also, they tend to make you gain weight. They also cause mood changes, which can make some people a bit nasty. Therefore, I would not attribute your MIL’s weight loss & loss of appetite to the steroids. Perhaps the chemo is causing her loss of appetite. The shortness of breath could be due to a number of things, but one reason could be anemia. Do you know what her hemoglobin level is? Anemia could cause shortness of breath, as well as exhaustion. The chemo can also make you feel very tired. If she is not eating much, that could explain her weight loss, but once again, that could be from a number of reasons. Cancer itself causes weight loss as the cancer does steal nutrition from the body, which is why weight loss is one of the major indicators of having cancer. Are the doctors aware of your MIL’s symptoms? The weight loss is concerning. I’m not an expert, but I would mention this to the doctors. I hope this info is somewhat helpful. Please keep us posted. You & your family are in my prayers Lily.