Suzi, feel better.

I'm in my 12th week now and I'm suddenly starting to feel a little better wrt morning sickness. As long as I eat every few hours it hasnt been as bad. Mom brought a tomato sauce, meatballs and homemade gnocchi yesterday, and I'm really hoping I can eat that tonight.

It still amazes me that I had asthma all my life and never got a diagnosis until I was almost 50.

"Oh, you mean I'm supposed to be able to take deep breaths and not be winded after walking a block?"

Zen, I have my Advair (like Symbacort), albuteral inhalers, albuteral nebulizer meds, and prednisone. All working together and I still can't do much. Just getting to the doc is going to be a VERY slow process. But it is what it is and I'm trying to just keep plugging away at work, resting when I get overloaded.

I'm in my 12th week now and I'm suddenly starting to feel a little better wrt morning sickness

I often hear that this is the point where it turns around.

sj, that's lovely news. I'm so happy for you!

Zen, I have my Advair (like Symbacort), albuteral inhalers, albuteral nebulizer meds, and prednisone. All working together and I still can't do much.

I hear you. I still can't do as much as I'd like, either. I think, for me at least, that having been unable to really get in good cardiovascular/respiratory condition my whole life, it's going to take a few months of a committed exercise program (which I have yet to accomplish) to really get my insides to a "normal" state of fitness. And I may never be able to, you know, jog around the block. IOW, it's still hard to breathe sometimes, but I think it's because I haven't been.

I use the albuterol inhaler much less than I did when it was all I had, before I started on the Singulair/Symbicort. I guess that's progress, or else stubbornness. I'm so used to not being able to breathe well, it doesn't send me "danger - get the inhaler" signals until my lungs actually start making that wheezing/whistling sound.

Also, I'm refusing to take prednisone. I don't need to gain more weight, and on that I know I will.

Oh Zen, I understand the weight issue. Big time. But, for me, Prednisone is the ONLY thing that brings me back to any kind of normal. It make such a crazy difference that the trade off is worth it. As my doc says - if I can't breathe right, I can't do the cardio work I want to do. If I can't do the cardio work, I'll have a harder time gaining any level of fitness.

Back about 15 years, I was on Prednisone about every other month. I hated it and it wasn't until my doc got me taking Flovent daily that I was able to break out of the Prednisone cycle. Since then I resist as much as possible.

So the new-to-me NP at the new-to-me facility called yesterday to tell me my blood transfusion had been scheduled and she was sending the paperwork over. Today I go for type and cross and *you guessed it* they didn't have the paperwork. They putzed around for half an hour and then decided that since I'm a frequent flyer, they'd do it and assume the paperwork would come it. Let's hope it's there when I go in tomorrow for the transfusion.

At least the new infusion people seemed nice and, more importantly, competent.

But, for me, Prednisone is the ONLY thing that brings me back to any kind of normal. It make such a crazy difference that the trade off is worth it.

Maybe I'll ask my doctor about it and give it a try if he thinks it'll help. He seems to be mostly focused on me losing weight, though.

I have been dealing with doctors' offices and administrators for years. There have been the usual number of mistakes due to the fact that we're humans, but I truly believe the administration of cancer care is far more lackadaisical than other medical specialties. It's like they know their patients are desperate. The doctors and treatment staff have been wonderful. The administrators and paperpushers seem boggled at the idea that what they do is crucial to people's lives. "Oh, you mean it's *important* that your authorizations get to where they should be going?" Yes, you dumbass! This procedure has to happen before the next procedure can happen, and the next procedure has to happen within a very stringent time frame! And show some fucking courtesy to this person who's tired and scared and sick! We're so sorry that our crisis is inconveniencing you!

I may be bitter.