It’s Not About the Blueberries, It’s Side Effects

By AILEEN BURKE
Executive Editor

When I started on this journey, I had hoped that if I experienced any side effects from my medication, it would be growing wings or something. Beautiful, giant butterfly wings or maybe the ability to read minds. 

Alas, the only thing on the table for me was the ‘itses’ – or inflammation of pretty much any major organ in my body from my immunotherapy revving it into hyperdrive. 

Around the 5-month mark of my treatment, my team of medical professionals said passively that if something was to flare up, it would have by that point. 

Then, the headaches started. 

At first I attributed them to my not drinking enough water. I know that staying hydrated is really important, but with my awful coffee addiction it sometimes falls to the wayside. Once I started drowning myself in water like a fish, I realized it had to be something more and I called my nurse. 

My pituitary gland, the part of the brain that is responsible for hormone production and many other important daily functions, is swollen and giving me headaches. With some prednisone until the new year the swelling should be removed, but it knocked me off of my high horse a little bit. 

If that had gone unchecked, it could have meant serious consequences for me, even death. 

Although I usually can have a great laugh about the cards I have been dealt, this was really scary, and something no one knew I was experiencing except for my most trusted professor, who told me to call my team a lot sooner than I did. 

All this to say, you never really know what a person is going through unless they tell you – and if something is bothering you physically, tell someone. Sometimes it’s hard, and you might know how to describe it, but honesty is the best policy and you can’t keep those feelings all bottled up inside. 

It can have serious consequences. 

Going into finals, be open and honest. If it’s working for me, it’ll work for you too.