Steriods: A Juicy Issue

Okay, so now that the steroid talk has somewhat calmed down, I'm bringing it roaring back. This past week, I myself, received a steroid injection. While not anabolic, it did have some serious repercussions.

First, my usually steady, relaxed heart rate jumped to a hamster-like pace and I was bouncing off the walls. Later that night, I began to feel ill. I got on WebMD and began to feel even worse: numbness/tingling all over, throat closing, headache, etc.

At 2 a.m. I arrived at the emergency room, shaking and completely freaking out. Because I was having trouble breathing, I was rushed through and a doctor came to see me almost immediately.

I waited, hoping that he would find out what was wrong and do something to help me breathe. He looked in my throat, and said "You're fine. Your throat is not closing up."

Excuse me? I feel it. I know it is closing up. It took a few minutes of convincing for me to finally come to terms that it was all in my head.

Steroids, including non-anabolic ones, can cause psychosis. Combined with WebMD it caused a panic attack and more psychosis.

After I was given anti-anxiety medication and allowed to heal, I began to wonder, what is the point? I mean, I can't imagine ever willingly putting myself in a position to go through that again, so I wonder: why does this continue to be a problem?

Of course, we know the answer. Athletes are paid millions of dollars and put under a press-driven microscope where every slump and every throw is questioned and analyzed.

But that is no excuse.

They know about the side effects which, as I stated above, are not fun. They know they are illegal, so why the 'roid problem?

What happened to me is funny, what has happened to professional and college sports is not. I'm all for moving on with the season and moving on with life, but this should continue to be something we watch for and something that we, as fans, will not tolerate from our athletes.