354) Second Saturday Home! Yahoo!

April 4, 2009
Saturday

Morning: Of note, Maxine the LVN from the Post Transplant Clinic called Friday night to tell me that Dr. Lewis said to drop my Myfortic down to 1 at night. I asked her what my Creatinine was last labs and she said, 1.1 (dropped finally from 1.3)!

Noon: BTW~ every time I have had labs the dosages of these meds has changed, based on the goal of keeping the immunosuppressives and anti-rejection meds in a very defined window of functioning, diagrammed as as follows:For those of you who are interested my current meds regimen is listed below:

1. Neoral---------100 mg. (1) @ 8 am & 8 pm. [See #2 below]
   
2. Neoral----------25 mg. (1) @ 8 am & 8 pm- [a Cyclosporine; immunosuppressant that decreases the body's normal immune response by changing the function or the number of white blood cells or both. These drugs prevent the body from rejecting the new kidney and also decrease the body's defense against infections. These are known in the biz as "the stinky med" for their odd smell.] and are metabolized like the graph above, meaning they have to be taken exactly 12 hours apart!
   
3. Myfortic-------180 mg. (2) @ 8 am; (1) @ 8 pm- [a Mycophenolate: Myfortic is used to prevent and treat rejection that is also taken every 12 hours to stay within the kind of window (levels) as described above. This one also slows the maturing of white blood cells which keeps them from attacking the new kidney; however, it too increases the possibility of infection (one reason I now wash my hands after every time I pee or shake hands with a stranger and before I prepare or eat food. Since Mordicai came I have probably washed my hands-more than during all of the past 60 year altogether!) Some things I have to watch for with Myfortic include altered blood sugar and-increased sensitivity to my old friend, the Sun by wearing sunscreen always out in the great outdoors!]
4. Valcyte--------450 mg. (1) every other day @ 8 am [This important med is anti-viral that I take for only 4 to 5 months post transplant. It prevents me from getting a viral infection that normally doesn't bother people; in fact, it is present in a large portion of the "healthy" population... and another reason all my friends must wash their hands before coming into "my space". From Wikepedia, for us non-medical humans, I quote (with some edits...) ---> "Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a viral genus of the Herpesviruses group... CMV belongs to the Betahepesvirinae subfamily... HCMV infections are frequently associated with salivary glands, though they may be found throughout the body. HCMV infection can also be life threatening for patients who are immunocompromised (e.g. patients with HIV and organ transplant recipients).HCMV is found throughout all geographic locations and socioeconomic groups, and infects between 50% and 80% of adults in the United States as indicated by the presence of antibodies in much of the general population. Seroprevalence is age-dependent: 58.9% of individuals aged 6 and older are infected with CMV while 90.8% of individuals aged 80 and older are positive for HCMV."
5. Norvasc---------10 mg. (1/2) @ 8 am-[A calcium channel blocker, Norvasc is a blood pressure med I was using during the early years of dialysis, and is Dr. Lewis' choice for post transplantation. This is one of the meds that keeps me from enjoying grapefruit.]
6. Levothyroxin--.25 mg. (1) @ 8 am-[Synthroid: for my hypothriodism... I've continued for years now]
7. Aspirin----------81 mg. (1) @ 8 am ~ ON HOLD --[On hold because of my bloody noses due to HHT]
8. Senokot-----------------(1-2) daily as needed for constipation [recommend taking now]
9. Renaltab+ZN------------(1) @ 8 am-[Using up my dialysis vitamins before starting the Rotralcol]
10. Now blank on the list (meds are stored by number)
11. Paroxetine-----20 mg. (1) @ 8 am-[Usually used for depression but in my case used for anxiety]
12. Clarinex----------5 mg. (1) during cedar season--
13. Darvocet-N----100 mg. (1) every 6 hours as needed for pain [A pretty mellow pain pill, and it works just fine for my level of pain... I'm currently using it about every other night... and it works great to quell the RLS too. Supposedly this one is about half the strength of a Vicodin, which I am allergic to.]
14. Tylenol--------500 mg. (1) every 4 hours as needed for pain
15. Neosynephine as needed for nosebleeds [Which I also have been using for years for my HHT: if I spray right away the blood stops!]
16. Pentamidine--300 mg.----every month x 5, next due in mid April [I did not respond well to this treatment in the hospital! Don't know what we'll do in mid April! YIKES]

So, there you have it. While listening to NPR while blogging this, I hear it is the anniversary of MLK's assassination and remember all the strife of that dark era. Also hear a thanks to Thomas & Gail for contributing. We did on Friday.

On another note, the Kick Kats won their game this morning and Shayna scored on a close-in pass from Chelsea, who was sweeping in on the left side of the goal... being confronted by the goalie... and she passed it over to Shayna on the right side... who BOOTED it in with a strong kick to the center of the goal space. I wish I'd been there! Hopefully some parent got a picture of it.

And, of course, we have the FINAL FOUR tonight... my favorite now is Michigan State... my dad's alma mater. But Johnny is foregoing the final 4 for the Snooks Chilifest, and Katie is there with her brother fraternity hosting a chili booth of some sort. They were drawn there no doubt by Robert Earl Keen, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Pat Green! Quite a lineup!

So it goes on a Saturday without dialysis!

Notes: Red is for the new changes as of 4/8 @ Clinic #3