When I went to the doctor on Friday he gave me a choice - I could either start taking CellCept NOW and have my kidneys for maybe 5 years or not take it and have my kidneys last 1 year MAYBE 2, if I was extremely lucky. Well. You might think this was an easy decision for me, but it wasn't. I've known for about 7 months that the doctor wanted me to start taking CellCept so I've had plenty of time to think it over, research it and get opinions of others who have taken it. To give you a brief explanation of what CellCept is - It's an immunosuppressant which is usually used as an "anti-rejection" drug in transplant patients. It is also used to suppress the immune system response in people who have autoimmune diseases which is what I have. I.E. My own body's immune system attacks itself... My biggest hesitation is that I've been on other immunosuppressants (I was on them for 4 years, in fact) that did NOTHING for me, except give me miserable side-effects. My side effects, and the way I felt, weren't worth the time I spent taking them. I have a history of having my immune system get so lowered that I end up in the hospital sick or with some mad infection. So, putting me on yet another drug to suppress my immune system isn't something that I think of as an ideal situation. However, it seems that because this is a "new" drug (a lot of doctors are saying it's the anti-rejection drug of the future) it has a lot of promise. It also claims to have far less day-to-day side effects (such as nausea, etc.) than other immunosuppressants I've taken. So, I guess we'll give it a shot. I took my first dose this morning and so far so good - zero side effects...

Some days (most days) I'm mad at my body. I just wish it worked the way its supposed to!! Its so frustrating. For 12 years I've lived with kidney disease but it's been a mostly silent part of my life. Now, every day it screams in my face to be noticed. I'll say again: This kidney disease doesn't define me, it's just part of who I am. SO THERE!

My ankles have returned - however, it was a weekend-long battle to pee them out.