It's been awhile since I blogged. Life has been very busy, as I'm back to working my full time job during the week, and weekends at my other job (I occasionally take a weekend off, though).

My new kidney is doing GREAT. My creatinine is rock steady at 1.2 to 1.3, my anemia is improving since starting Procrit 2 months ago, and my Immune Cell Function is right where it should be at this point.

I had appointments last week with the Transplant Surgeon and Nurse, and the Transplant Nephrologist.

Back during the summer, I had my Valcyte reduced to 450 mg daily. It had been 450 mg every 12 hours, but my White Blood Cell count took a nose dive, I became neutropenic, and had to decrease it. I was on a higher dose, since my donor was CMV + and I was CMV -. Now that my WBC is up, they put me back on the original dose. My immunosuppression will be decreased at the 6 month mark (around the first week in November), so I will be taken off the Dapsone (prophylaxis for Pneumocystis) and the Valcyte.

I don't think I've mentioned this previously, but I also had a hard area above my incision. The surgeons felt that it was a hematoma (collection of blood), and that it was nothing to worry about. It's still there, but markedly smaller, so I would think their assessment was correct. At my prior appointment, we decided to keep my fistula. Since it is so pronounced in my upper arm, if I were to have it "tied off" (ligated), they would have to make incisions up my arm and remove the vein. But more importantly, I would lose my preferred access to draw blood, and the other arm has veins that are difficult to stick. So I'll keep my fistula, and continue to draw my own blood work.

The Transplant Nephrologist reviewed everything, and had no issues. He was a little surprised that I needed Procrit (the other Neph started me on it, and this is the first I saw Dr. G since starting Procrit), as with Polycystic Kidney Disease, it's very unusual for a transplantee to need it. However, he felt that the Thalassemia Minor that I have was why I needed a boost.

Other than that, I'm eating well (maybe a little TOO well), I'm back walking again at lunch time after am almost 2 month hiatus. I wear lower leg orthotics (due to the hereditary nerve atrophy in my extremities), had some skin breakdown on my ankle, had to wait 2 weeks for an appointment for an adjustment, broke them back in after not wearing them for a while, and now am finally back to walking. It feels good to once again exercise, as for the past few years of kidney failure, I didn't have the energy to do it.

That's all for now; until next time....