Post-Transplant Update: 28 August 2018

Another week has gone by and my energy has fractionally increased once again. 

Though not a large increase, there is a definite difference over last week. This may be due to an upswing in my RBC's. It now sits at 3.65; just 0.85 below the low end of the acceptable range. Additionally, my Hematocrit improved, and my Hemoglobin bounced back a touch. While the increases may be incremental, they all combine for an uptick in my overall energy level.

This weeks' labs look good. Let's review them...

27 Aug 18 Labs

*Tac:   2.6 (+0.6) 

*Creat:   2.23 (-0.14) Dropping

*HCT:   33.3 (+0.6) Low

*Hemo:   10.6 (+0.3) IR

*Lymph:   12.4 (+5.8) Low

*Lymph ABS:   0.6 (+0.2) Low

*Neut:   82.7 (NC) Extremely High

*Neut ABS:   4.3 (-0.6) IR

*RBC:   3.65 (+0.07) Low

*WBC:   5.2 (-0.7) IR

*BUN:   38 (+10) Very High

*CA:   10.1 (+0.4) IR

*GFR:   32 (+2) Extremely Low

*Gluc:   98

*K+:   4.3 (NC) IR

*NA+:   140 (+1) IR

*Prot:   7.0 (+0.3) IR

*MG:   2.0 (-0.2) IR

Phos:   2.9 (-0.8) IR

BK:   Not Checked

CMV:   Not Checked

   NC = No Change     IR+ In Range


The Tac reading I am no longer concerned with. One week from today will be my last dosage, so next weeks' Tac number will be the last one, too.

The Creatinine continues to drop nicely. Once I am off the Tac (Prograf), it will be around two more months before my body settles into more of a permanent, level reading.

As I mentioned above, the Hematocrit, Hemoglobin and RBC's all rebounded slightly. The further away from my last rejection, the more all of these should rise until each hit the right range.

I highlighted the Lymphocytes because of the huge jump in the number. This hopefully indicates a stronger immune system. However, if you notice the Lymph ABS, that number, ideally a 1.0+, still lags behind the pace of the lymphocytes. Because of this, I will not be the least bit surprised if that jump is only temporary. The last time the Lymph rose that high, and the ABS remained low, I saw the Lymphs plunge 9.8 points. So, we shall see..

The BUN unfortunately rose ten points. This may be an aberrancy as the drop in the BUN has been fairly steady. The goal here is a reading of 20.

The GFR continues its slow, steady climb towards the target range of 60 (minimum).

Of the seventeen highlighted labs, nine are within the targeted ranges. I'll take that! 


My sleep has improved this past week. Even though I am still getting up 4-6 times per night to empty my bladder, I have been able to get back to sleep fairly quickly. 

The TMD headaches have again persisted. Despite my NTI devices and being aware of my jaw position while laying on my R side, the TMD is putting up a good fight. As I've explained before, this is all part of its long cycle. I am hoping that the increased pain level will soon see a significant drop as part of an extended down cycle. 

My appetite is good, considering my lack of physical exertion. However, I am not eating so much that I am gaining weight. In fact, I hit a multi-week low of 115.5 Kg a few days ago.  This tells me two things; 1) I am not eating too much for my activity level. 2) My kidney is, over a 24 hour period, processing all of the fluids I am taking in, plus a little more.       I still have a hard time processing over 3.5 liters of fluid, so I try to stay around 3.0 liters intake every day. Over time, this will increase.

In correlation with my final dosage of Tac being next Tuesday, I also have my next Belatacept infusion on that day, as well. So, on Wednesday, September 5th, I will be completely off Tacrolimus (Prograf) for good.

The appointment with my local Nephrologist is tomorrow afternoon. Like I stated in my last entry, this is the beginning of transitioning over to his care [from that of the Kidney Clinic Team]. This appointment will be more of an update, getting on the same page meeting so that he knows where everything is at. If anything important comes up I will note it at the end of this entry. If not, I will write about it next week.

Lastly, with the end of the month coming up, and the continued upward swing in my energy, I am expecting to start my walks; if only a short distance each day, or so. It may take several weeks before I see much improvement in strength or endurance, so I will be patient, and just stick to the exercise goals I outlined last week.

And that is all I have for you today. Thank you for following me and my progress!

Good Health to All!

ScottW