Post-Transplant Update: 19 June 2019

This entry is late simply due to the fact that we had family come stay with us last week, and I just wasn't able to sit down to type up the latest information. So let's get started...

To begin, I had my monthly labs drawn last Tuesday. 

11 June 19 Labs:

*Creat:   2.89 (+0.12)

*HCT:   35.9 (+0.7) IR

*Hemo:   11.5 (+0.2) IR

*Lymph:   13.0 (-2.4) Low

*Lymph ABS:   1.0 (+0.1) IR

*Neut:   77.8 (+1.7) High

*Neut ABS:   5.7 (+1.1) IR

*RBC:   4.05 (+0.08) Very Low

*WBC:   7.3 (+1.2) IR

*BUN:   35 (-7) High

*CA:   9.8 (+0.3) IR

*GFR:   23 (-1) Extremely Low

*Gluc:   104

*K+:   4.5 (-0.3) IR

*NA+:   140 (-1) IR

*Prot:  Not taken 

*MG:   2.4 (+0.2) IR

*Phos:   3.6 (-0.3) IR 

*BK Virus:   Not Detected

      NC= No Change     IR= In Range

Urinalysis 11 June 19:

Appearance:   Normal

Color:   Normal

Glucose, UR:   Negative

Hgb,UR:   Negative

Ketones, UR:   Negative

Leuk Esterase:   Negative

Nitrite:   Negative

pH, Urine:   6.0 (Normal Range is 5.0-8.5)

Prot, UR:   Negative

Specific Gravity, Urine:   1.01 (Normal Range is 1.003-1.030)

The only item I want to highlight is the Red Blood Cell (RBC) count. For the first time in months, though still well below the normal range, the RBC's finally went above 4.0! I have been waiting for that to happen since my last rejection episode.  Though the rise in the RBC's has been agonizingly slow, the fact that it continues to rise is a great indicator that the kidney continues to communicate with the bone marrow to produce the cells.

All the rest of the labs were good--or great--and show stability. Though there are still lab values that are out of their proper ranges, the fact that I am stable is excellent!
The urinalysis this month is exactly the same as it was in May...another fantastic sign of renal stability.

Next, my monthly IV infusion of Belatacept was also last Tuesday. Though there was one missed cannulation attempt (which left a nice bruise on my L arm), the second attempt was successful and the infusion was uneventful. As with last month, I have had zero side effects from the med.

Also last week, I had my first visit with my new nephrologist. He had quickly read a brief part of my [very extensive] post-transplant file, and expressed his astonishment with everything I have been through ever since the transplant. He questioned me about meds, the infusion, my general well-being and how I feel I am progressing. All in all, it was a good 'get to know you' visit. He had no changes to anything at this time, and had my next visit scheduled three months out [in September].
I think the new doctor will be a good fit for me.

Next, the TMD headaches have never lessened after the sudden increase two weeks ago. Despite this, my average daily use of T3's has fallen to 2.7; which is terrific!  The recent uptick in the headaches though has been severe. The intensity and sharpness have both increased significantly, and my jaw (R side joint) has been clunking really hard and painfully whenever I chew. So, I do as much as I can to relax, limit bright sunlight exposure, and get proper rest. That last one has, unfortunately, been difficult to achieve. I have continued to get plenty of sleep, but the restfulness has not been able to happen. As this too lends to an increase in headaches, it is no wonder that the TMD has exploded.
So, I just go back to everything I need in order to get the jaw to relax as much as I can.

My energy is up. After doing a bunch of housework a couple of days ago, I realized that I wasn't wiped out! This is an outstanding development! I have been waiting for a long while to have such a large increase in my energy to occur. Now, doing so much work still made me extremely tired the next day, but at least I had all that energy!
Remember...small victories on the way to great results!

I have had a change in my nightly urinary voiding over the last ten days, or so. Usually, I will get up between 2-4 times at night, voiding between 800 cc's and 2 Liters (2,000 cc's). Recently, these have both decreased to 1-2 times each night and 400 cc's to 1,100 cc's.
Yet, my weight has either stayed about the same, or decreased slightly. In fact, my weight the last two days has been 124.8 Kg's. This tells me that my daytime voiding has been higher, so that my nighttime voiding is lessened.
I do not know if this change is permanent, or temporary, but I will not complain about it at all!

I am going to wrap up this entry here because my headache is just nasty today--despite meds--and I need to stop typing, stop thinking so that I can go relax some more.

Good Health to All!

ScottW