Post-Transplant Update: 12 September 2019

^Reminder: This blog reflects my journey through PCKD, Renal Transplant and subsequent recovery.  
How any person reacts to treatments, medications and surgeries is a purely individual thing, and my experiences should never be indicative of how someone else might experience a similar journey. Please, always follow the instructions and advice of the doctors and other medical personnel that you see. Only they can know the best course of treatment for you!


I had an unexpected visit to my local ER (Emergency Room) on Monday due to vertigo-like dizziness.

It started at about 240p as I was sitting at my computer. I turned my head to look out the window and felt dizzy. From that point on it began getting worse. 
I ended up calling my wife and asking her to come home and take me to the ER because I could barely walk.  She arrived home within about twenty minutes, gathered a few things and drove me to the hospital.

After describing my symptoms I was immediately taken to an exam room and had an EKG done to look at possible cardiac complications; of which there were none.
Then, multiple tubes of blood were drawn for lab work, as well as my giving a urine sample for testing.

I spoke to a doctor within a short time about my S/S's (signs and symptoms). It was a sudden onset; I'd had 82 ounces (about 2.5 liters) of water that day; I felt fine--other than the vertigo all over my body--had not done, eaten or drunk anything unusual; was on all my meds; had eaten a meal and a snack so far; and could think of no reason why vertigo should suddenly happen. Further, I explained that the last time I'd experienced vertigo was when my original kidneys were dying; and definitely not since the transplant.

With my information, the doctor awaited the lab results.

Meanwhile, I was laying on a gurney, still feeling terribly dizzy.

Over the course of the next hour and a half[until the lab results were posted], the vertigo began to subside somewhat. It was still very much there, but at least I was no longer feeling as if I was going to fall over just from turning my head.

When the doctor came back to talk with me, the first thing he said was that the kidney is fine; which was a HUGE relief!
My potassium was a touch high at 5.1, but not abnormal.
WBC's, Creatinine, Calcium and hematocrit are all good.
My lymphocytes dropped from the 03 Sept. reading of 7.9 down to 5.9 (in the danger zone...again).
He surmised that I had picked up something viral, and that the vertigo was how it was manifesting. And with that, I was free to go home.

Since then, the vertigo has retreated to almost nothing, but I have felt exhausted, no matter how much sleep I've gotten.

Now, there may be a few readers who think that I might have over reacted. My response to that is what was drilled into my head by the transplant doctors and all the Clinic literature; which is, that if you are sick, or experience anything highly unusual, get to the nearest hospital... and this sudden onset of vertigo definitely qualifies as  "highly unusual."  

On another subject, the TMD headaches have been even stronger than last week. Despite wearing my NTI occlusive devices, the headaches just won't decrease, which leaves me hurting constantly with the headache pain averaging about an 8 all of the time. In fact, I took my first heavy duty med (for the headaches) in over a month. Even that only knocked the pain down temporarily. As of last night, my monthly T3 usage is up from 2.7 tablets per day [earlier in the month] to now 3.5 tablets per day; and that is even with me just using Excedrin several times in place of the T3's!  It would seem that the TMD is definitely in an extended 'Up' cycle once again, as I had voiced in my last blog entry.

So, that was my fun this week! 

Let's hope that things improve over the next few days.

Good Health to All!

ScottW