As I reported earlier, I was giving Ray his IV fluid infusions at home for a week. His kidney levels got back within range & I stopped. But alas, after stopping the infusions for five days, the levels began to climb again & so we began another round of home infusions. Finally it was decided that it must be his anti-rejection meds that was the culprit so we have stopped that particular drug & replaced it with another anti-rejection drug that is not known to affect the kidneys. He must remain on anti-rejection meds for at least a year & we can't keep on with daily IV infusions for that long. Initial blood tests show that stopping that drug has indeed corrected the levels.
However the new drug they have put him on is known to commonly affect the liver, as well as cause high cholesterol! That's not to say Ray will experience that problem but in the meantime he will need to continue going to the hospital for frequent labs to monitor his liver & cholesterol. I guess it's a trade-off & one must weigh the benefits vs risks.
Ray is doing much better these days. He still tires easily & must continue to take precautions. The anti-rejection meds are immune suppressants that hopefully prevent his body from trying to reject the donors stem cells. The longer he can prevent that from happening, the better chance he has down the road it won't ever happen. His appetite is very good & he is beginning to put those lost pounds back on.
So all in all, things are going well right now for the most part. Little things pop up from time to time but nothing too serious. We are grateful that the doctors are so vigilant about monitoring Ray's health & quick to act when things appear to be getting out of balance. We're looking forward to the day Ray can do away with some of his mountain of pills.
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