10.12.2016 update

Yesterday was the six month anniversary of the transplant and the last of the monthly biopsies.  Now we will go every other month.  The next biopsy is scheduled for December 7th.  Nice, very much welcomed.

Most of the blood work was good.  The creatinine level is still a bit high, probably due to the effects of the virus.  The virus is getting controlled.  The first reading was 150,000 and the normal is zero.  Then it dropped to 24,000 and yesterday it was 6,500.  Real progress there.  I will need weekly blood draws for some time.  I am scheduled to do these home infusions of ganciclovir, an anti-viral medication given through IV, until November 17th.  There is an oral drug, valganciclovir, that I might be switched to at some point.  The IV form is cheaper than the oral, what sense does that make? 

The biopsy result is back to zero, no significant rejection.  That is the best possible reading and a relief as the last two readings have been higher, showing some rejection.  No changes in medication for that.  On November 23rd, the dose of prednisone will be lowered to 2.5 mgs per day.  I have been taking 2.5mgs one day and 5mgs the next.  Beats the 20mgs I started on.

We have a planned cruise next week.  We will go to Vancouver, BC next Tuesday and get on the ship on Wednesday.  It will go to Nanaimo , BC and then back to Seattle.  On to Astoria, San Francisco and LA from which we will fly home.  We have permission from cardiology to take the trip and still need clearance from Infectious Disease.  I see Dr. Raika from Infectious disease on Friday and hope to get clearance.  He does know that we are planning the trip and hasn't said no yet.  I plan to ask him if I can use the oral meds for the trip and go back on the IV program when we get back.  The IV drip could be done onboard, but takes several hours daily that I'd rather use sightseeing.  I will need to visit the onboard medical center to have a nurse change the dressing on my tunnel line.  We will need to pay for the dressing change and then we bill Medicare.  Then we wait for them to reject it and then we can bill our secondary insurance.

The American Heart Association Heart Walk is in Seattle this Saturday.  I am signed up to walk the 5K walk with many other heart transplant recipients.  The weather is suppose to be horrible with lots of rain and wind.  We will do it.

John