Sunday, March 22, 2009

New Drug update


The drug levels for both the new immunosuppressants (Prograff and Cellcept) came back within the therapeutic range.  This meant that I  can start the weaning process of the Rapamune.  On Thursday, I started taking 4 pills a day instead  of 6, and will decrease by one pill per weak for four more weeks.  I took a dose of Raptiva today, and will take my lasts dose of that in 2 weeks.

I am still feeling very tired.  Dr. Bellin said that the drugs should not really be causing this, and maybe  we need  to worry about the Epstein-Barr virus again.  I hope  not, but I want to find out what is causing this so we can find out how to make it go away.

My blood sugars have remained pretty good.  I did have  one high one (178) and one low one (55).

I  had a nice day yesterday watching Gary's indoor track team win the State Championship.  It was very exciting. This is his his team on the podium.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! I am absolutely thrilled to find this blog. I think I have only found one other blog from an islet cell transplant recipient. This is so educational. Since LCT is conducting trials using encapsulated porcine islets eliminating the need for immunosuppressants (years away from implementing), how well islet transplantation works in general is of interest to me. I have a niece with Type 1. I know they do not give these transplants unless you meet certain criteria, and the need for immunosuppressants is a drawback a lot of patients will not consider. So definitely awaiting future developments on this front. Thanks for sharing your experience!

SheyFey said...

Love this blog. It has opened my eyes to the possibility of a transplant. Sent an email to the U of I, Chicago team today to see if I can apply. Thank you for the inspiration!

Unknown said...

What a great idea to write a blog about your experience and congratulations that you are doing so well. I also had an Islet Cell transplant under the amazing care of Dr Herring. It has completely changed my life for the better and I cannot put into words how grateful I am to have been given this chance of a normal life without fear. You will see that after the first year of transplant things will get easier and the tiredness does get a bit better. Thank you for sharing your experience as I am sure that many will find it not only helpful but also inspiring.