Test Results

I received my test results from the colonoscopy and EGD yesterday. There are nine pictures of what looks like it could be the inside of anyone's GI area. There is nothing of note in any of the pictures (and, I don't have a scanner, so I can't scan them to show them off).

Here are the remainder of the results (the text portion):

We performed a colonoscopy and an EGD today based on the following indications:

• Diarrhea, functional (C)

During the procedure we found the following:

• No duodenitis, ulcers, masses, or polyps seen. Duodenal aspirate was sent for analysis for infectious organisms. (biopsy)
• Erythema and nodularity in the antrum and stomach body compatible with gastrits
• The upper third, middle third, and lower third of the esophagus was normal. The EG junction was normal. No esophagitis, cancer, ulcers, varicose veins, or Barrett's esophagus seen.
• The terminal ileum was normal without any ulcerations, stricture, inflammation, masses, or polyps. (biopsy)
• Mucosa throughout the colon is normal. No masses, no polyps, no colitis, and no ulcers were noted. Vascular pattern is normal. Haustral folds are normal. Stool was sent for analysis for infectious organisms. (biopsy)

Our recommendations are as follows:

• Await biopsy results.
• I suspect the diarrhea is medication related.

The rest of the sheet is instructions to follow once I get home (which was yesterday).

So, now you see that I am perfectly normal (as far as they can tell from the inside). My colon and esophagus are just like they should be, and my problems might be caused by the Cellcept.

So, that's all I know. Oh, that and I have to have a release from the transplant doctor before I can see the dentist. I didn't know that earlier, but I do now. I'll talk to the doctor on Monday and see if I can get a release to get my teeth cleaned (was supposed to do it in January, but got a transplant instead).

Have a great day!

Interesting

So, Wednesday, I got a call from 480-423-2335. Now, I don't live in Arizona, so I didn't know who could be calling me. I answered the phone, and it was a recording stating that my doctor's office had an important message for me, and that I needed to call a 1-800 number to retrieve it.

I called the 1-800 number, put in my account number, and the system played a recording for me from LabCorp. The LabCorp people had left me a message to say that the results of my stool study were normal. They did not find any infections or any other problems.

I was glad to hear that I was OK, but I found the experience strange. I do not know why the doctor's office did not just call me with the information directly. They obviously have my phone number, since they called to tell me I have a message. I could have given them my account number over the phone to a person just as easily as to the machine in Arizona. All in all, it was a strange ordeal.

So, there was nothing else new this week. I have my colonoscopy and endoscopy scheduled for Monday. I will be doing my preparation all day Sunday, which should be fun. I got the solution from the pharmacy, and it should not be a problem. The only thing left to do is to buy some Gatorade to drink since all I can have on Sunday is fluids. We have some store-brand flavored gelatin and have to make it on Saturday.

So, hopefully the tests will go well on Monday. Jenny is not working that day so that she can give me a ride home. They don't want you to drive after being "put under" for a couple of hours. I guess the drugs make you a bit "woozy".

That's all for this week. Enjoy!!

Friday Update - April 13

Today is Friday, April 13, 2007. I had another clinical follow-up appointment (post transplant) today, and I thought I'd share how everything went.

First of all, I saw the "real" doctor today! The clinic is staffed by several physicians and physicians assistants. The team is headed up by a single doctor who reviews all of the work done for all of the patients each day (with his team). It seems, after my visit today, that he also sees patients himself. Today, instead of seeing an assistant, I got to see the head doctor, and that's always fun.

I told the doctor about the pain I was having in my side over the kidney incision. He said that if it did not get worse or if it continued for several days, then I should worry about it. He said that it just hurting for one day was not a problem. It could have been strained exercising or something like that, and I should not worry about it.

He got my lab results, and my creatinine is still 1.0! That means that drinking all of the extra water is helping, and my medication seem to be working. None of my other numbers seemed out of whack. The "liver numbers" all looked good, and my white blood cell count was still normal (which is nice to hear). The only blemishes I saw on the report were low sodium (never a real problem) and low magnesium (which has been slightly low since transplant). The doctor was not worried about either number. Sodium is especially easy to fix, and might have been low just because of the amount of water I've been drinking.

So, I'm healthy and happy. I got a note from the doctor saying that I could return to work full-time starting on Monday, April 30. And, I scheduled my next doctor's appointment for that day, too, so I can see how everything goes with timing my appointments with working and not using up all of my sick time. I scheduled the next appointment around lunch time hoping to use my hour up for that (we shall see).

The only other thing coming up is the colonoscopy and the endoscopy, which are set for April 23. Nothing for me to do for those until the 22nd, so no worries. Thank you all for the prayers as I continue to recover. Stay tuned next time for more exciting news from the kidney world!

Some Pain Today

Hi everyone. Thanks for reading the blog today. I just wanted to make a quick update for today.

This morning, I noticed that I have some minor pain over my transplant site. I noticed it after exercising this morning. I have been riding the exercise bike for the past several days instead of walking on the treadmill because my foot has been hurting a little bit. I think I slightly injured my foot a bit walking on it funny. But, I have been riding the exercise bike recently, and my foot is feeling much better.

Unfortunately, I also noticed some pain over my kidney transplant today as well. I am not too worried since the pain is minor, but I do plan to tell the doctor tomorrow when I go in for my clinic visit. Since I have a standard follow-up tomorrow, I am not going to worry about calling the doctor today. The pain is minor, so I am not worried.

I would like to have everyone pray for me, though. I would ask that you pray that the pain that I am feeling is not a problem and that the doctors will not be worried. I am glad that I have frequent appointments for just this reason.

And, I have my colonoscopy and endoscopy scheduled for April 23. I was reading the instructions for the preparation today, and I don't think I will be going to church on the 22nd. The preparation is fairly intensive, and is supposed to start at 7:00 am and go for six or eight hours. So, from the sounds of the prep sheet, I will need to stay at home all day. I think the worst part is that I am only allowed to drink (no food) for that Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully, the tests on the 23rd will not show any problems.

Thanks for coming by to read today!

Friday Updates

Welcome to Good Friday everyone. For me, I suppose it was a pretty good Friday. I had a lab appointment today, and I saw my GI doctor as well. My creatinine was at 1.0 today, which is a good sign. I think that I have been drinking enough water, which is good for me. I think that has been the most help at keeping my labs stable.

I saw the doctor at the clinic today. They said that they want me to reduce my Cellcept down to 250mg twice a day (instead of 3 times a day) to help reduce diarrhea. They also called this afternoon to have me increase my Prograf from 2.5 mg twice a day to 3.5 mg twice a day. I guess my Prograf numbers were really low, because they asked if I had skipped a dose (which I had not). So, I will take more of that for at least a week (until they draw labs next Friday). Then, we will see if the numbers are better balanced (hopefully).

I saw the GI doctor today as well. She said that she wants to check for any intestinal infections that might be hiding inside. Since I have a reduced immune system, I am at a greater risk of getting infections (even smaller ones that would not hurt most people). So, the doctor wants to do an endoscopy and a colonoscopy on April 23. She decided to do both procedures at the same time, since I would already be knocked out. She said she will take a look around, and possible take some biopsies if there is not anything to see.

Please pray that I will stay well. Pray that God will continue to watch over me and will help me stay healthy. I am still drinking lots of water, and I will keep doing so. It gets easier to drink more as you get used to drinking more water. Thank you all for coming by to read today.

PS - Jenny really wanted me to update the blog just now, so you can thank her that it got done today rather than tomorrow.