Kidney Update

It's time for a Spring Kidney Update! The last one I did was in February.  On April 30, I met with my regular nephrologists again to talk to my current transplant state.  Here's what happened.



Blood Pressure:  125/80
This was a pleasant surprise. In fact, my last few readings before this one taken on my home machine at the doctor's office were a pleasant surprise.  However, a week before this appointment I had my kidney biopsy. And right before the procedure my pressure rocketed into extremely high levels (167/100).  Severe hypertension levels.  The funny thing is, AFTER my biopsy was over, and I was placed in the observation/recovery room, my pressures dropped drastically, they were down to healthy-people levels. I'm talking 117/75.  It was almost like I had my transplant again.  My nephrologist joked that the biopsy cured me.  MAY-BE!  Stranger things have happened. Since then my readings at home have been nice and normal and low.  No scary spikes.  My transplant doctor, the one who did my biospy, was considering putting me on blood pressure medicine at my next visit. But my regular nephrologist decided that we need to collect some more data before we make any decisions about medicine. So, essentially VICTORY on the BP front.  


Creatinine Level:  1.95
OK so it's a minimal change, down .5 from February's level of 2.0 and down A LOT from March's level of 2.3.  Just to be back in the ones again makes me feel so much more confident about my health.  My nephrologist and everyone, basically, are looking forward to the results of my biopsy.  During my appointment, recalled those times when my creatinine was 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5.  And we remembered that it just kind of spiked suddenly after my bout with CMV and my low blood cell issues.  He seems to think that my kidney might have suffered some kind of injury during that time, which cased my creatinine levels to rise.  Because I'm definitely not dehydrated. I'm was drinking 2L of water a day, now 3L because of the spring heat wave that's hit Virginia.  Although my creatinine is not where I want it to be, I still consider this a VICTORY. 

I think the next kidney update will be an exciting one.  HOPEFULLY we'll all finally get some clarity on why, two years into my transplant, someone who hasn't had any rejection episodes, is getting a bunch of not awesome creatinine level readings.  Is it CMV?  Is it FSGS returning (however my nephrologist is 99% sure that is not the case because I don't have any protein in my urine)?  Have I been having an undetected rejection episode this entire time??  OR is this just what my creatinine will be for the rest of my life??  Your guess is as good as mine.