Visiting my sister/donor

Silvia (my donor), my 5 year old son and me at the zoo.

Do you like our t-shirts?   We were at Disneyland.

My husband, son, and I drove down to visit the family.  We spent almost 3 weeks with them.  I got to spend a lot of time with my sister/donor, Silvia.  It's been almost 2 1/2 years since the transplant and we are both doing great.  We all visited Knotts, Disneyland, the zoo, and ChuckECheese with my son, our nieces and nephews. Both Silvia and I have enough energy to keep up with the kids, our blood pressures are great, and we are very happy.  We continue our long distance communication daily.

Was sick, but now I am better.

My son, Christopher (is 4 years old) and we love to play together.

A few months ago, I got sick, which started with a day of vomiting and weeks of on-an-off diarrhea.  The doctors (my PCP, my nephrologist, intestinal specialist and Kidney Center) never figured out what made me sick.  They did all sorts of blood tests and stool samples but nothing came up.  The only thing they did find is that my Prograf medicine level had reached a toxic level in my blood (it was 20 and a normal number is 5).  We don't know if it was the Prograf that made me sick or my sickness that made my Prograf go up.  But it made my Creatinine go up to 2.04 (it had been at 1 just a month before).  The Kidney Center doctor told me to gradually lower my  Prograf and do frequent blood tests.  I've been doing that since and I am no longer sick and my Prograf and Creatinine are back to normal numbers.  I am relieved because it gave me a big scare.  If I ever get sick like that again, I am running to the lab to get my blood drawn right away in case it is my Prograf level getting too elevated.  FYI:  My sister and donor, Silvia Encinas is doing well and we talk by phone or messenger every day.  I miss her and am thankful for her gift every day.

Visited the Family in Southern California

This picture was taken on March 28, 2010, on my sister's 28th Birthday, just 2 weeks  after our 1 year Kidney Transplant Anniversary.  I am on the left (Denise), my husband (Yarid), and my sister and donor (Silvia).  My husband, son, and I went to visit our family in Southern California in March.  And now we are all getting over our colds that we caught over there.  My cold is taking the longest because I am on immunosuppressants (Mycophenolate and Tacrolimus).  I had sore gums and pain in my throat for a couple of weeks.  But now I only have a cough and runny nose.  I am still anemic but my folate, iron, and B12 levels are fine.  My hemoglobin has remained at around 11.3 for months.  My potassium has stayed under 5, and my creatinine around 1.05.  Everything is going well.

Doing Well

I only have to take 2 anti-rejection medications and a tiny aspirin every day. It has been 6 months since my kidney transplant on March 16,2009. My anemia is gone, my hemoglobin went up to 11.5 and continues to climb. I only have to get my blood tested once a month now. My weight is completely back to normal and is stable. My husband and I are looking forward to Halloween with our son, Christopher (he is 3 years old) and will be Batman. My sister, Silvia continues to be well, she is visiting family in Mexico and we will travel down to visit her as soon as she gets back.

Decrease of Medications

Out of 9 medications, my doctor told me to stop 4. And hopefully that will help eliminate my anemia. 2 weeks ago, they told me that my hemoglobin went up from 9.1 to 9.5 (improvement), and my iron levels are fine so iron is not the cause of my anemia. The four that I don't have to take anymore are an anti-bacterial one, an anti-viral one, one to control cholesterol and one that was for high blood pressure. They will check my cholesterol in 3 months to see that it is still under control. Before my transplant, I was told that I'd have to have a biopsy of my new kidney 3 months after surgery and then again a year later. So I asked the doctor about that and he said that I won't need any biopsies because my new kidney was a perfect match and they don't feel they have to worry about rejection. That's great news. My blood draws have been switched from once a week to every 2 weeks. And in a few months, it will be switched to once a month.

Anti-K Antibodies

I just received a letter in the mail saying that on 3/11/09, (that was the day of my transplant pre-op) they found that I developed Anti-K Antibodies. It is not supposed to be something harmful but it is something that I developed because of my 2 blood transfusions. I had a total of 4 units and that means blood from 4 people. I just have to make sure that if I get another transfusion, it doesn't include the Kell Antigen. I guess this is better than developing HIV or Hepatitis from transfusions. But they scared me when the letter started off saying, in your recent blood test, we found that you have developed a new antibody. That sounded like I was rejecting my new kidney until I read on and figured out that it was harmless and caused by transfusions and the test was done before my transplant. Coming from the UC Davis Medical Center, I am not surprised that it took them 3 months to give me this information. I have had over 20 blood tests since my transplant, and the doctors refuse to give me even one printout of any of my results because they say they have too many patients and not enough time. I have to look over their shoulders when they see my results on their computers so I can write down my results. I am not paying 25 cents per sheet and waiting a year for medical records to let me have them. Last week, my transplant coordinator called me to say that my hemoglobin dropped from 10 to 9. So this Monday, they checked my iron levels and I am waiting to find out if I need extra iron or Epogen shots. I have gained 9 pounds and am now at my original weight from a year ago. It has been 1 year since I found out I needed a kidney transplant. I am very happy it's all in the past.

Anemic from Side Effects

I've been extra careful to stay away from crowds and people so I won't get sick. My doctors want me to stay healthy while my immune system is so low from the anti-rejection drugs. But Christopher caught a cold and gave it to Yarid and me. We are all almost over it. The anti-viral drugs I've been taking have helped me. And drinking 2 liters of water every day have kept my kidney healthy and my Creatinine low. It was 1.2 yesterday, that's the lowest it's been since the transplant. I am anemic, my Hematocrit is at 31, the normal range is 35-42. It makes me tired. The doctor says the anemia might be caused by 3 of my medications. But most of my medications will be decreased or changed in the future. My Potassium is good at 4.9 but I still have to watch my diet. And I have to try to gain some weight so I try to drink protein shakes, I don't like the flavor.