Good Friday

Good News from the Kidney Doc! Lab results show protein counts are continuing to come down which indicates my body is responding to the Cellcept. That means I can continue with this course of treatment and not have to switch to the chemo option. That is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful thing. I was a little (OK, a lot!) worried about having to switch. There were too many of the potential side effects that were just so scary. The one that concerned me the most was the sterility one. It seemed like everything I read indicated that after a certain length of treatment, the majority of women are no longer able to get pregnant. We've already discussed my "baby" issues. There is still no certainty that I will be able to try to get pregnant or actually get pregnant if I am allowed to try. But at least I know that my body is still able to function that way. Happy, happy day!

As the admitted information-aholic, I have read as much as I can find about Cellcept. Both of my doctors told me a little bit about it when I had to make my decision of which treatment option I wanted. But nothing in great detail. I scoured the internet looking for reputable websites where I could find more out about the medication. Thank goodness for technology. I can't imagine how many hours it would have taken me in a library periodicals room pouring over a microfilm machine. I also really appreciated reading the reviews and personal experiences that other patients of the drug posted. It amazes more and more each day how much I am coming to appreciate and depend on the experiences and opinions of others who are and have experienced what I am.

Cellcept (mycophenolate mofetil) was originally developed to be used in preventing organ rejection in kidney transplant patients and first approved for this purpose in 1995. It is now used in a variety of other organ transplant situations. Research in the early part of this decade showed its effectiveness in treating patients with severe Lupus Nephritis. More recent research is showing good signs of it affectively treating other symptoms of SLE. It is an immunosuppresant so it weakens the immune system and has a long list of possible side effects. But so do most of the medications that we are subjecting ourselves too. However, compared to some of the other options we face, the side effects of Cellcept are far less threatening and severe. I think I have been fortunate that the ones that I have experienced have been rather mild and relatively easy to deal with. I also think that some of them are starting to diminish the longer I am on the medication. I started in May, 2009 when I was discharged from the hospital at 500mg twice a day. In June, 2009 I moved up to 750 mg twice a week for about two weeks, then ramped up to 1000mg twice a day at the very end of June, 2009. The Kidney Doc has indicated that as long as I continue to respond favorably, she will keep me at this dosage. The two most significant side effects I noticed were trouble sleeping and tremors. I was also on very high doses of Prednisone which can also affect sleep. It is hard to attribute this side effect to one drug in particular. The tremors were very bad when I started on the medication, and then during the time that the dosage was being ramped up. Now that I have been at the same dosage for more than a month, I no longer have the tremors. I also noticed a little dizziness during the time the medication was being ramped up. But again, that has since subsided. I have constant pain in my back around the kidney area, but this could be from the Cellcept, the Lisinopril, or just simply from the Nephritis itself. My doctor assures me it is normal and unless the pain is really sharp or increased in intensity from what I normally experience, I am fine.

It still boggles my mind when I stop to think about the chemicals that I must put into my body every day. The regimine of medications and supplements has become so routine that I no longer really think about it. But when I do stop and think about the potency of some of these medications it is a little scary. The trust we as patients have put in our doctors and the researchers at the drug companies. But, like I said in the beginning, the test result numbers are going in the directions they need to be going so I will continue to put my faith and trust in all of these people I really don't know.

There is always a silver lining so I hope you find the Good in your Friday.

Take care of you,
Nicky