Quick update from today’s clinic visit. Everything is going well, and prior to getting back my Liver Function tests, which they check regularly as my liver is a high potential GVHD location, I was going to have my clinic visits scaled back to once a week and my Prednisone dropped daily starting in a couple of days. However, Dr. Kawashima called me back into the examining room to tell me that one of my many liver function tests has taken a turn and that it may be GVHD causing this abnormality. Nothing major at this point and the Transplant team always decide on the side of caution so instead of reducing the Prednisone AND not seeing me for a week he decided that it would be best for me to return as planned, as I was expecting prior to today. I will also bump my Prednisone back up to 110mg twice a day, which should help my liver should there be any problems related to GVHD. Nothing to worry about, except that as a result of the continued high dose of Prednisone I am on a couple of other drugs to help control potential side affects. So that said I figured I would give you a breakdown of my daily drug listing to give you a grasp on what I’m putting in my body on a daily/weekly basis.
Drug and Purpose
1. Cyclosporin – 200mg X 2/day. This is my immuno-suppressant drug that I will take for 6-12 months approximately, it’s designed to aid in the acceptance of my Dad’s marrow. (In Eaton terms as all my descriptions will be)
2. Prednisone – 110mg X 2/day. This is a steroid that helps control my Graft Versus Host Disease which to this point has been a rash, and now may be moving into my liver. Again this is nothing to be alarmed about and both the Doc’s and I are expecting the next few days to flow smoothly and I’ll have my doses dropped next clinic visit.
3. Magnesium – 500mg X 10/day. This is obviously not like anabolic steroids, but a supplement I need just the same, each time I give blood virtually every blood product is checked, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, etc… and since Transplant my Magnesium has been low however with 10 hunking pills a day I seem to be able to keep out of the transfusion centre as Magnesium has been my only needed transfusion since being discharge. Toes and fingers crossed!
4. Coumadin – 1mg X 1/day. This is a blood thinner taken to prevent clotting in my Hickman line.
5. Septra – 2 tablets, Mon – Wed – Fri. Designed to handle bacterial infections, while taking this drug I am not to be exposed to direct sun light, thus my need to cover up and probably avoid the beaches for the summer.
6. Domperidone – 10mg X 4/day. No this isn’t the cousin of the famous champagne, but it is pronounced much the same. I take this little baby to help me digest my food and keep the indigestion as low as possible. Very important since starting Prednisone as my appetite has gone crazy, which is a side effect of the steroid.
7. Ursodiol – (2)250mg X 3/day. This is a new medication started today in response to my liver function tests, and the description says it is used to treat gall stones. Hopefully this will not be continued past next clinic visit, but we’ll wait and see.
8. Dilantin – 100mg X 4/day. This drug is an anti-seizure medication that is designed to reduce the potential for seizures as taking the Cyclosporin and Ursodiol simultaneously can increase the risks, again they are not anywhere near high risks just increased potential.
There you have it, with a few other elective drugs like the old reliable Codeine that is what goes into me on a daily/weekly basis. These levels and drugs are subject to change daily and usually change a little from my clinic visits as things like Cyclosporin are checked each time I give blood to ensure I have appropriate levels of the drug in my system.
And that will conclude my drug lesson for today. I am feeling very well and looking forward to a progressive week next week, hopefully things will flow well over the next couple of days and I’ll be able to take Dr. Kawashima up on his once a week visits!!
Have a superb evening and I’ll be in touch soon. No proof reading done, as usual so excuse the mistakes. Write when you wish as I love to get your mail.
Take care,
Geoff
#4
