Bump in the Road

It was time for my usual 3 month blood work check, and wouldn't you know, I spent a couple of days fearing I had the flu prior to the tests.  Luckily enough, it wasn't the flu but I couldn't figure out what was causing so much stomach pain.  It was so bad that if I hadn't had gall bladder surgery in October I would have sworn I was having an attack.  So I wasn't that surprised when some things in the blood work was off.  But I was surprised to receive a call from the cardio office asking to set up an appointment.

It seems that my creatin level had nearly doubled since October, which is a little alarming for transplant patients.  The anti-rejection drugs we have to take have many serious side effects and we have to monitor kidney and liver levels closely.  My liver enzymes had been up before the surgery and while they're still a little above where they would like them to be, they had dropped since October.  My blood sugar had dropped quite a bit and everything else was in good shape, but the kidneys were concerning.

I went in to talk with Dr. T today.  We decided to drop the cyclosporine and go back to taking Cellcept, an anti-rejection drug that I first came home with.  I will also have an xray and kidney ultrasound to check to see if I might have had kidney stones when I was having all the pain.  If nothing shows up to significant with those tests, then I'll go ahead and have the biopsy and annual heart cath at the same time.  I will have to have at least 2 or 3 biopsies in the next couple of months.  I'll also have more blood work ran at the end of the week.

Not thrilled about that at all as they are painful and expensive and it means more time away from work.  But I don't really have much choice in the matter.  The alternative is not great. 

With prayers and support from family and friends, on I will march.

Another Slice and Dice

Upon visiting with Dr. E about my liver enzymes being high and some issues I'd been having with eating (and keeping food down), he suggested that I visit a surgeon and talk about gall bladder removal.  So, on to yet another doc...Dr. Meece.

He agreed that it was probably a good decision to remove the gall bladder, and after considering the school calendar and some family related items, I decided to spend my Fall Break having surgery.  So, the 17th (little bro's birthday) at 5am, the folks and I trekked to my favorite pink home away from home for what amounted to about a 30 minute surgery.  Was back home by 10am and in bed sleeping.

For the most part, things have gone very well.  The surgery was done laparoscopicly so I have about 4 "holes" that I have to contend with.  The main one is in the same spot as the drain tubes for the transplant, which has always been a tender area.  I went back today for the follow up...@ 20 stones and no work for the rest of the week.  While I don't like being away from work, I have to admit, a few days of extra rest will be nice!

New Challenges, New Dreams

It has been a busy summer around my house.  School ended (finally!) in early June for me, and I took a near week long vacation to Washington DC with some of our students who made National History Day (and won an award!).  Then, I had about 2 weeks until I returned to summer school and conducted summer EOI testing....about 130 of them.  Toward the end of that, I interviewed for a counseling position at one of our 9/10 grade schools and got the job, which resulted in returning to school about 5 days earlier than I was going to.

So, thanks to my parents who were willing to sweat during this 110 degree weather we've been having, I moved my office.  Now, the site I'm moving to has been undergoing some construction so I couldn't really set things up until the end of last week when we returned.  So, I've spent this past week arranging an office, enrolling kids, and enjoying getting to know my new co-workers.

I loved the people I worked with at the middle school I was at....they create a family atmosphere and care for each other and the kids.  But, after losing Chuck this summer I realized that I have a short time to realize the dream of being in administration, and after 15 years of middle school I felt that I needed to expand my experience.  So, when this opportunity came up, I went for it.

I'm going to miss my Sequoyah family, but Jo and Troy (my fellow counselors) have made me feel very welcome at South.  I know the challenges will be similar even if the age is a little older, but I believe the experience will be worth it.  It is always an anxious time when you move to a new building, deal with new kids/staff/parents, and do things you've never done before.  But, I felt it was time for a change for me and a chance to follow a dream.  Here's hoping it works out!