Life is a balancing act. So too, is managing my meds. It starts with tacrolimus, an important anti-Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) medicine. Of the seven different meds I'm currently on, this is probably the most important. Because we know kidneys (particularly my kidneys) are sometimes not a fan of tacrolimus, we've been adjusting the tacrolimus to see if my creatinine (a measure of kidney function) levels will return to normal. So we adjust the daily dosage, check levels and see where we are. But if we drop the dosage too much, and then the tacrolimus level will fall too much.
So the last couple of weeks have been just making sure we've got things right. And it seems like things are moving in the right direction. Creatinine levels are coming down, and tacrolimus levels are within normal range. Meanwhile, potassium levels are hovering in the high but manageable range.
We'll check it again at next Monday's appointment and we may even talk about going to biweekly appointments if my lab work supports that. We'll see. There's definitely a comfort level being able to see my NP each week, but the drive in, the waiting, the being surrounded by a bunch of people (all masked, of course), I could do without that weekly routine. And if the care team feels I'm good to go to a two-week schedule, then I trust them.
In the meantime, importantly, my energy levels are doing real well. I still need a good 9-10 hours sleep. But there are also signs that my appetite and taste buds are slowly coming back. That helps everything. It makes eating less of a chore; it helps my digestive system; it gives me energy.
So does working. I started on an official half-time schedule. It's great to have the social connection with all my colleagues again. And it's great to use my brain for something other than a crossword puzzle! Plus, it helps make the days pass quickly. But I've been careful to schedule some downtime each day so I don't overdo it, because here too, balance is key.
So far it's working out.
I'm so impressed you're already back to a half-time schedule at work! I bet it's more and am glad to hear you're scheduling downtime. Balance is such a work in progress.
ReplyDeleteIf it's any comfort, I take 16 pills a day for a variety of conditions and have been doing so for about 20 years. It was very frustrating early on when the dosage was being adjusted. After that, life settled into a routine and I hardly think about it anymore. There have been occasional blips that required more adjustment, but I now have confidence that things will work out, and they do. Some drugs work on me that work on only a few, and vice versa. All-in-all, my meds are no longer my obsession. Hope you reach that comfort point quicker than I did.
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