I don't know about your diagnosis, but when you mentioned Prednisone my ears perked up. Have you ever heard of Addison's Disease? I don't know the details, but from what I understand the kidneys act something like what you describe. Interestingly, humans are not the only species which can have this disease and my own dog--a hound/bulldog/pit bull mix--has it, requiring him to take a small dose every day plus receiving a monthly shot of Percorten (apparently a veterinary-only medicine). Additionally, if he happens to get into a high-stress situation or eat something he shouldn't (like coffee beans or chocolate) his body stress levels skyrocket because his kidneys and liver can't properly process them and can send him into a coma or worse. The dog did this about the same time you describe your issues and ended up needing much higher doses in the same manner you describe.
I do understand some of your indicators are different from typical Addison's, but it may be something to ask about. My dog is back to 'normal' now, but he'll be taking a tiny dose (2.5mg) every day for the rest of his life (he weighs about 1/3 of yours).
--- In SkunkworksAMA_at_yahoogroups.com, <skunkworksama@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Here's an update on things so no one thinks I'm either dead or flaking out or anything. I do not usually discuss much of anything about my personal life online, but since it's obviously affecting things beyond my Real Life (tm), I'd figure I'd spill the beans.
I think I mentioned in my last post about heading out to St. Louis on August 27th for routine lab work. As it turned out, I was called the following day and advised to cut back on my Mycophenalate, as my white cell count was way too low. In addition to that, my creatine level was 2.9 (normal is about 1 for the typical person, and usually around 1.5 or so for transplant patients or those with only one kidney). The higher the creatine level is, the less the kidney is functioning.
I had to have more blood labs drawn (this time locally) on Friday the 30th. I received a call that night stating I needed to return to St. Louis the following day for admittance, since my creatine had only fallen to 2.7. I was in the hospital in St. Louis (St. Anthony's, actually) from August 31st to September 8th. I had blood labs done twice a day, every fucking day, plus a couple of IV's. Two ultrasound exams and a kidney biopsy was then done, as the doctors determined there was some sort of auto-immune viral thing going on in the kidney. A plethora of tests were done with the biopsy (tissue exam, special stains, immunohistochemistry, numerous immunofluorescent studies and an electron microscope exam).
The artificial stent that I had replaced in May (which was causing some issues before then) was also replaced, as they determined it had shifted and was not properly allowing the kidney to drain like it's supposed to. Basically, what it was doing was similar to a person brewing a pot of coffee, drinking 2/3rds of it, then pouring the remainder back into the machine with more water to brew another batch. It was basically poisoning itself due to faulty glomeruli (filters in the kidney). Some of these filters are damaged and are allowing protein to pass through, and the protein is damaging them every time it courses through the kidney.
So two surgeries and a shit ton of blood tests later, they put me on some heavy-duty steroids via IV for 3 days. I got home on the evening of the 8th, but had to get labs done again on the 11th, and then I had to return to St. Louis again on the 18th for more lab work. They had put me on Prednisone, which is probably one of the worst drugs out there as far as fucking up your body goes. I was taking 30mg a day for a few days, but they've since dropped me down to 20mg a day (in addition to several other medications they've added to my roster). For some really fun reading, go look up the side effects of this shit. There isn't a single part of the human body it DOESN'T fuck up when used. The doctors seem to think they'll be able to wean me down to a lower dose in a few months. Prednisone is a medication that you can't just stop taking, unless you want to get fucked up bad.
Some of the wonderful side effects I'm getting to enjoy include having my hands cramp up in such a fashion as to make them unusable until I force them back open (the fingers and thumb draw inwards toward the palm, as if you're trying to narrow your hand to fit through a sleeve). It's also causing severe swelling in my legs, ankles and feet, which I wasn't having any issue with prior to getting on this shit. I can gain as much as 8-9 pounds of water weight in a single day because of these damn pills, which makes standing or sitting next to impossible (or only for short periods of time).
I'm in generally good health. I'm 5 feet 8 inches tall, weigh 155 pounds, have a 31-32 inch waist, work out 1.5 to 2 hours every day (or did, prior to recent events), and have a strictly monitored diet where I count every calorie, carbohydrate, cholesterol, potassium, sodium, protein and fat amount in everything I eat. No soda, no restaurants, no junk food and no caffeine. Obviously, this recent health situation has not made me a happy camper. And what has pissed me off more (aside from the aggressive tendencies caused by Prednisone) is that every test result from the biopsy came back negative. So the doctors actually told me they have no idea what's going on with the kidney right now. It's not rejection (which can happen with transplant patients), but it's also not anything they have been able to diagnose. So I dunno what the fuck is going on, but that medication is screwing me up something fierce and I need to know what exactly they are using it for (I assume for the swelling and whatever other condition is going on with the donor kidney).
I'm currently on a very low activity level, as per doctor's orders, can't do any weight lifting (although they allowed me to resume stretching and light-to-moderate cardio periodically), have my immune system further weakened by the Prednisone (I have to avoid pretty much everyone right now) and would be ripping my hair out in frustration if I didn't normally shave my head.
Not looking for well-wishes or sympathies or any of that shit, but I thought, after some consideration, that I should let folks know what's going on and why I've been so quiet lately. My hope is that whatever this thing is, it'll get fixed soon so I can get back to my usual robust health and resume doing the things I like to do. Hell, I haven't even picked up a pencil in months. I'm going to have some family members help with getting the office back in order, as I'm sure I can unpack the artwork and supplies myself (no heavy lifting involved in that, just time). I had gotten most of the furniture sorted before I went to the hospital on the 31st of August, but there's still some work that has to be done and I'm in no physical condition to do it right now.
So don't freak out, I'm not croaking anytime soon (I hope). As I get things unpacked, I'll probably start posting some pictures and some auctions, since the office renovation pretty much killed my art output and recent health events have slowed me down considerably. I may look into setting up some sort of drawing table that could be used while lying on my back with my feet elevated (to prevent painful swelling). I have commissions to do and art to ship out.
Other than that, things are just ducky.
--JMH
This is being posted on FA and IB as well, just to cover all the bases.