Along for the Ride

Yesterday I had my first "post-hospital" follow-up appointment with my nephrologist. While we got some good news - my white blood cell counts are higher - 7.5 - which allows me to go back to work when I'm ready (this coming Monday), there were also some things that are pretty concerning. With everything my body has been through with the hospital and all the infections, my kidneys have taken a pretty sizeable hit. My creatinine levels are now at 5.57. Technically, I should be on dialysis now. We are still hoping to avoid that, though. My doctors (Dr. L. my rheumatologist and Dr. C. my nephrologist) are devising a new treatment plan for me. It's a somewhat experimental treatment plan using an infusion drug called Rituxan. There have been some recent studies that have shown it to be very effective in the treatment of Wegener's granulomatosis. Some of the side effects can be pretty scary, but I'm hoping that is simply because I've been researching onl...

I tried to start a blog about my most recent "renal adventure" several times, but I've discovered several vital truths to the hospital experience. Something about the pasty walls covered in cheap hotel paintings, beeping machines, needles, blood pressure cups, "potty hats", consistent interruptions, numbness-inducing excuses for furniture, horrible food, lukewarm showers, crunchy linens, flat pillows, and those lights that never go off keeps any ounce of creativity from entering the brain. Every time I tried to sit down and write, I ended up with a listing of medical drivel that bored me to sleep. Or maybe that was because I never really slept, so I was in a catatonic state for about 9 days. The worst of it was an hour one afternoon that I spent cleaning out my hairbrush. I don't mean that I was watching TV and cleaning out my hairbrush. I was sitting in a chair, and slowly cleaning each bristle of my hairbrush. That was a stellar moment and a complet...