Transplant Annual Checkup

On Monday I had an annual checkup with my transplant doc. Questions were ask about my health in the next 20,30 years.

I am taking an immunosuppresion drug call Cyclosporine. It's job is to keep my body from rejecting the liver. It is also toxic to the body, especially the kidneys, and have a number of side effects.

Looking at the blood results from the past number of years, my numbers are steady (that's good). By measuring creatinine, they are able to identify my kidney function. My number is 88 and normal people is from 75-81. The higher the number, the harder my kidney has to work.

Before my doc discussed about lowering the dosage. But he hestitate since the dosage I am taking right now works well. He would only do so if my creatinine level reach 100 or so.

Kidneys ain't regenerative and the doc told me to drink plenty of fluids to keep them healthy. I sense that I can do more than that..say don't eat too much protein.

My life is shorten but no one knows how long or how much. Since my last 15 years were good, we can predict that the next 15 years will have a good outlook.

Average age of transplant recipients are in their 50s. For them, a 30 year life expectancy is already very good. I had my operation when I was 11 and pediatric tends to have a high survival rate.

As far as my survival rate, I have been reading a number of medical journals documenting the transplant recipients. It is frightening when you read that most recipients have 60% survival rate after 10 years or so. The doc suggests by looking in a 5 year block. If this 5 year, I have 90%, then it is fair to assume the next 5 years I will likely to be 90%. The data does not represent me b/c I am vastly different in my condition and my health.

Since the technology is so new, there is no pediatric transplant that already live for 20 years. This means I am at the edge of the research. There are a number of people who had kidney transplant done in the 70s that still live.

Doc also mentioned that I am the top 90% patients there is. This I am very grateful. I had no rejection problems, my numbers are stable over the years and I was healthy before and after the operation. I plan to keep it this way.

Best part of the day was taking my blood pressure. I was 110/80. That's like music to my ears. Last year, I occasion have high blood pressure.

I also had a blood test. It had been 2 days and they haven't call me. So I will take that as good news. I will follow up and make sure my numbers are A ok.

The doc suggested I go online and read on my own. There are lots of materials out there. I have been pouring myself over medical journals. I can admit when I read the deaths and cause of deaths, I think about my mortality...

Doc say is ok for me to think long term (plan for family, investment) and at the same time enjoy life. All in all..things are good...