1. I was up and at 'em around 4:30 this morning and before long I vaulted into the Camry and popped over the 4th of July Pass, eased into Spokane, and nestled the car in the cozy confines of a Sacred Heart parking garage.
I had blood drawn without incident and then, after a muffin and a latte, met with transplant nephrologist Dr. Haris Murad. Murad's main concern was my low white blood cell count. This problem is not related to anything I've done at home or on the road. It has to do with the drugs I take to suppress my immune system. He completely took me off of the immune-suppressive drug Myfortic, the latest adjustment to my medicine.
So we'll see. Will the reduction in drugs that suppress my immune system help raise my white blood count? I return to the medical center on Tuesday next week for more blood work and a kidney ultrasound, all in service to securing more information.
By the way, none of this is unusual post-transplant. Finding the right balance between lowering my immune system so I don't reject my new kidney and keeping my immune system, at the same time, as vital as possible, is a dance common for transplant patients, especially, well, older recipients like me! We have to deal with how my aging system responds to medication and, as you can tell, the transplant team and I are keeping a close watch over things!
Dr. Murad addressed the white blood cell matter and told me, as I thought he would, that everything else in my blood work looks superb -- not only that, he likes how my blood pressure is reading, liked the sounds of my lungs and heart, and had no concerns about fluid retention in my lower legs and ankles.
Once again, a very positive visit!
2. A small and mighty contingent of guys from the KHS Class of 72 met for lunch today, seated at an outdoor table at Capone's in CdA's midtown. I hadn't seen Steve Jaynes for several years. It was uplifting to see him today. Steve joined Roger Pearson, Stu, and me for some solid food and great conversation. We looked back at highlights from our younger days and updated each other on our lives in 2024.
3. I had meant to cancel this week's HelloFresh box, but forgot to. I decided, with Debbie's agreement, to cancel our subscription. So, the box I forgot to cancel arrived today and I decided to mix the two meals into one and made a mushroom penne with ground beef. If this is our last hurrah with HelloFresh, it was a fun and delicious one!
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