There were several significant events that took place last week. I had promised to share those on Saturday morning but this little kidney adventure got in the way. I feel fairly decent this morning so I am gonna give it a try.
A MIXED BAG O' MEDICAL STUFF
Features included a trip to the podiatrist for chronic heel pain and some niggling toenail bothers. He suggested a set of orthotics for the heel problem, since my feet are flatter than a cloth-filled pancake. Some expert snipping took care of the toe deal but it is only a stopgap. The next day I was happily reunited with my former Muir nephrologist, who I had been seeing for about 10 years before starting dialysis. He was the one who first referred me to UCSF for a kidney transplant, so he has had a large influence on my kidney treatment.
Thursday we were informed by the kidney folks that my test for BK virus had come back positive. This is a potentially dangerous infection for anyone who is immunosuppressed. So kidney recipients are at a high risk. Over 80% of the general populace are infected, but the vast majority may never know for their entire lives. I started an antibiotic immediately and had a couple of my rejection drugs reduced by a small amount.
Friday we were getting an AlloMap at an office on Van Ness. This is a non-invasive alternative to biopsy which is considerably more pleasant and, I am told, cost-effective. Then it was off to Parnassus for a VQ scan which is a nuclear study looking for clotting in the lungs. We were informed quickly that this one was negative.
Everything went bass-ackwards early Saturday morning resulting in our dash (no panic this time) to the ED and ultimately here to 10 Long where I am composing this. No visit from the docs today as yet but going home today was mentioned. We shall see.
AN EXCELLENT ARRAY O' NON-MEDICAL STUFF
Last Tuesday we indulged ourselves in yet another musical event at the Sharkie Tank. This time it was James Taylor and Carole King. Despite some shortcomings in the sound quality, the show was beyond terrific. They played everything we coulda hoped for. The seats were very close to the round, rotating stage. It was a very emotional reminder of Cheryl's and my early dating period as well as our Shinn Park wedding.
After the nephrologist on Wednesday we picked up Sandy Chaw and headed for Berkeley to begin this stage of The Celebration of Mother's Day. We were joined by Leslie and Chris for lunch and a leisurely drive up Hwy. 1. We goofed around Point Reyes Station, then to Tomales for a big mess o' oysters. On the way south Chris snagged an upscale hunk o' tri-tip and we headed back to Berkeley to meet up with Allan.
As an aside here some know my aversion to oysters, in fact I do not recall ever eating any. It could be said oysters were not a part of the Ruth B./Walter V. nutrition plan.
Of course Chris and Allan expertly BBQ'd 'em (no raw fish for me, Transplant Team) and doggone it, they were quite tasty. The Tabasco and Leslie's horseradish sauce helped as well. And I just this second asked Dr. M. if there is any evidence that ingesting these little dudes had a part in my latest medical crisis. After he stopped laughing, he simply said "No, unless they were raw". The whole dinner was quite spectacular and a most fitting tribute to both Moms.
So now we are somewhat current. I apologize for the rather mirthless tone of this post, but hopefully you will cut me some slack. Or maybe it's no biggie for you. Whatever.
Oh yeah, Blogspot has been acting very strangely today. I have no idea why a lot of this is highlighted in yellow, and less of an idea how to fix it. But hurray I did find the way!
Bob/Irv
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