Post-Transplant Clinic 2/8/2021

Third clinic post-transplant and they cut my anti-rejection medication again.

Medication	Discharge	2/1/2021	2/4/2021	2/8/2021
mycophenolate	4 x 250 mg	4 x 250 mg	4 x 250 mg	3 x 250 mg
prediSONE	6 x 5 mg	4 x 5 mg	4 x 5 mg	2 x 5 mg
tacrolimus	4 x 1 mg	4 x 1 mg	2 x 1 mg	2 x 1 mg

They were also thinking of stopping the tacrolimus today but the test results were not yet available during the appointment. Either they have not looked at it again, or decided to keep the prescription until next time. The result was 4.7, whatever that means.

Other notable lab test results:

• Creatinine = 1.27 (reference range: 0.60 – 1.30)
• Non-African American eGFR = 65
• Phosphorus = 1.7 (referemce range: 2.3 – 4.4)
• Potassium = 5.4 (reference range: 3.6 – 5.3)
• Sodium = 136 (reference range: 135 – 146)
• Glucose = 164 (reference range: 65-99)

All the red blood cell and hemoglobin results are low too, but improving. Maybe it takes longer for the new kidney to produce hormones than to filter blood and remove excess fluids. It felt like the nurse practitioner and attending nephrologist thinks that I’m making progress.

My sister wanted me to ask about the kidney cyst that was found in the donated kidney. That smudge on the CT scan delayed the transplant by over three years. It grew from about 8 mm to 10 mm in size. The nurse said that unless it’s complex and over 6 cm(!), they usually don’t remove it. They will do an ultrasound every year to keep track of it and see if it becomes cancerous. If spherical, then it would be slightly smaller than a tennis ball. I’m guessing that it’s probably long and skinny, and follows the natural pathways inside the kidney. Still, that’s pretty large.