A Little Trip

Well for the first time in many many years, I ended up in the ER . . . TWICE.

Now you're probably wondering WHY? Well hopefully this long story can be short and simple. I was trying to start back on a Immune Suppressant medication that I've been taking for 15 years until 2013 came along. When my 2013 event happen, I was taken off it and was never put back on.

Fast-forward to why I was getting myself back on it.

I don't talk much about the kidneys problem because the "only" way to treat it is by doing a kidney biopsy to figure out the problem then go on from there treating it. BUT I did my own little research and found that immune suppressant could help revolves this issue I'm having with the kidneys. I spoke with my immunologist about my research and findings, and a few phones call with him. Even he couldn't figure out WHY he started looking at my kidneys for problems and that question is still left unanswered.

Anyways we agree to put me back on the medication thinking that it was going to be smooth sailing, however the first day of starting it . . . I got sick. Plus to top it off it was very humid and hot the day I got sick so after a few hours my doctor told me to go to the ER for some anti-nausea med and fluids. I was at the ER for maybe a couple hours?

So after coming back home and resting, my parents and I agree not to try it again until AFTER I came back from my trip. I even called my immunologist that Monday to notify him of what had went down over the weekend (the message rely was slower than it should have took). SO I went on my trip and I came back home, we already knew what the plan was after speaking with my immunoloigst.

He did say that some adult cannot tolerate this particular immune suppressant and while we were figuring out if that was case. We tried baby steps (SORT OF) so I started with a small dose this previous Monday July 27th and I even ate food with it. SADLY a few hours later I get sick again and we knew right away what was the problem.

I was in the ER within 20 minutes after getting sick but while the ER staffs/Nurses were kind, the process of getting me the anti-nausea med was much longer. They did lab works which turns out had been sitting waiting to be taken to the lab after the doctor orders a full CBC (complete blood count). My white cells were very elevated as well my hemoglobin but that was due to being sick and dehydrated. So they had to figure out why my white cells were the way they were, BUT they had to call my Primary doctor asking "What do we do?" like they couldn't figure it out themselves?

He wanted a blood culture done to make sure there wasn't anything going on in my blood that could be causing me to have an elevated white blood count. I sleep partially but I was also cold from the fluids so I was completely wrapped in a cocoon trying to stay warm. I had at least 10 warm blankets on me.

We did an chest x-ray, CT scan and urine sample to rule out everything, my primary doctor knew that it was the immune suppressant that made me sick in the first place but the way my white blood cells were elevated suggested something else was going on and it turns out that I had a UTI going on with NO Symptoms!

So after hours and hours at the ER on Monday and being able to hold down water ever after I threw up the chalk stuff they made me drink for the CT scan, I was sent home. YAY! I was given antibodics for the UTI and my parents and I believe that we should not try this immune suppressant again even when my primary doctor suggested even smaller baby steps.

This was an Trial and Error and it was a fail BOTH TIMES. But my immunologist still need some data to determine if I really need the immune suppressant or not. But for me that kind of throws out what I was trying to do for my kidneys, but after my IGG values from May were well beyond of Awesome maybe the blood pressure medication I take is working.

So for the first time in many many years, I ended up in the ER twice in the same month. I do have my next infusion coming up so that mean we do blood work, so I'm hoping that my white blood cells are back to normal when they draw it but as far everything else? I'm not sure. My platelets were in the high 100s when I was sick and normally for my platelets they like to be around 80-90s. Hemoglobin been doing pretty good but who knows how they will be after enduring this reaction from the drug.

Follow UP: My labs values were normal! Platelets were 86,000, Hemoglobin was 13.0 and WBC was 4.00 and RBC was 4.09. Everything was normal.