Chemo is working!
The Good
My kidneys are healthy! When I heard 6 months ago that there was a large amount of protein in my urine, it was difficult not to imagine a future which included dialysis and transplant. Some of you had already put your name on my potential donor list! (I love those of you who volunteered before there was even a need. You're the best!) 3 months ago, the protein was still present, so today, I expected the worst... in fact, I expected to hear that I needed to be treated by a nephrologist. I've wrestled with many emotions and much doubt over the past six months, so you can imagine my joy when my doctor told me this morning that there was no protein present at all. I am not currently at risk for kidney disease. Please join me in a l-o-n-g sigh of relief and then in giving thanks and praise to God for hearing and answering our prayers so positively!
The Bad
Even though progress has been made, I still have MCTD/Lupus. I always will. And chemo must continue. My blood work indicated my inflammation levels are still high, and that means that even though my immune system has stopped attacking my kidneys (if auto-immunity was the cause of the excess protein), it is still attacking my joints and muscles. The next step in my treatment is to move my chemo dosage up a tiny bit and see how I respond. My doctor explained that most of his patients take a much higher dose than I do without experiencing all the bad side effects that I have. So, it is possible MTX is not going to work as my long-term treatment. I will try the higher dose next Friday (smaller dose this Friday) since I don't want to make the spring break/plumbing-overhaul week any more difficult than it already will be. If I experience any strange side effects, he said he absolutely will prescribe a different chemo. This is not completely unheard of, and many auto-immune patients have to experiment until they find the right chemo for them. And I did not think to ask him why we have not jumped ship with MTX yet. (I was too excited about my kidneys!) It is one of the older, more successful chemo drugs, so I'm sure he has his reasons for wanting to stick with it for as long as possible.
The Hopeful
The end goal now is to get the inflammation levels down so that my joint and muscle pain will cease and I can get off most of my medications. If we find the "right" chemo, I will get relief from the pain, regain some mobility, and be able to lead a more active lifestyle while continuing to protect my vitals. Although it is going to take some time to get the right plan worked out, eventually, we should be able to get these results without the weekly injection disrupting my life as much as it is now.
Please keep praying, friends! God has been so gracious to hear our prayers and to answer them so mercifully and kindly.
Thanks for praying!
Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/chemo-day-spelled-on-scrabble-tiles-8016921/
Woo hoo!!!!!!!! Our God would still be awesome if the news had been different, but I am soooo thankful for His answer to our prayers. (((((hugs)))))
ReplyDeleteAmen! I was preparing myself to write that post, in case the news were worse. I'm honestly so glad I didn't have to write that one, though. :) Hugs back at ya!
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