Remission

It looks like I am in remission. Dr Goodman is being super concervative and waiting another week before he makes the decision to take out the perma-cath. It would be a pain to have it out and then need more infusions. My blood tests are good, but wobbling around a bit, so that makes the doctors nervous. So in summary I had 8 plasma exchanges over three weeks. Then we waited for another 4 weeks to see if the remission holds. I feel very well, with lots of energy.

Post plasma

All is looking good one week after plasma exchange has finished. I have only .5% protine in urea from both the 24 hour and mid stream collections. My Albumin is normal and the creatin very good at 111. If things are as good next week they might even mention the word remission. fingers crossed.

Plasma Exchange

The plasma-exchange is going very smoothly. I have not had problems with cramping that I experienced last December when I had this treatment. Also I feel well and am getting a lot of reading done while cups of tea are brought to me. It is a tough life.

If anything i feel energized afterwards, but that might be from sitting for so long. I can't wait to walk around. The most difficult part is not going to the toilet for 2-3 hours. (I can go during the second half of the treatment if I wheel a drip.) So the whole process takes about 5 hours at the hospital.

Half way through the course of treatment I have lost weight (fluid) and other physical signs are good. We are still waiting for my blood tests to indicate a turn for the better.