Thursday, April 29, 2010

BK Virus

The creatnin jumped up again as soon as I left hospital. In one of the urin samples they cultured BK virus. BK is a virus diagnosed first in the seventies in a person with those initials. It is one we all get as kids and it remains inactive unless you become immune suppressed. 5% of transplant recipients develop active BK. It can damage the kidney. The effects can be reversed if caught early. Otherwise it is like a mild flu, aches in the mussels and systemic tiredness, but not bedridden.
In the last two weeks of April I have been in and out of hospital having tests and more tests and Yes, they did do another biopsy last Friday. The result of all this is no firm diagnosis, but all the indications are that it is BK virus.
For the time being the doctors have halved my immune suppression medication (cyclosporin) to allow my body to fight the BK virus. They hope that I will not start to reject the transplanted kidney while this is happening. The doctors are monitoring me through blood tests three times a week. So I am going to see a lot more of the hospital for the forseeable future. Meanwhile I had the skin clinic check and they cut out two suspect moles and froze off a viral wort.
After a week of lower cyclosporin I am feeling a lot better, so I am optomistic that I am recovering from the BK virus.

3 comments:

  1. quite a see-saw; wishing you the best.Hilary

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  2. Things can change at a drop of a hat,You can feel well, but those blood tests can tell another story

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  3. Most TV shows have less drama than your life...

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