A letter to my Stomach

Dear Stomach, belly, Tummie or whatever else I may call you or you may prefer to be called,
  
It's time we had a talk.  It has come to my attention recently (Well I've kind of know this for a while actually) that you are not wanting to get with the program and behave along with the rest of my body.  Well stomach I'm here to tell you that it is time to shape up.  First off, you have been quite bothersome in the food department.  We like food, we can eat food now, I've done what you asked and gotten you the oxygen and space you require.  It is time for you to do you part and actually hold food.  Yes I get the meds are annoying and not pleasant to keep in but it is the price we pay for space and air, so tough it up and keep the food in.  Also no complaining about food, like I said we like food and can eat it now so stop getting angry when I fill you up, or give you something I happen to think is delicious (um rice comes to mind)  I don't care if you don't like it, you work for me, not the other way around you hear!  Secondly, the time has also come to step it up.  I understand this has a lot to do with you pal pancreas but really the two of you have got to figure it out.  I give you the pills you need to digest the food and do your job so seriously start doing it.  This whole eat a ton yet having my weight go in the opposite direction is really getting old.  Again step it up bub!  Here is how it is going to work, I give you the food (I'll even be nice and leave out the rice....for now!) and the enzymes, you get to work, share the task with the intestines (no you are not off the hook either kiddos!) and digest this stinkin food I keep putting in you and turn it into something useful, some fat and muscle comes to mind.   Lastly, stomach there is this whole issue of cancer.  Excuse me!!!!! What is that????  You have been nothing but nasty to me since my transplant and then WHAM, BAM out of no where you let cancer come in and make a home in you, UM.... so not cool.  If this is a cry for help I hear it loud and clear, so it's time to tell your new buddie to hit the road.  It can leave the easy way or the hard way, but your guy cancer is SOOOOOOO not sticking around so I think we can agree it'd be better for all of us in this body to just kick the cancer to the curb and move on.  I'll try to be nicer to you, give you your enzymes all the time, maybe even eat some healthy things now and then and not so much, ice cream, and candy, and popsicles, and straight up brown sugar, and.....well you know.  

I think we can be in agreement that we need to work things out and like I said, I'm the boss so this is the way its going to be, I'm open for suggestions but seeing as you can't talk I think that will be a little hard, so lets just step it up and do our job, OK.
Good talk!
Keep on keeping on and remember we are only as strong as our weakest link (yes right now that is you!)
Love you (especially when you work!)
Anna (and really the rest of the body, yes this is an intervention!)

Prograf and Creamsicles

Hello again blogollowers,

I have returned to the ol' NC.  Wait... before you freak out, everything is fine it is just time for my 3 month check up.  (Can you believe it's been 3 months already, and actually nearly 4, wowzers!). My appoiments and bronch are all over so now we just wait to see if there is any rejection.  If there is I will need to be admitted and treated with the lovely (or so I've heard) RATG.

I was really looking forward to this appointment (that is not sarcastic at all)....(no really it's not!). I have been feeling extremely nauseous for about the past 3 weeks.  I had been communicating with my coordinator through it and the best we could figure was that it was some type of stomach bug and I just needed to wait it out.  Well after 3 weeks of puking, eating only creamsicles and orange juice and 20 pounds less...me, (the results of said 3 weeks) I was really getting tired of it and beginning to wonder if something was really wrong.  Once we met with my doctor and had a slew of tests done we discovered the likely culprit was my prograf.  This is one of my main anti rejection drugs and can cause nausea especially if the dose is too high, which it was, sitting at a bit over 32 when my target level is around 12! My prograf level had been high once before (only for a day). I happened to be at clinic that whole day and got so nauseous by the end I couldn't walk.  Mom had to push me in a wheel chair around, only that made me sick too and she ended up having to go at a snails pace just so I could make it without loosing my cookies (not that I had any left in me by that point).  In both cases a few missed doses and then a smaller daily dose seemed to do the trick.

Anyway through this all I have learned that meds suck and make you feel sick and creamsicles taste really good even when you are nauseous (plus they don't taste too bad on the way back up! ;p )

Oh and cars, nausea, pancakes and one super drugged kid (well technically adult) add up to one VERY messy situation but that is a story for another day.... Maybe tomorrow...well today but I'll save it till the suns out! 

Nighty night!