Tag Archives: Immunosuppressants

Dangerously Immunosuppressed

6 Oct

It’s never favorable to hear a doctor (or in this case, transplant coordinator) say, “It’s not good!” when referring to something pertaining to your health.  This was the news Jody received yesterday after his bi-weekly blood work was reviewed by his Hopkins team.  As you probably know, any organ recipient must take medication to lower their immune system and prevent their body from rejecting the donated organ.  Lung transplant recipients require high doses of immunosuppressants and it’s a fine line they walk between their immune system being under or over suppressed; Under puts them at risk for rejection, over puts them at risk for infection/illness.

Jody’s levels have been up and down quite a bit this past year.  When he’s had a few weeks of stable lab work, meaning his anti-rejection medication is in the desired range, and we think they’ve found the perfect dose for him… it randomly goes out the window.  Despite no change in dosage or routine, his levels come back high or low and his meds need to be adjusted again.  While this isn’t ideal and none of us really know why Jody’s body responds this way it hasn’t been a serious concern… until now.

Last weeks blood work once again showed an out-of-the-blue high level of one of his anti-rejection (immunosuppression) drugs.  Unlike before, this caused his infection-fighting white blood cells (WBC’s), a key part to ones immune system, to drop dangerously low.  Jody was sent for STAT labs yesterday since it had been five days from the time of this critical result (it seems the local lab never sent the results to Hopkins… heavy sigh!).  Naturally, after 5+ days of too-high-dosed immunosuppressants, his WBC count dropped even lower and knocked out his immune system, leaving him at very high risk for infection.  So what does this mean?  It means even more diligence in germ prevention.  Jody needs to wear a mask in our house, particularly when around our daughters.  He is to avoid public places.  He can only drink bottled/filtered water (no tap water).  No fresh fruit, vegetables, salads or raw/under-cooked meat.  Finally, LOTS and LOTS of HANDWASHING!

Jody will have more blood work drawn on Thursday.  The doctors want to see if his WBC level will rise on its own now that they’ve stopped and decreased his immune lowering medications.  It is probable that he will need shots of Neupogen, a drug which stimulates white blood cell production, to help boost his levels.  This is a very expensive medication and we’ve been warned that it is often denied by insurance companies because of the cost.  Apparently it’s also not readily available in our area because Johns Hopkins called 10 local pharmacies until they were able to find one who carries the drug.  Jody has been told that a common side effect of Neupogen is bone pain and fatigue.  We should know after Thursday if he will in fact need to start these injections.  In the meantime…

Here are a few ways you can pray for us:

  1. That Jody can avoid an infection while his body is so at risk.
  2. That his body would naturally build more infection-fighting white blood cells.
  3. That our insurance would cover the Neupogen injections should they be warranted.
  4. That Jody’s body would absorb his anti-rejection medications more evenly (less highs and lows).
  5. That his kidneys would recover from the negative impact of the too-high-dosed immunosuppressant.
  6. Good health for myself and our two young daughters.

Thank you for your concern and prayers, they are always appreciated.

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Because you asked for it…

28 Jan

Today is the day Jody has been dreaming of for the last four months!  Why, you ask?  I’ll tell you… if you keep reading.  Many of you have noticed that I’ve taken a break from blogging and I’ve been increasingly questioned about this.  I’m touched that so many of you enjoy reading my posts and take interest in knowing how Jody is progressing in his transplant journey.  In this post I’ll do my best to give you an update on how things are going, but I warn you, it’s likely to be a long one.

Since transplant Jody has needed a daily intravenous (IV) infusion of a powerful anti-viral medication (Ganciclovir).  In the hospital this drug had special connectors on it to prevent the nurses from touching the medication.  At home the drug came packaged in about three layers of bags, we were given gloves to wear when handling it, and gowns to wear (I guess) when administering it, as well as a special box to dispose of it.  Jody needed to take this drug because he tested negative for CMV (Cytomegalovirus), and his donor tested positive.  We had been warned pre-transplant that this is a common occurrence as many of us have been infected, unknowingly, with the CM virus.  To help you better understand, here’s a brief explanation of the virus from the Mayo Clinic:

“Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that can infect almost anyone. Most people don’t know they have CMV because it rarely causes symptoms. However, if you’re pregnant or have a weakened immune system, CMV is cause for concern.

Once infected with CMV, your body retains the virus for life. However, CMV usually remains dormant if you’re healthy.”

Anti-viral medication, handled like a chemo drug.

Anti-viral medication, handled like a chemo drug.

It amazes me that so many CFer’s test negative for this virus because it seems they so easily catch everything else. Regardless, because Jody was so immunocompromised fresh out of transplant and his team did not want him to get the CM virus, he had to take this IV infusion for three months, stopping mid-December.  At that point he converted to a pill form which won’t necessarily prevent him from getting it like the IV did.  It is likely that he will contract this virus at some point in time, as most people do, so he is tested routinely for the virus so it can be caught and treated early if and when he does get it.  Jody is no longer on IV’s but he does still have his Hickman catheter in his chest which he flushes daily to maintain patency.

Christmas '14In December our family enjoyed a simple and quiet Christmas at home, just the four of us.  One thing that was missing this year was a 30 foot oxygen line, getting stepped on and yanked beneath the presents and wrapping paper. It’s absence was welcomed.

Hello 2015!In January we celebrated the arrival of the new year with hope that it will be one of healing and change; healing from the last three years of our lives and change as our lives become (ideally) a little less dictated by disease and sickness.  For two years, and especially this past year, we have felt held back and it’s great to feel those reins being loosened.

Jody is now four months post double-lung transplant and since my last post he has continued to improve.  He is still participating in pulmonary rehab three days a week, and his lung function is still climbing.  It’s incredible, and crazy and wonderful!  I wouldn’t doubt Jody will soon hit 100% lung function!  His breathing has never been better!

Jody’s anti-rejection medications come with many side effects and we are still working to manage them.  His blood pressure, which had been high for months following transplant, and was unchanged by an anti-hypertensive drug, is now much lower after the addition of a second blood pressure medication.  The steroid he is on is being tapered down toward the maintain dose he will take for life.  Each time his dose is lowered his blood sugar levels improve.  It is possible that he will be one of those few people who will not be (medication induced) diabetic for life.  We hope that once he reaches his maintenance dose of Prednisone he will be able to stop checking his blood sugar and injecting himself with insulin.  How great would that be?!

Jody seems to be very sensitive to his Tacrolimus, one of the anti-rejection drugs.  His desired blood Tarco level is between 12-14.  This is the range where the drug is most therapeutic for him.  His levels seem to be jumping all over the place, going low at 11 or high at 16.  His dose keeps changing and we have yet to find the perfect fit that keeps him steadily in his desired range.  It’s odd that even on the same dose his numbers fluctuate so much.  This drug is hard on the kidneys and Jody’s kidney function is definitely showing signs of impact from it (and other) medication, especially when his Tacro levels are elevated.  This is a little worrisome to me, a once nephrology nurse, especially knowing that it’s not uncommon for lung transplant patients to eventually need a kidney transplant as well.  Jody’s kidneys have taken a beating through years of potent antibiotics, toxic levels of drugs, and other necessary medications, known to be taxing on these hard-working organs.  Obviously we pray healing and protection over Jody’s kidneys.

Guys Cabin Weekend '15Overall things are going really well.  Jody is breathing independently and enjoying life… cautiously… after all, it is still cold & flu season.  This month he even got to enjoy a fun ‘guys’ weekend away with some friends, something that would have been near impossible a few short months ago.  His new lungs are AWESOME and we remember with gratitude, the person/family who gave them to him.

As I mentioned in the beginning, today is the day Jody has talked about for the past four months.  Today is the day he got his feeding tube taken out!!!  He has hated that thing since the day it went in.  It was put in out of necessity, he hadn’t been allowed to eat for over a week.  Actually, he probably only ate a week and a half out of the five weeks he was in the hospital.  I’m glad for the nutrition this tube provided him during that time, but since coming home, and being given the okay to eat, the tube hasn’t been used (with the exception of daily flushing to clear the tube).  At discharge Jody weighed 100 lbs, today he is 124.  Thank you to the many of you who brought us delicious meals, you played a part in this much needed weight gain.

You might be wondering why Jody’s feeding tube has stayed in this long if it hasn’t been used for the last three months.  Steroids impair healing and because Jody was on such a high dose, his feeding tube hole might not have closed had they taken it out three months ago.  Picture him taking a drink and it immediately coming out his stomach (we’ve seen videos of this).  Each month the doctors have lowered his steroid dose and he is finally at a level where they feel his tube can be pulled without complications.  This is great news because the tube has caused Jody great discomfort.  It is now gone, leaving Jody with yet another scar, proof of all he’s endured on this journey.

Jody’s has now been approved for monthly clinic visits.  It’s so great to be spending less time at Hopkins.  Sometimes he still has appointments there for other reasons, like today, but it’s great to have his transplant appointments less frequently.  For the past year (or more) we’ve been going to Hopkins at least monthly, often even more frequently then that, so I can hardly imagine what it will be like when Jody’s appointments become even more spaced out.  To put Cystic Fibrosis and transplant on the back burner of our lives again seems dreamy.

I warned you this might be a long post.  I’ll end by asking for your continued prayers for protection over Jody during this tough cold and flu season.  Ironically the girls and I have gotten colds (we have them now) but we’ve managed to keep them from Jody (so far).  Our family has avoided the stomach bug and flu that has been spreading like wildfire.  We’ve been warned about how any of these might impact Jody, and would prefer to avoid them (and another hospitalization) altogether.

Thanks again for reading and for your continued care and concern for Jody.  On Saturday he will be celebrating his 43rd birthday… out of the hospital, breathing great and healthy.  One couldn’t ask for much more than that!

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Bump #2

1 Oct

I could probably call this post bump # 4, 5, or 6 after all the little setbacks we’ve had since Jody’s transplant two weeks ago.  However, as you read in my last post, we’ve had our fair share of triumphs too, and we can’t forget those.  Unfortunately, the last two days were those where the setbacks seemed greater than the recovery, and we need your prayers (although I will say that today was a better day than yesterday).

Before I begin let me give you a very basic science lesson.  Our immune system is designed to protect our health.  It recognizes things found in the body that do not belong there and works to attack or fight them off.  The problem with organ transplantation is that the body does not differentiate between bacteria or viruses that should be fought off, or a newly transplanted organ(s), which should not be attacked.  This means, that the body would fight to get rid of the new organs just like it would fight to get rid of a bacterial or viral infection.  Since one doesn’t want the body to fight a new organ, transplant recipients must take immunosuppressants which basically trick the body into thinking the organ belongs there.  My understanding is that of all the organs that are transplanted today, the lungs require the highest doses of immunosuppressants.  Unfortunately this makes one at high risk for infection because it lessens the body’s ability to fight off the bad germs or bugs they encounter.

Since surgery Jody has been hit hard with all sorts of medications.  He’s on huge doses of steroids and immunosuppressants to knock out his immune system and prevent his body from recognizing his new lungs as foreign and attacking them.  As I mentioned above, this puts him at high risk for developing infections.  Hence the gown, glove and mask we must wear.  On Monday (9/29) the docs noticed Jody’s white blood cell (WBC) count, an indication of infection, had more than doubled (from 12 to 26).  Because clinically he had no other signs of infection they figured it might have been a fluke thing and said they’d recheck it the next day.  Yesterday morning (9/30) the WBC’s jumped to 28.  At that point the team felt it was time to start searching harder for signs of infection.  Up to that time all the cultures that were sent (blood, sputum, urine, stool, etc.) had all been negative, meaning no signs of infection.  They looked at all of the lines and tubes he has as a potential source of infection but everything appears normal to the naked eye.  They did culture a few more sources just to be on the safe side.  For the most part Jody looked and felt fine so there was no real concern.  I did notice he seemed a little more short of breath during his am walk but Jody contributed this to increased chest tube pain and I didn’t think much more than that.

As the day went on I noticed it seemed like Jody was getting increasingly more short of breath. His pulse ox or O2 saturation (a measurement of the oxygen level in the blood) stayed around 95%.  The pulmonary team rounded early afternoon and they could see Jody was working harder to breathe, but noted that his O2 sat had remained unchanged.  He looked and felt lousy.  It was a stark difference between the way he looked and felt the day before, when he walked a total of three miles.  The pulmonologists discussed how odd it was that his oxygen level was unchanged.  If there were signs of infection, rejection, etc. they would expect to see his O2 level go down.  About 45 minutes after they left it did (down to 82%-88%).  Dr. Shah is adamantly against putting oxygen on his lung transplant patients and so they just watched his numbers.  They did give him a dose of IV Lasix to help pull off any extra fluid that could have been causing the problem.  This didn’t seem to make a difference.  Dr. Shah also ordered a bronchoscopy for first thing this morning.

Overnight last night Jody’s oxygen saturation remained in the range of 82-88%.  As an OB nurse I often hear parents say they had a difficult time sleeping because they felt the need to watch their baby to make sure he or she was breathing.  This is how I felt about Jody last night.  I could hear his slightly labored breathing and the seemingly constant sound of the monitor, quietly beeping to alert someone of his low oxygen level.  It’s weird to me that the doctors were okay with his O2 level being so low and didn’t feel the need to give oxygen (although I will say he didn’t appear to be in a lot of distress).  I think perhaps the nurses would have liked to have given oxygen, but they have learned the hard way, that Dr. Shah doesn’t like it.  Instead they just watched him.  Jody remembers waking up more than once to multiple nurses standing still over him just watching him breathe.  I did that a time or two myself too.

We were woken up bright and early this morning so that Jody could go down for his bronchoscopy.  We were anxious to find out what this procedure would show.  In pre-op the anesthesiologist looked at Jody’s O2 levels and felt they might need to intubate him and put him on a ventilator (breathing machine) in order for him to tolerate the procedure.  If that happened he would probably need to stay on the vent for a period of time after the procedure and might have even transferred back into the ICU.  I wasn’t expecting this news and became very tearful at the thought of Jody needing to go back on the vent.  When the pulmonologist arrived before the bronch I heard her telling the anesthesiologist that the procedure would be quick and that she didn’t feel endotracheal intubation (breathing tube) would be necessary.  Keep in mind the anesthesiologist was basing his opinion on Jody’s low O2 sat on room air (without seeing how he would respond to supplemental oxygen).  I hoped the pulmonologist was right and thankfully she was, Jody tolerated the procedure without difficulty.  I was told his lungs still look healthy on the inside and that there wasn’t a lot of mucous or junk built up.  That being said, they washed and cleaned out what they could.  The doctor reassured me that this first month post transplant is really hard but that Jody is going okay and is going to get better.

It wasn’t long after the bronch that Jody was transferred back to his room.  Shortly thereafter we were told the doctors ordered a CT scan to rule out a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs).  During this time his O2 sats stayed low so they did finally get permission to give 2L of oxygen.  Around lunch time Dr. Shah stopped by briefly to see Jody.  He said that the CT scan showed that both of his lower lobes are looking pretty “beat up,” and much worse than a week ago.  He seems to believe that Jody could be experiencing what is called ‘silent aspiration.’  This occurs when secretions, food or liquid enter into the airway (and in turn the lungs) and no cough, throat clear or distress occurs.  Think of a time that you swallowed something wrong.  Most likely you began to cough and immediately knew you swallowed incorrectly.  Because of Jody’s impaired ability to cough he could be aspirating without any outward signs of having done so.  The issue with this is that it can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia.  If Jody is aspirating it could also be the result of reflux of gastric contents.

Who knows what caused this sudden, drastic change in Jody’s condition?  Is it infection?  Results of today’s cultures are still pending.  Is it Rejection?  Dr. Shah doesn’t think so.  Dr. Shah’s theory of aspiration sounds like a reasonable one, especially since Jody began eating on Friday, his WBC’s jumped on Monday, and by Tuesday his symptoms began.  Maybe I was wrong about Jody’s ability to swallow (although he did pass his last test with flying colors)?  Either way, tomorrow they will be taking him for a fourth swallowing evaluation.

Today when we learned the results of Jody’s CT scan we asked Dr. Shah if this is something that’s going to resolve and go back to the way it was with Jody breathing easily on his own and his O2 sats in the normal range.  He said he hopes so but there are no guarantees.  There is no way to know if his lungs will recover 100%.  Obviously this is a scary thought for us.  We prayed for these lungs for so long.  We prayed for Jody’s recovery.  We prayed for new life.  Jody’s been given this gift and somehow it feels important, especially for his donor and his/her family, that these lungs work and work well.  We know that God is bigger than any of this and we pray that we’ll get over this bump just as quickly as it came.  We pray full restoration of the damage done.  We pray his oxygen levels will return to normal (I want to see that awesome 100% again).  We also pray against some of the negative side effects Jody is having which result from some of the medication he is on.  Please pray sincerely that God would hear our prayers and bring the healing that Jody needs to move forward.

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