Post Christmas Kidneys

*sigh* Got a phone call this morning from Big City Hospital. It would seem that my creatinine levels are continuing to climb. Creatinine is an indicator of how well the kidney is working. If it starts to build up in your blood stream, it can be an indicator that the kidneys aren’t working up to snuff. Normal is 0.5-1.1 mg/dL. Last month mine was 1.3 mg/dL, and Tuesday mine was 1.4 mg/dL. Not dangerously high, but not good either.

There are quite a few reasons that this could be happening. The immunosuppressant I’m on, Prograf (tacrolimus), can put a strain on the kidneys. Verapamil, a heart medication I’m also on, can magnify this, as can triamterene, which is a diuretic I’m taking. They want more bloodwork done in two weeks, and I’m supposed to start drinking more. So much on cutting back on missed time due to doctor’s visits.

I’m debating with myself whether or not to call Dr. Liver and let him know. He’s the one who has me on the diuretic, and I’m wondering if maybe we should back off on that for the time being. I hate getting too many doctors into the mix, but I’m not comfortable with the rising creatinine levels, and I’m not convinced that increasing my liquid intake is the answer.

And I certainly don’t want to throw myself into kidney failure. I’ve had enough transplants for one lifetime.

The Socialist is home, and settling back into routine. We spent last night playing cards (gin, and I was winning, thanks for asking), talking, and partaking of other traditional welcome-back customs.

With his return came a small assortment of gifts from his family. The cats made out like the little bandits they are. A multi-colored cat-sized pup tent now ornaments our living room, along with two cat-sized multi-colored fabric tubes. The Grey Menace took to those immediately, claiming them for her own. Clueless was poking about the pup tent for a bit, since he’s also a cat intrigued by things he can climb into, but several ambush pouncings by the ex-Kitten have convinced him that he’s really not all that interested in them after all. The Warrior Princess remains above it all, though I did catch her poking her head in one of the tubes while the little Menace was hiding in it, stalking Clueless.

The Socialist’s mom gave me a $40 gift certificate to Kohl’s. I haven’t decided yet what to use it on. I hate to just walk in and make an impulse purchase with this, what with my new resolve to keep to a sensible budget. But the darned card is burning a hole in my pocket. It’s crying out, begging to be spent. I’m going to have to devote some serious think time to this.

The Socialist finally got his presents from me. He seemed to like the ornaments, so I guess those 30+ hours spent making them were well worth it. I also gave him a “camel pack”; a backpack that includes a reservoir that can be filled with two liters of water. When we head west we always spend time hiking in the desert, and this should come in very handy for longer trips. Finally, I got him a couple of bottles of massage oil. The last present was really a cheat, since that’s really more for both of us, and not just for him. I didn’t hear him complaining though