And the beat goes on

It is 2014 and I am now over 12 years post diagnosis.  When I was first told I had cancer and had a chance to research my particular brand of cancer, I thought I had a 50% chance of getting to 10 years and, yet, I continue to roll.  I have certainly had road bumps along the way but I am hoping that I am going to be able to continue for another 12 years.

I got another speed bump in the first week of December when I had a bilateral stent replacement.  This was a procedure to replace the stents in my ureters that allow my kidneys to continue to filter my blood and generate urine.  In the first week of November, I got scheduled for the procedure and a minor infection was detected in my urine so I was given some antibiotics to clear that up.  Unfortunately, one of the antibiotics I was given was Bactrim.  Upon removal of my stents, one was completely blocked and the combination of that with the Bactrim punished my kidneys even more.

Back in late August, I had a creatinine level of 2.6 which indicates damaged kidneys ( ~1.0 is normal) but, just before the procedure, I was measured at 6.9 which indicates considerable kidney underperformance.  Four days after the procedure, it has declined to a 4.9 and, three weeks later, had dropped to 4.5.  What this means is that the kidneys are recovering some but it also implies that I am not returning to the prior level of kidney performance.

We spoke with a nephrologist (kidney doctor) today and she also felt that my kidneys would continue to recover and, fortunately, I am not in need of dialysis at this time.  I am not retaining fluid and my electrolyte levels are at an acceptable level so, as long as we maintain this situation, I should be able to continue without dialysis.  Of course, it also means that I need to be exceptionally cautious about anything that may damage my kidneys further as I don't have much margin for safety.

I am still awaiting the results of my blood tests to find out if the I-131 treatment beat back the tumors some but don't know if the recent kidney changes allow for further applications.  I will be sure to post those numbers when I get them (probably within the next week or so).