Fewer Infections and Fossling

 Fewer Infections and Fossiling

I healed pretty quickly from my kidney transplant. When all was said and done, it was so much easier than getting a lung transplant. I had my failed graft removed a few months later. I had much fewer complications than after my lung transplant. My care had been switched to another doctor a year or two after my kidney transplant. I did seem to be prone to catching more viruses for some reason. When I would feel like I had a virus, I would go into clinic and get a viral swab to confirm which virus it was. They were more mild viruses than the ones I got before the kidney. I was not really getting as many lung infections, and when I did get infections, they were not as severe as they had been previously. In the past few years, I have usually been able to skip the bronchoscopy and just start a course of IVs and a month of Tobramycin nebulizers.  I haven’t needed to be hospitalized since the kidney transplant.  My health seemed to improve dramatically. I also realized that I had a lot of fear after my lung transplant. My journey had been filled with trauma up until this point and I constantly worried about my health. I saw how fear had also played a role in making me sick. My constant worry had translated into physical manifestations of illness. I was a little more prone to culturing Aspergillosis, most likely because I was now going on hikes in the woods and looking for marine fossils in a brook. I went to the brook pretty frequently for a few years, and I also went to the beach in search of little treasures such as fossils and other beach treasures. I believe this was a contributing factor in my health turning around.  Nature is very healing and I always came home form a day of fossiling with a natural high.

    As I mentioned, I had several Aspergillosis infections over the next few years. I was treated with an antifungal called Posaconazole. I was grateful that this was an oral medicine and didn’t require me to do IVs. There were a few downsides to it though. It came in a small glass bottle, which I did on occasion break. I carried it around with me so I would have it on hand in case I was out of the house when I needed to take it. The medicine needed to be taken four times a day with fatty foods. I kept walnuts by my bedside for my 6 am dose. Thankfully, after a few weeks, I was allowed to reduce the frequency to just twice a day. The biggest downside was that it elevated my liver enzymes. So, for 6 months, the duration of the treatment, my liver enzymes were closely monitored. Thankfully, my liver levels always recovered a little while after stopping the medicine.

 

 

(All the shark teeth I found from the beach and a piece of a bacculite.  I found other treasures such as a large container full of coins I found over the years and a gold plated good luck ring.) 

 

 

(My collection of Brook treasures is pretty big. Here are some of the bigger shark teeth, some pycnodant teeth, Mosasaur tooth, sawfish rostral spine, a sea biscuit, and a shrimp or lobster. I have lots of jars filled with treasures.)