Side Effects

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I guess I spoke too soon about not having any side effects from my medications.

I have been seeing signs of side effects. My biggest concern is I am now extremely sensitive to salt. Every time we dine out, I gain at least two pounds. Before transplant, this did not happen to me (or so I would like to think). I could eat out at a restaurant or at the cafeteria, and not worry about bloating. These days, even at the end of the day, I can feel that I am retaining water. It can get so uncomfortable that I often have to wear loose pants (I cannot wait until it is warm enough that I can wear a skirt). If we get away for the weekend, forget it – It’s an automatic five pound swing.

I am not too concerned about the clothes. I like loose-fitting clothing anyways (except for the occasional skinny jeans). My primary concern is that the constant weight fluctuations cannot possibly be healthy for me.

I am also very tired in the morning and get really hit with a huge mid-afternoon slump. I used to think that this was not a big deal since a dose of caffeine usually puts me back on track. However, lately, I have been getting so tired that I cannot get up in the morning. Back when I was on dialysis, I felt that had more energy in the morning than now.

Fortunately, it can be fixed by a cup of coffee or chai. My lethargy when I was dialysis can last the entire day.

After my recent visit with my transplant nephrologist, I think we figured out part of the reason. One of my blood pressure medications – Minoxidil – is sensitive to sodium and therefore causing water-retention.  It may also be the culprit for my morning lethargy, but neither the doctor nor the nurse mentioned that the medication is causing that. Minoxidil does cause hair to grow in places where you do not want it (It is commonly known as Rogaine).

Unfortunately, now that it is a year after my transplant, my blood pressure medication is managed by my primary nephrologist. I now have three doctors: the transplant nephrologist, my primary nephrologist, and my primary care doctor. It really does make managing my medication a bit complicated. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for having so many doctors, each with their own specialty, managing my care.

I did e-mail my primary nephrologist to ask for his opinion – possibly lowering the dosage. However, all he did was prescribe a Lasix, a potent diuretic which I am a bit hesitant in taking. I had a bad experience with diuretics, and I really do not want to take one more pill. Perhaps we can present our case better when we meet him in person.

So in the meantime, I am taking some steps to minimize the side effects. We minimize dining out to reduce our sodium exposure. It still takes me 2-3 days to remove the weight that I gain when we eat out.

I am also allowing myself time to get up: I gradually sit up until my body is fully awake. So far, it seems to be working.

I guess we wait… until my next doctor visit.

What do you all think? Let me know; I am very interested in your input and feedback.