Sunday, May 30, 2021

Day 57

 As we approach day 58 on the journey, we don't have a great deal of news to share.

Laura has done a great job in pulmonary rehab and has graduated from the program, given here a diploma from Duke University. She continues to attend rehab daily for 90 minutes to ensure she stays in shape.
We have had a hiccup. Over the past few weeks, Laura's kidney function has declined, causing some concern about the condition they would be in during and post-transplant. The doctors changed several meds to limit the stress on the kidneys, but that comes at the cost of worsening lung function. Airflow is at 7 lpm rest and 10 during a workout.
We have meetings with the kidney team next week to discuss a kidney transplant, and we will work with them to explore the need for a living donor. Hopefully, we will have a game plan and some definitive next steps.
Durham has been great. The people are fantastic, the staff at Duke has been terrific, and there is some great food.
Thanks again for all the support.
Cheers
May be an image of food and indoor
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Saturday, May 1, 2021

Hello to all,
A delayed update, apologies.
Laura is progressing well in her workouts with the PT team. She is now walking 20-25 with no stopping and then jumps on the bike for another 20, of course with plenty of supplemental oxygen. The PT is very pleased with the progress and has progressed to the independent class as she no longer needs the guidance.
Laura is progressing well in her workouts with the PT team. She is now walking 20-25 with no stopping and then jumps on the bike for another 20, of course with plenty of supplemental oxygen. The PT is very pleased with the updates and has progressed to the group class as she no longer needs the guidance.
We spent a full day with the medical team last week for a complete review. All is good, except for Laura's creatinine numbers. This is a measure of kidney function. Given all the meds that she is on, some adjustments are being made. We hope the numbers will lower soon by lowering some of the antirejection drugs and other medications that address edema.
Correcting this issue will be the focus. She will not be listed with high creatinine numbers, and we are hoping to avoid a kidney transplant.
The other news is that we will finally move out of the hotel!!! We found a great place on the top floor of a new building (w elevators). Great light, big outdoor space that will be great until the bugs of summer arrive.
Durham has been great. The food is amazing. Laura and I are both hitting our weight gain goals. We found a delicious French Bakery and had cream puffs and chocolate croissants for breakfast. Healthy living!
Thank you all for the support. Appreciate everything you all do.
Cheers,
Kevin and Laura