Just a virus then

I've had a good series of indecisive wobbles over the last few days. Having been offered the FOB on Friday morning and turned it down, I woke up on Friday feeling not so hot and my blows were down so I rang again. They managed to squeeze me in and so I did get the FOB after all. Karthick (sp?), the doc doing the bronch said he'd take a look and use his judgement whether to take a biopsy to check for rejection. When I woke up on the ward he said he'd seen inflammation of the upper airway and that was consistent with a virus, and lower down looked ok so he didn't take the biopsy.

Today I went back to clinic and the tests from the bronchi didn't grow any bacteria (so no antibiotics) but did grow adenovirus, i.e. a cold.

So it seems I have a virus and will just have to wait to get better. As the doc said today 'unfortunately you are in the land of normal people for this one - nothing we can do'.

Reassuring I guess but I'd really like that lung function back, and whatever is said I know I'll be anxious until my blows are back to normal.


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Fobbing indecision

How can you tell a virus from a bacterial infection from rejection? Good question and it seems neither me or my doctor can work it out. It is more and more apparent to me as I go down the post-transplant time line that this whole thing is basically educated guesswork, and the doctors seem to agree and say as much.

I went to clinic last Tuesday, just over a week ago, and was given Jas' post-1 yr anniversary blessings, had a positive chat, and he said he didn't need to see me until January. My blows were a bit down, but hey, it's probably a little virus and nothing to worry about. 'Ring us if they continue to drop'.

So I rang on Friday when things, instead of being about 5% under my best dropped to 10% under my best. I was told to wait and monitor over the weekend and see how it goes. So I did. And it was up and down a bit but on Monday was still bad, and I was complaining of chest aching and tenderness, especially on my right side, preventing me sleeping on that side.

So today I went back to clinic and my blows were marginally lower than a week previously, but not a massive drop. I talked to the doc at length and he eventually decided to FOB me this afternoon, just to check for rejection. But then they said they'd have to cancel my bronch as there wasn't room (which I took as code for a bit of triage going on and me being a borderline case and dropping off the bottom of the list...)

So here I am writing this instead of having bits chopped out of my lungs. They offered me Friday am as an alternative but that would totally ruin fireworks night and the weekend, so I've gone for next Tuesday - clinic again and then, if required, a FOB. Doc seemed happy with that approach.

With a bit of luck it'll sort itself out over the weekend. Here's hoping.

Problem is that a normal person, if they get a respiratory virus, might feel a bit tight in the chest or have a bit of a cough, but wouldn't know if their lung function was affected. If you are a post-tx person then you are measuring those blows every day and so see every little variation and who's to say that a normal person wouldn't also see a 10% drop if they had a cold?

Just need to try harder to avoid getting the viruses in the first place...if it is a virus and not rejection...and won't know that till next Tues...