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Jan. 26th, 2007 01:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
labellementeuseI mentioned, I think, that in order to avert a probable splenectomy I was going to try a treatment for my ITP while I was up here called rituximab or mabthera. The idea behind rituximab (which is usually used in post-chemo lymphoma patients, ironically enough) is that it targets the B cells which produce the antibodies that attack platelets, causing low platelet count blah blah boring blah. Anyway, I had four IV treatments, one a week for four weeks, and saw my platelet count come way up - like, 253, which is the highest it has ever been, as far as I know. Certainly the highest since last January. I didn't say anything here at the time because I'm paranoid and in some studies, although nearly all patients saw a dramatic increase, for about a third of them their count came right down again. However, I halved my prednisone intake and yesterday I had another test and my count... is still 253 (basically a fluke, being the same number, but hey.) So I halved it again, I'm now on 15mg every two days and I am just so relieved, guys. No splenectomy for me, nuh-uh! :)
The other health thing that I've been explicitly avoiding mentioning is that I've been on a sort-of diet, if you can call cutting all the crap out of my diet and going to the gym twice a week a diet. Whatever since mid-November I've lost 11 kilos and made my short-term goal (80 kilos. Yeah, I was 91 kilos, no, I don't really want to talk about it.) So, basically... I feel really great and totally capable of meeting my long-term goal (~65kgs) by May, June at the latest.
To top it all off? I got given six pairs of socks for Christmas and I still have five matching pairs. \o/
Now I have to find a final flatmate. Yeah, one of my flatmates dropped out. Yeah, I am kinda getting deja vu from last year. *rips out hair gently*
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Date: 2007-01-26 02:37 am (UTC)It makes you feel so good when you achieve things like that :)
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Date: 2007-01-26 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-26 03:18 am (UTC)*eyes cross*
Moral of the story:
Yay for your spleen!
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Date: 2007-01-26 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-26 03:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-26 06:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-26 05:54 am (UTC)65kg seems fricken light to me. Still, I'm sure you've done the maths ;-) and won't be putting yourself at risk.
A pox on all chronic auto-immune dysfunctions! I think I mentioned my 20+ year tour of ME (ackshully, must be getting close to 30 if my vet is right about the age of the glandular fever antibodies) which, yeah, not buckets of fun. You get used to it, sort of :-| but the novelty of taking lots of different drugs according to the latest theories does tend to pall after a while. I hope you recover to the point that the prednisone disappears completely.
(Of course, you know that the prednisone is totally guily of causing weight retention)
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Date: 2007-01-26 05:55 am (UTC)[sigh]
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Date: 2007-01-26 07:04 am (UTC)Yeah, you've mentioned the ME. :-/ My best friend's mother and brother have both got ME quite seriously (and I'm deeply concerned about the same friend developing it, after a recent very bad bout of glandular fever and the fact that she gets absolutely every disease coming down the line...) so I do know a little bit about what a mess it can make. I'm just relieved that this has been fixed up and I have really high hopes for being able to come off pred - the last time I was on an equivalent dose my count was significantly lower, 60-80, so I'm confident that I'm not just being supported by the steroids now. which is really a big relief to me. it's difficult for me to be reall happy about it because one of my best friends' partner is very seriously ill right now... I don't want to talk about my health improving, I feel guilty I guess. so yeah, it's a relief.
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Date: 2007-01-26 07:49 am (UTC)Plus, I weigh about 68 right now. Was up near 80 about five months ago.
So hey, go find some stress, that'll help! :p
Whats the recommended weight for your height etc, if its not too personal?
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Date: 2007-01-26 08:19 am (UTC)About 65, I think. Hang on... yeah, between 53 and 70 kilos, according to the first google result. I used to be really skinny, so I guess ideally I'd be sixty or so, but I would be happy with 65, I think. I'm about five foot six and a half... bang on 170 cm, IIRC.
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Date: 2007-01-26 08:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-26 08:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-26 09:06 am (UTC)We're playing in Wellington on the 16th and 17th of Feb, by the way. Hopefully you can make it to one show or the other!
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Date: 2007-01-26 09:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-26 03:01 pm (UTC)I think I weigh something like 44 to 46 kilos. . . I don't really know. I know I used to weigh 44 because I needed that number to do a calculation in physics class last year, but I think I've put on weight at university xD.
YAY!
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Date: 2007-01-26 09:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-26 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-28 07:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-28 02:53 pm (UTC)The meal plans at my university work on a declining balance thing, ie you have X dollars on your meal plan card (also your student card) and it's very much buffet style, and you get what you want and pay only for what you get. And you're allowed to do this as much as you want, providing you still a) have money on your card and b) the caf is open. So, like me, you can eat a salad at lunch, feel hungry an hour later, and go back down for some chicken fingers or something.
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Date: 2007-01-28 07:37 am (UTC)