Hello
I just received an islet cell transplant at the U. of Minnesota and would like to share my experience with others who might be contemplating this process or are just curious. I have never attempted a blog before and would appreciate any input, or advise on how to do this most efficiently.
I am at day 10 post transplant now and am on about half of my dose of insulin already. At this point, the strategy is to still get insulin from my pump to give the islet cells time to acclimate inside my liver. It has been exciting from the beginning and I am hoping that the best is yet to come!
I hope you’ll share more about your experience, everything from progress to surprises about the experience. I am also curious about the decision for an islet transplant vs. full pancreas transplant. Although islets are not as involved in terms of surgical vs. outpatient, sustained insulin independence is somewhat mixed. Also, have you heard about the UIC Protocol? Its a variation on the Edmonton Protocol, differentiated mainly by the inclusion of Byetta in the ongoing drug regimen, which apparently helps in islet function and replication.|
Hi,
I am still doing well. My total insulin needs are down to about 12 units/day now. I am working on a blog of the whole experience, and hope to be up to present day soon. When I am, I will let you know where it is. thanks so much for your interest, Kathy
I am definitely interested. I will be reading your blog and hopefully learning more. I had a liver transplant 7yrs ago, Matthew was saying he was having second thoughts about the anti rejection medication…do your research there are different ones. The first two I was on damaged my kidneys, the ones I’m on now are excellent so far. I hope this works for you Kathy!!
Hi Kathy,
I’m also really interested to read about your progress and experience. I’m like Matthew and am wondering about those anti rejection drugs and their possible side effects. I’m working on getting myself listed for a transplant.
I am still doing well. I am down to 10 units of insulin/day now, and it is expected to decrease. After the initial blast of immunosuppressant drugs that lowered my wbc count enough to make me feel weak, I have not experienced much in the way of side effects. I now have 2 mouth sores, but they are not that bad. Of course, the true test will be the cold and flu season, but I plan to be extra careful and get my flu shot. Please feel free to ask any questions. I enjoy sharing this experience. Kathy
