Another lesson learned

One of the things the doctors impress on you before you begin treatment for rejection is the fact that Solumedrol has some nasty side-effects. I think I mentioned problems with sleeping, increased appetite, indigestion, dizziness, and weakness. If I didn’t, I should have.

Another thing you need to be careful about is your blood sugar. The array of medications that transplanted people are already taking tends to lead to at least steroid induced diabetes. For that reason, most of us measure our blood sugar every morning and every night. In my case, the transplant team wanted to keep my normal level under100. Being realistic, they accepted 150.

Solumedrol can make that number spike through the ceiling. It’s not a surprise to see it jump to as high as 400. The doctors told us that. We knew that. But it can be controlled with injections of insulin. No problem. All you have to do is take your blood sugar before every meal -- morning, noon, and night. Then inject the indicated amount of insulin.

But what happens if you’re feeling so good about your recovery a few things slip your mind? Like lunch? We found out last night. When Harriet got home about 7pm and noticed that I was flushed. With a silly grin. About twenty minutes later, we finally decided to check my blood sugar: 514.

We followed the instructions in the Transplant Handbook. I took 18 units of insulin and said “Duh!” Everything was fine this morning.