Valcyte - 1 Month / 32 Days

Hello Everyone!

The past month has had its ups and downs, but there has been a fairly good trend in the right direction! Here's a list of some things I'm noticed / has happened since my last entry:

• My neck's lymph nodes have reduced in size. The right one has been enlarged since I first contract the virus that brought me all of this. The left has been enlarged for the last few years. As with most of us, the sicker I've been, the more swollen and painful... This is an encouraging sign!
• The last time I was on the Valcyte, there was an instance where I took an Ambien and had it last for 18 hours. Well, that memory was lost and so, it apparently required repeating. This time it was a Unisom and it lasted 19 1/2 hours before wearing off (that's nineteen and one-half hours). Eek!!
• Since last week, there have been some symptoms of a cold that have been dragging me down. Occasional cough, runny nose and minimal sore throat. Frustrated and cautious as Valcyte supposedly makes us more susceptible to bugs. :-(
• The past week or so, I've had to lie down after taking showers again. Haven't had to do that very often since starting the fludrocortisone (Florinef). Not sure if the Valcyte is messing with my body's ability to use the Florinef or not. Seems to be rather variable on a day to day basis.
• Continuing to have problems with insomnia. Have a plan to block up the window with some foam insulation, but haven't gotten teh energy to do that just yet. Maybe this weekend will work for that.

All in all, it has been a fairly positive first month of this. Hoping the trend continues. Wish me luck!!

=== BY THE NUMBERS: ONE MONTH ===
Weight: 260.6 lbs

Activity Level: ~7 depending on the day

Current Dosing: 900mg Daily in AM

Lab values of note: (Having my second draw tomorrow.)