We all attended Survivor Class today and what I got out of it was this...while on Tacrolimus (anti-rejection drug) Jo needs to take every precaution you can think of. "Tacro", as the cool people say, suppresses Jo's new immune system (from Eddie) to keep it from taking any violent action against its new surroundings.
A supressed immune system makes ordinary, every-day activities somewhat dangerous. I'm talking about everything from working in the yard, walking barefoot, un-protected sun exposure, eating fresh fruits, vegetables or raw seafood, social functions with groups of people, home renovations, being around children that may have received "live" vaccinations, etc. Because Tacro suppresses her immune system, her body is extremely vulnerable to a lot of things...wait a minute...isn't that what Dr. Anderlini said last week?
The bad news is that any sort of infection or even a common cold while on Tacro probably results in a trip to the Emergency Room.
Here's the good news. The average patient takes Tacro for 6 to 9 months and then tapers off of it. Once Jo is off Tacro for good, she'll start getting re-vaccinated - all baby shots and all childhood shots have to be redone. It'll take about 2 to 2 1/2 years to get all those vaccines and to get her immune system back to full strength. At that point, the list of trouble activities is virtually eliminated.
The other big thing I heard several times was to watch out for the temptations that come with feeling as good as Jo feels right now. On a daily basis, Jo can tell she feels great, but she can't tell how suppressed her immune system is. We even ran into some friends on the shuttle that went through a transplant 3 years ago. The lady told me the best advice she could give us was to be extra careful about everything for the first couple of years.
After Survior class we felt the need to celebrate...with Spinach Dip!
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