You have not heard from me lately because Greg has been doing so well! This fall and winter have been such a welcome relief from medical issues and we've really enjoyed life being really "normal" and uneventful.
A few weeks ago, Greg started having some symptoms that concerned us. He was becoming short of breath very easily and we noticed some swelling in his ankles which indicates that he is retaining fluid. He went to the hospital for an EKG and echocardiogram and both came back normal.
Last week he had his annual testing on his heart (this should have happened in November but was delayed due to changes at the hospital). We were concerned that they would find rejection because of the symptoms that he was having. Although they did find that Greg had a lot of excess fluid in his heart, his rejection level was a one, which means they don't have to treat him for rejection! His heart actually seems to be in great shape and they don't think that the fluid retention is being caused by any problem with his heart. They have increased his diuretics and hope to manage his symptoms that way. One guess they have is that his decreased kidney function is contributing to this (you may remember that his kidneys went into failure after the transplant and sustained some damage from that episode). It is a huge relief to know his heart is doing well but it is still concerning to not have an answer to why he is retaining fluid.
We had more great news yesterday afternoon. The type of rejection that Greg developed this summer (Antibody Mediated Rejection) is now completely gone! This is incredible and can only be attributed to God healing him because none of the treatments he went through this summer (including chemo) worked at reducing the AMR. The last time Greg was tested, there was a decrease, but now it is completely gone! We are praising God for this! Being healed of the AMR will make a huge difference in the longevity of his new heart!
We are so thankful for all of you who continue praying for Greg even when you haven't heard an update from us in a while. We would appreciate your prayers that the doctors would be able to determine why he is retaining fluid and that it would be an easy issue to treat. We are so glad to not have more serious issues to ask you to pray for!
Love,
Elise
