Day 4. Countdown

(If you're new to this blog you may want to read day 1 and 2)

361 days left.

I committed to a year of Imuran therapy as a treatment for my Behcet's disease. My Rheumatologist told me it would take a year to see if my body is responding to the medication...Bad news; I'm taking these drugs for the next year. Good news; he thinks I'm going to live a year...hell yeah!!!

There are a couple of factors that could change this goal.

1. If I have a certain gene that will not allow my body to metabolize the medication therefore causing it to build up in my system. We'll find out after my first bi-weekly blood draw.

2. If my liver starts to show signs of damage.

3. If Dr. Yazici disagrees with my current treatment. I see him at the Behcet's clinic in New York next month.

4. If we don't start to see some improvement. I'm still not sure if improvement means my lungs will start to get bigger or they just won't get any smaller, frankly my idea of improvement would be either of those. Lack of improvement may result in increasing my dosage (that would be a major bummer and would really piss me off).

My ultimate goal is to temporarily stop these meds in a year (361 days to be exact) and become pregnant. If this medication proves to be a success I will need to take it for the rest of my life (besides while pregnant and nursing) This is the countdown to live baby (another blog) number 3.

SYMPTOM UPDATE:
My canker soars are horrible and incredibly painful. As soon as I think they are getting better they get worse. Since they are also a product of my overactive immune system I find myself using their progress as a way to judge my lungs' progress. I shouldn't do that, it's a real downer.

BEHCET'S FRIENDS:
Something to look forward to; a friend of mine may have found a gentlemen with the same rare disease and rare symptom! Thank you God!!!