4/22/26

 Ethan seems to be feeling better. Much better. The doctor said that all of his screening so far has come back negative and we needed to change the rejection medication doses just a little bit to compensate for potentially processing his medications differently.

The doctor also wanted to add in another medication that will help lower Ethan‘s LDL (bad cholesterol). He has been struggling with this number being too high. His Team did try that other medication. That is the one which threw his kidneys into a tailspin as a “rare side effect”. We had to discontinue due to decreased kidney function

His Team wants to start a new medication.  I’m worried, so I did some reading. I was researching if his current medication will have any contraindications with his new medication. and I found out that it typically doesn’t. We all know that Ethan‘s not typical.  As I dug a little deeper, I discovered some “rare” side effects.

I reached out to the team. I voiced my concern. I learned that  sometimes when the these two medications are used together, they can cause what’s called a myopathy. Myopathy is a fancy way of saying muscle weakness. That doesn’t sound good.

I want Ethan to be informed of the “rare side effects” of these two medication’s used together. I can understand that the benefits of adding this medication can protect the heart, which out weighs the risks.

When Ethan got home I let him know about the medication and the “rare” side effect. He said “oh geez! I am probably going to have that.” 

We went over what symptoms he should look for. We also decided to wait a few days (with the team’s blessing) until Ethan is completely back to normal before adding something new to the mix. That way he can really pay attention to how he is feeling.

Paul did the cutest thing today. He bought a pair of padded steps so that Jiminy and Ferguson can go up and down them to get onto the couch. Ferguson likely won’t use them. I think his eyesight limits him. His depth perception is skewed because of his cataracts. 

Jiminy practiced going up and down them. He needs more practice, but I think he is going to get the hang of it. If I get apples out he will certainly practice. 

I was able to get a few things done around the house this evening including my fitness and getting the dogs out to enjoy the sunshine a little bit. Everyone was making vitamin D.