My Two Gallon Habit

I'm two weeks into my Tolvaptan adventure and I'm happy to report that liver tested with no change to the pre-medication levels. A shout out to my liver. Way to go! One of the potential side effects of the medication is liver damage (which has been proven to be reversible as long as it's caught early). Discontinuation of the drug causes the reversal. Fortunately, the reported incidence of liver damage is relatively low at only 4-5%. More recently, in large registration trials of long term therapy in patients with ADPKD, serum aminotransferase elevations occurred in 4% to 5% of patients on tolvaptan, compared to only 1% of controls.  Furthermore, clinically apparent liver injury occurred in approximately 0.1% of treated patients.  The time to onset of illness ranged from 3 to 7 months (Case 1), but occasionally arose during long term therapy (Case 2: after 3 years of intermittent use). National Institute of Health Crossing my fingers that we'll be able to incr...

Sat Mar 30 2018 - And the clock is ticking! I was never a scout - but my dad was a scout leader for a while - so that must be where I get my pull (possible neuroses) to always be prepared. So today was a whirlwind (yes, I exaggerate) of activity to get ready for Medication Monday. While  Tolvaptan  can slow down cyst growth in kidneys, there are two big side effects - possible (temporary) liver damage and loss of body fluids (yes, you pee a lot). The liver function is very closely monitored through bi-weekly liver tests that eventually turn into monthly tests and so on. If they find issues, the drug is discontinued, liver function returns to normal and then you either try a lower dose or stop taking it altogether. My prep was not for that side effect. My prep was for what will become my Two Gallon Habit. That's right. Water is soon to become my best friend as well as my worst nightmare. My first stop was Target. With all the time I'll be spending in the bathroom...