Pepcid post transplant

[kellyt]

My post transplant Pepcid has recently stopped helping me.  I get a little heartburn with almost everything I eat.  Any ideas?  I'm on famotidine, actually (generic).

I did labs yesterday, about 3 months earlier than scheduled, cause I've been having some pains in my kidney area, but not in the kidney itself.  I'm wondering if it might be related to the heartburn?  Maybe gallbladder?  Anyone know?  The pain seems to be a little higher up than my kidney.  But I called my doctor anyway.  It's a pain I haven't felt since transplant so therefore a call was made.  No results today, so I'll be calling Monday a.m.

Any suggestions on the heartburn?

[rsudock]

I have had stomach issues post transplant. This pain you describe does it come at certain times like after eating? I know for awhile after my first transplant I was on pepcid then I switched to nexium. I also tried not to stay upright after eating. Also if you are on prednisone you should lie down for a half an hour after taking it either. Do you take Prednisone? If you do are you taking it would food? I usually take it half way through eating a meal in the morning. That way the pill is sandwhiched between food to protect your stomach.

When I was having gallbladder issues it was not presenting as a "normal" presentation...I had to go and get a second opinion to finally get an accurate test to confirm my bad gallbladder. Most accurate test is callled a hyda scan.

hope this helps!
ps-pretty avatar picture!

xo,
R

[kellyt]

Thanks.  I stopped Prednisone in April 2010.  The pain is really more of a "pang", if that makes sense.  It comes and goes and doesn't feel like stomach pain so much as an isolated pain, like nerve or muscle.  It's hard to explain.  The only thing I'm sure of is that it's new.  It's not scream out pain or bend over clutching your side pain, but it's something different.  I'm not having it right now, but I did have it today.
I'll ask about switching to Nexium.  Maybe the Pepcid isn't working anymore. 

Thanks so much!

[RightSide]

I'll ask about switching to Nexium.  Maybe the Pepcid isn't working anymore. 

Thanks so much!

Nexium is pretty expensive; my insurer wouldn't pay for more than half the cost of it.

If your insurer gives you the same kind of gas (pun intended), you might try Lansoprazole OTC.  It's a fairly strong proton-pump inhibitor, the generic form of Prevacid.

[paris]

Kelly, I have just started having odd pains in the transplant area. Some sharp. I saw the surgeon last week; he feels it is adhesions/ scar tissue.  And also it takes a long time for some nerves to reconnect.   He wasn't concerned, so I will follow his lead.     My oldest son had a tumor removed from his jawline when he was 19. At 40, he still has stinging pains along the surgery site (from under chin to above the ear) and his doctor credits that pain to nerve endings.   BUT, you were so right to call the doctor.  Let us know what they say and also what they are going to do about your stomach.     I'm worried about you!   

[kellyt]

Labs came back good.      Creatinine is still at 1.2.  My Prograf, however, is high again, so we have reduced back to 2/1.  I'll do a Prograf check in one week and I guarantee it will be low and they'll raise me back up to 2/2.  I wonder if he'd consider doing an alternating 2/2, 2/1 Prograf schedule?   

I'm happy that my other labs are good, but still no "reason" for the "pain".  The pain comes and goes and really seems to be a bit higher than my kidney and more centrally located (more left than right).  I'm wondering if it could be gallbladder?  The timing with the hearburn and the pain seems like it could be related, no?

I told my gyno today that it might just be my body rebelling under all this fat!  lol  I need to get busy on that...

Oh yeah, and next week I go for an ultrasound of my hoo-ha to see if I need to go on hormone therapy or whatever to regulate my cycle, which has all of a sudden gone wonky in the last year.   It never ends.   

[Chris]

I am on ranitidine (Zantac) twice a day with meds. I started having chest pains, did some test and they think it is heartburn. I have no idea what heartburn feels like, but the pain happens at odd times and not consistant. The doctors switched me to Nexium, but that did not help and then starting causing problems the more days I took it., so back to Ranitidine I went. I use to be on the famotidine (Ppcid) till insurance did not want to pay for it any longer shortly after having the transplant.
 
As far as the pain goes, I might have something similar, but mine is below the kidney. They tried prescribing a medication that was a hassle for insurance to pay and the one they approved did nothing, so I stopped taking it. Scans show nothing, so I just had to end up dealing with the pain when it occurs. Now it really flares up if I have to wait to use the washroom and continues till I am done.
 
Hopefully your doctors can figure it out.

[jbeany]

Prograf comes in .5 mg.  I'm on 2 am, 1.5 at pm.  Just wondering why they haven't tried that for you.....or would that be too easy to keep track of?   

[natnnnat]

Gregory has been having shocking stomach, head and chest pains lately.  He is assured that they are the result of stress, grief and lots of medication changes.  The stress and grief are because his mother died and his thyroid was removed (cancerous).  The medication changes included a big raise and gradual reduction in prednisolone (from 10mg to 100mg, and now back at 15mg) starting on bactrim and aranesp, and thryoxin to replace his thyroid function.  He has to wait till his body catches up with the med changes.
Maybe this will be useful for you.  Hope they decide its temporary like that, and you can let it settle with time...?

[kellyt]

My tablets are 1 mg and I have been taking 2/2 for a very long time and on occasion in the last two years he'll drop me to 2/1, but then a week later when i redo my labs it's too low.  I think I'm repeating myself, sorry.   

I'm sure after my labs next week he'll try something else.  Too "high" for me is in the 10's and too "low" for me is in the 4's.  I guess that's about right for everyone, no?  My doc likes my Prograf in the 6-8 range, I believe.  How about you?

[Chris]

6 to 8 range for me to either when I am on the 1/1, 2/1, 2/2, or the 3/1 Prograf plan

[kellyt]

I figured out the problem.  Since I have started working mot every night I have been eating those large peppermint Lifesaver candies inorder to keep me from going to the kitchen and eating other horrible stuff.  Apparently, peppermint can cause hearburn.  I stopped eating the candy, maybe one a night, and the problem has resolved.     Thank God.

Thanks everyone!

[Chris]

Better try a diferent flavor?

[kellyt]

Yeah, but I think if I can keep it to 1-2 a night I'll be fine.  I was eating like 4-6.  lol

[Chris]

The mints do seem pretty strong. I miss the original 5 flavors bag, now it's a wild n tangy 5 flavor bag. The butter rum is addicting also, the there are the swirl flavored ones to.