This is Phil checking in this time.  With Thanksgiving just yesterday, I have a lot to be thankful for this year.  My health is returning to normal, slowly but surely.  I had my follow up appointments with the kidney and liver specialists this week, and both kicked me out, stating my liver and kidneys are normal.  The liver specialist told me I could have a beer!  I ran my theory of my having rhabdomyolysis past the kidney specialist, and he thought it was entirely possible, but I also for sure had drug-induced interstitial nephritis.  In English, in retrospect I was thinking about all my symptoms around the start of this illness in early October.  As I was prepping for the colonoscopy, I was dehydrated and already sick with a lymphangitis of the neck (why I was on the Augmentin antibiotic in the first place that made me so sick).  Dehydration is known to cause of rhabdo, which is where your body chews up your muscle and the breakdown of your muscle creates myoglobin.  This is excreted by the kidneys, and is also very toxic to them.  I was trying to explain my 20 lbs muscle loss and figured this may be why, as I had flank pain and red colored urine during this time.  Interstitial nephritis is where the main parts of your kidney get inflamed and cells die.  In my case it was drug-induced from the Augmentin.  The acute liver failure was due to the Augmentin of course as well.  My liver specialist told me that Augmentin is the most common cause of drug-induced liver injuries.  I was very surprised to hear this, as it is such a commonly prescribed drug.  I just had never had it before and found out the hard way that my body does NOT agree at all with it.

The last thing to recover is my CBC (complete blood count).  Due to all the inflammation in my body, I developed “anemia of chronic disease.”  My white count was as high as 65k in the hospital (normal range 4-11k).  My hemoglobin and red blood cells have been really low.  I was learning to live on a 7-8 hemoglobin (normal range 12-15) for 2 months.  This was making me tired, have an elevated heart rate, and slowing me down significantly.  It was also keeping me from adding muscle back on because my body was having a hard time delivering oxygen to muscle and other tissues.  I was plateaued for quite some time at a white count of 20k and a hgb of 7-8.  Finally, two Mondays ago (I get weekly labs) my white count came down to 14k, which allowed my hgb to bump up a point to 9.  This 1 point bump was significant.  I could feel it!  With so much more energy (still not my usual self), but I took it!  Then, this last Monday, my white count dropped to 12k (1k above normal range), and I had an ensuing bump in hgb to 10, with another bump in energy level.

I was able to complete the Turkey Trot with Aiden yesterday.  A couple of weeks ago I had planned on just going out a bit with a light jog/walk, and then turning around and coming back.  But with the hgb of 10 and some trial runs on the treadmill, I was able to hit 5k (3.1 miles) at a very slow jog, but finished nonetheless at 35”!  

Sorry for the longer entry.  I hope this to be the last entry!  A lot of folks have been asking “what really happened,” and hopefully this answers those questions.  Basically just took a drug I had never had before and found out I was extremely allergic to it, and it shut down 2 vital organs.  

But as I sit here with Megan pre-dinner, sipping on an old fashioned, I am well on my way to recovery and thankful for all your support and care over the course of the past 2 months!  I really appreciate the outpouring of love and care from all of your family and friends.  Thank you all so much for everything.

Love,

Phil