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← Return to Tacrolimus blood levels: Do yours vary?
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Tacrolimus blood levels: Do yours vary?
Transplants | Last Active: Dec 31, 2022 | Replies (32)Comment receiving replies
I have my iphone reminder set for 8 AM and 8 PM, except for Sunday morning when I set it for 7 AM because I need to leave home at 7:15 AM for early Mass. My primary goal is to keep the 12 hr schedule. so, sometimes before or after I eat breakfast. My husband and I enjoy going out for breakfast, and going for donuts after our fasting lab appointments! Vacation and social events make life interesting and take some planning. Of course the PM dose is several hours after I have eaten.
As I said in a previous post, my priority is the 12 hour schedule.
Early after my transplant, I asked my nurse and Physician Assistant about eating before or eating after because I was struggling with coordinating both. I was told that I should do whatever works best because I would be taking these meds for life...and that whatever I had been doing was working for me. I like Simple!
Keep in mind that my body, my transplant, my medical history are not the same as yours, or anybody else. This works well for me. 🙂
Does this give you any ideas for managing your meds? Has your transplant team indicated whether you should take your meds with or without food?
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Hi @rosemarya
Thank you so much for your detailed and real world breakfast and adorable fasting lab donut scenario! 😊 I was told by my nurse coordinator and the Mayo pharmacist that I could take my meds with or without food, but try to stick with one or the other so the med level stays as steady as possible. It's just lately that my Tac numbers are bouncing around a little more than normal. I am thinking it is related to what I eat and how much I have been eating for breakfast changes daily. Unfortunately, I love breakfast foods and sometimes I treat myself to more food than other days...some days eggs and bacon, sometimes pancakes, french toast, side of hash browns, oatmeal, etc .....they are all my FAVORITES.
Honestly speaking, I have definitely been indulging in some emotional eating lately. I put on an extra five pounds.
I think a larger amount of food affects my Tac number so I will need to be more disciplined moving forward.
The stress of a lifetime of CKD, then waiting and praying for the transplant, then getting the transplant, and then the stress of the CMV virus, the fear of covid, and now the stress of the BK virus has finally caught up to me emotionally and breakfast foods have become my little stress relief habit. I am going to need to change that bad habit to get my Tac number steady again. ❤
Thank you for always being there Rosemary and sharing your thoughts and experiences. It means a lot to me. I wish you a very Happy New Year filled with all good things!