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Tacrolimus blood levels: Do yours vary?

Transplants | Last Active: Dec 31, 2022 | Replies (32)

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@hello1234

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!

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Replies to "Hi @rosemarya Thank you so much for your detailed and real world breakfast and adorable fasting..."

@hello1234 you are very conscientious, it inspires me! I’ve struggled with tacrolimus and getting the 12 hour spacing down. I’m back to work and I have faltered on 12 hour spacing (I can be off by an hour or more occasionally). My levels are fairly steady but not always- target range is 6-8 and I now take 1 mg am, 1 mg pm though this may not be enough (liver transplant 14 mo ago).

Since summer I gained 17 lbs which my team said happens as I’m still rebuilding muscle and meds alter metabolism and blood sugar. And yet I have a weakness for getting a cappuccino and muffin in the midday “to perk me up.” 😊. I’m now making changes and joined a gym to build muscle. I am 55 so now is the time!

I hear you about coping with your CKD for many years, the hope and worry for a transplant, and then the aftermath relief and anxiety. It sounds like you’ve come a long way and I honor you. 💜