I had a kidney transplant a year ago, and had to take Valcyte ! for a few months. It decimated my White blood cells; specifically, the neutrophils, which are instrumental in fighting infection. I had to stay in the house all the time, and not see anyone. I quit Valcyte, and got a shot to get my WBC up again. It came up slowly. During that time, I became infected with BK virus. I had my meds changed again, increasing the Prednisone and dropping the Cellcept completely. I still have BK virus more than a year later. The Prednisone side effects are not pleasant, but at least I’m not on dialysis.