Please Pray

I'm asking for prayer. I need relief from this BK virus. I have not slept since it began and it is seriously the worst thing imaginable. For awhile I thought that I might have some relief, but I'm going on two weeks of this and things don't really seem to be progressing.

Through my school account, I was able to finally read some medical journals and studies regarding BKV. For those who experience acute symptoms such as myself, there is a 70 percent cure rate using a drug called cidofovir. I am on this drug and it is given once a week, every Wednesday. Nevertheless, 30 percent of people do not respond to the drug. Because of the high doses of immunosuppressants, I am much more likely to be in that 30 percent category and there is a significant mortality rate associated.

As of now, I drink a gallon of water per day in order to flush the system. However, like a double-edged sword, this leads to increased urination and pain. Typically, there is an hour or two hour period every day where I experience a period where it feels as though I am passing kidney stones. Throughout the remainder of the day, I am using the facilities every 10-30 minutes. If I choose not to use the facilities, the pain increases and I will have further episodes. Because of the lack of sleep, I'm completely disoriented and I'm not healing elsewhere.

I have said that GVHD is the primary concern. That is true, for the long run. However, for now, I need this BK virus gone--not because of pain but because of exhaustion.

I have been trying to keep pain medication to a minimum so that I could be discharged ASAP. I finally realized that I will not be discharged with this virus. Moreover, even if I were discharged, life wouldn't improve as long as this virus remains. I have decided to start taking pain medications with the hope that it might at least knock me out and provide some sleep. So far, it's not working. 2mg of IV dilaudid did absolutely nothing for relief or sleep.