"All good news"
I had my periodic appointment with Dr Villa Forte at Cleveland Clinic today. She said my most recent flare that began in August is almost a thing of the past. My labs are either normal or trending toward normal. My lungs are clear and vitals are good. My ears and sinuses are stable. The blood in the urine, after microscopic examination, shows that the cells are "shells" indicating the flare is in the past. Rituximab rocks!
I asked her what indicators she was zeroing in on in my case. Creatinine, eGFR (measure of kidney filtration effectiveness), sed rate, and C-RP. She said that because these indicators are either normal or trending that way, the flare is pretty much over, and I'm trending toward remission.
I asked about the bloody crusting and nosebleeds. She said the inside of my nose shows damage from GPA. It's also very dry, so she prescribed the Clinic's proprietary nasal ointment (no antibiotic in it) and use of a neti-pot rinse daily.
The pred taper will continue at 5 mg/wk down to 20 (2 more weeks to there), then 2.5 mg/wk down to 10. Once I'm at 10, we'll discuss the rate from there on down.
My doctor, my wife, and I are very pleased with my progress. I'm blessed!
Last edited by Pete; 12-14-2013 at 10:10 AM.
Pete
dx 1/11
"Every day is a good day. Some are better than others." - unknown
"Take your meds as directed and live your life as fully as you can." - Michael Chacey, MD
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and delivered baby Joshua January 2013 
(Welcomed Baby Joshua)
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