Guðmundur Felix reports signs of rejection in transplanted arms

Guðmundur Felix Grétarsson is being treated for signs of rejection in his transplanted arms and believes his recent cancer treatment may have triggered the reaction, mbl.is reports.

Grétarsson, who underwent a double arm transplant in 2021, shared the update in a video posted on Facebook on Thursday. He said treatment for the rejection symptoms began about two weeks ago. A tissue sample indicated that the reaction was linked to immune responses in the transplanted arms.

He said cancer treatment, blood tests and repeated needle placements in his arms may have contributed. He described the situation with humour, saying it was now the arms rejecting him, rather than the other way around.

Grétarsson was diagnosed with cancer in his nose this summer and had surgery to remove it in August. Radiotherapy, which had been due to start two weeks ago, was delayed after doctors found a suspicious change in his nose. He was put under anaesthetic last week so the change could be examined. The results showed it was not cancer, he said, and he began radiotherapy on Thursday.

He said he hoped the treatment would bring this chapter of his illness to an end. Despite the challenges, he remains optimistic and said things are otherwise going well. He also celebrated 19 years of sobriety on Thursday.