Yep, it is official. I am now enrolled in a phase 1 clinical trial. And I am thankful for this opportunity. I still feel like this is the best chance of stopping or slowing the progression of the cancer.
This is a "targeted therapy" meaning you have to shop at Target to qualify for the study. KIDDING! Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. A targeted therapy uses drugs to attack specific types of cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Two drugs will be used and both have been used in studies before so some of the "possible side effects" are already known and as a study participant, I will be closely monitored for any of those possibilities. One drug, afibercept, will be given in a pill form...three days on, four days off. The first couple of times I take the pill I will have do be monitored by a nurse at MDA. Apparently some patients do not take pills correctly! The second drug, MLN0128, will be given as an IV infusion twice a month. For that I will have to go down to the main campus, but it should be a two hour process...not the 6-7 hours like before!
There has been a lot of scheduling and rescheduling going on since my visit yesterday. The study coordinator is doing a great job of looking at my schedule and realizing that a 2:30pm appointment followed by a 7:20pm appointment does not make much sense and requesting the necessary changes. Of course her attention to my schedule could be a result of my many phone calls yesterday saying "really...?" Don't worry, I will make it up to her...I will bake her some cookies next time I see her.
As it stands right now, I will start with the infusion on Sept 11th, and the pills start the following day. The second infusion will be Sept 25th. I assume I will continue with this pattern of treatment unless I develop an adverse effect that would cause me to go off the study.
That's it! That is all I know. But I continue to feel God's peace with this latest development.
What I do know is that I will ask you to pray for me as I start this treatment...that God would continue to protect me from any harmful side effects and that He will continue to bless me with feeling great and being joyful for all He has done. And that He would comfort Bruce, Lindsey (and all the Austin gang) and Travis (and all the Houston gang) as we walk into this unknown praying for God's will and not our own.
I will keep you posted if anything major happens. Otherwise, know that I am God's mighty, healing and all knowing hands.
Love to you all,
Dee Dee
This is a "targeted therapy" meaning you have to shop at Target to qualify for the study. KIDDING! Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. A targeted therapy uses drugs to attack specific types of cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Two drugs will be used and both have been used in studies before so some of the "possible side effects" are already known and as a study participant, I will be closely monitored for any of those possibilities. One drug, afibercept, will be given in a pill form...three days on, four days off. The first couple of times I take the pill I will have do be monitored by a nurse at MDA. Apparently some patients do not take pills correctly! The second drug, MLN0128, will be given as an IV infusion twice a month. For that I will have to go down to the main campus, but it should be a two hour process...not the 6-7 hours like before!
There has been a lot of scheduling and rescheduling going on since my visit yesterday. The study coordinator is doing a great job of looking at my schedule and realizing that a 2:30pm appointment followed by a 7:20pm appointment does not make much sense and requesting the necessary changes. Of course her attention to my schedule could be a result of my many phone calls yesterday saying "really...?" Don't worry, I will make it up to her...I will bake her some cookies next time I see her.
As it stands right now, I will start with the infusion on Sept 11th, and the pills start the following day. The second infusion will be Sept 25th. I assume I will continue with this pattern of treatment unless I develop an adverse effect that would cause me to go off the study.
That's it! That is all I know. But I continue to feel God's peace with this latest development.
What I do know is that I will ask you to pray for me as I start this treatment...that God would continue to protect me from any harmful side effects and that He will continue to bless me with feeling great and being joyful for all He has done. And that He would comfort Bruce, Lindsey (and all the Austin gang) and Travis (and all the Houston gang) as we walk into this unknown praying for God's will and not our own.
I will keep you posted if anything major happens. Otherwise, know that I am God's mighty, healing and all knowing hands.
Love to you all,
Dee Dee
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