Yesterday Penny signed the consent form for the new study. Today we received the treatment schedule. The first treatment day will be May 31, and there will be a visit to the clinic the day before to do some baseline bloodwork. No overnight hospital stay is required this time, but the first day will be a long one -- 14 hours. Blood will be drawn periodically to measure the amount of the study drug at various times after taking the oral med.
Between now and the start of treatment there will also be a CT scan and an echocardiogram, but neither of those has been scheduled yet. The biopsy has been waived. The easiest thing to biopsy is also the best site to measure the performance of the drug, and there are some potential complications with other sites due to scar tissue from previous surgeries and the history of blockages.
We learned yesterday that Penny will be the second person at the second dose level for this study. (The lucky first person gets to have an extra 5 consecutive days of testing at the start.) The consent form suggests that between 3 and 12 people had the first dose level. So there are lot of unknowns about what the side effects might be. We'll just have to wait and see.
For now, we'll enjoy a couple of weeks of spring while things are a bit more predictable.
Comments
Marie VanderLinde : Praying for a sweet time this next 2weeks, and minimal side effects once the treatments start. And that the treatments effectively shrink the tumors!! Marie and Scott
Bonnie Mulder: Praying for minimal side effects and that this new pathway is a fruitful one toward healing - and for grace and goodness along the way.
Pamela Plantinga: I'm thankful that Penny was chosen for this, and I'm praying that the new drug works amazingly well, with few side effects. May 31 is on the calendar.
Kimberley Carlos Belez: We are praying for lovely spring days for you! We are also praying for God's peace as you wait for the new study, and for minimal side effects! We love you!! Kimberley & Carlos
Stacy DeRuiter: Hoping for big main effects and minimal side effects!