I am beginning a Double Blind Clinical Study of a new drug that is being researched for MS. A double
blind test means that neither I nor my Doctor will know if I am recieving the actual drug or a placebo (fake).
I begin on July 22nd with my first MRI with an injected enhancing solution. Then on the 31st
I will have my first infusion of the study drug. Every 4 weeks I will have another dose of the treatment and an MRI.
I'm going to be a human pin cushion for the next 6 months. LOTS of injections and blood tests!
The possible side effects are kind of scary, but most of them are rare. Wish me luck as I take
this one step closer to a cure!
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Aug.03/03
I had my first infusion of the study drug last thursday. Everything went well and there
were no adverse effects this time around. My Dr. said that if I have any side effects it will happen next time because by
then my body will have identified the drug as a foreign substance. We'll see what happens then.
So I made it through with a lot of anxiety and a lot of bruising but I'm no worse for the wear! =0)
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Aug. 30 / 03
I had the second infusion of study drug on the 28th. Everything was fine and I haven't had any side effects yet.
I'm always extremely tired afterwards for a day or two but I think some of that can be attributed to my anxiety and inabilty
to sleep the night before.
I have had weekly bloodwork for the month of August but now it will just be once a month. Everything will happen within
a two day stay between the hospital and Rotel, then I'll be done for the month. The study continues until mid January.
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Sept. 15/03
I've just recovered from a slight relapse. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before and this time
I recovered much more quickly. This particular relapse affected the muscle in my neck at the base of the skull. The best way
I can describe it is like the pain and burning you feel if you hold your arm out in front of you until you can't stand it
anymore. The difference is that when you can't do it anymore you just drop your arm and it's gone. The pain and burning in
my neck was not alleviated by anything. It was constant for about two weeks. The last time I had this particular problem it
lasted months so I am overjoyed that it is gone already. My next appointment for an MRI and infusion is Sept. 21.
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Sept. 24/03
My third MRI and infusion was on the 21 and 22. The MRI was fine except for the fact that
the nurse had to put the IV line in the palm side of my wrist. That was very uncomfortable and produced a huge bruise.
The infusion was going fine until about 1/2 way through it when I had a reaction.
I began to feel nauseous and kind of fuzzy, like I was going to pass out or something. It felt like I couldn't breath. The
IV was stopped and the Dr. was paged. He checked my vitals and listened to my heart. After a while I felt better
and because my vitals were normal, I was allowed to resume the treatment. The rest went well. I had no further reaction. Hopefully
that was a one time effect and it won't happen next time. I'm pushing onward! =0)
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October 27/03
October has been a difficult month for me. My friend Kevin took
his own life on October 4th and I have had a hard time dealing with that. I must apologize to the winners in the raffle. I
have not yet sent out your prizes.They will be sent on wednesday.
On October 19/20 I had my MRI and treatment in Ottawa. Everything went well this time. I didn't have any reaction
to the infusion. The only trouble I had was sleeping the night before. Anxiety kept me awake all night. Other than that things
are going well.
