Study

We met with a Dr. at Anschutz Cancer Pavillion at University of Colorado Hospital yesterday afternoon. He and his assistant reviewed my records. The assistant did a gross physical exam and asked questions. Then the doctor came in to talk. He had a Phase II study available for a drug called AZD0530 for people who have previously-treated advanced pancreatic cancer. The hope is that the study drug blocks the growth signals in tumor cells and may stop the tumor cells from spreading.

The side effects are not bad, and it requires a minimal amount of time. Two pills a day, blood work after two weeks, and each cycle lasting 28 days. There may be a CT scan before starting. There will be a tumor biopsy after the first two months. If things look good after two rounds I can just continue on it until it is no longer effective.

It looks much easier to work around than the Phase I studies I had looked at. I'm hoping that this will be my magic bullet. I am waiting for a call back to schedule my first appointment to sign the consent forms, etc. There will be only 5 people in this area participating in this study encompassing 36 people around the country. I told the Dr. to save me a seat.
So, hopefully next week I will have an appt set up to get the ball rolling.

I've been taking Percocet at night to relieve some upper abdominal discomfort. The Dr. told me to stop taking it as it has Tylenol in it and that is not good for my liver. He gave me a prescription for Oxycodone which doesn't have the Tylenol. He also said that I should be taking it to get my discomfort down to a static level, rather than suffering during the day and then only taking it at night. I told him that it would throw a curve into my independence and ability to be able to do things, as it can make me drowsy. He said that it's much easier to maintain a pain-control level by keeping it consistent and that perhaps I might have to give up a little independence. Later, he said that he has other drugs that are longer lasting and that might not have an impact on my driving, etc. We shall see.

My mother is in town, my brother and nephews are coming on Sunday, and my father will be here on Monday. We are looking forward to a fun family reunion for the holidays. I hope everyone reading this has a great holiday and I send best wishes for the new year.