Clinical Trial

I realized that although I have talked about this in person and in emails I have never blogged about it so here goes!

I am taking part in a clinical trial now. When they did the original trials for bio-phosphates, like Boniva, one of the side effects was that it seemed to help women who had survived breast cancer from having it reoccur and later metastasize in their bones. Now, because this was an unintended and unexpected side effect they are not sure if it was a fluke or something that could hold possibilities of actually doing just that in the future. Therefore, they are now doing a clinical trial to see if that was a true result. They are enrolling 4500 breast cancer survivors and each of them will get one of three bio-phosphate medicines for 3 years and then be followed for....well I'm not sure about that part, but I assume forever and at least there will be no placebos.

I am doing this for several reasons.

First, as a helpful preventative measure. Generally when cancer comes back, first it goes to the same boob(ok, gone), then the next boob(same answer) and then the bones(still have those or I'd be Jabba). So, I am hoping that since I have kind of eliminated those first two steps this will help me never have to deal with that last one.

Second, since these drugs are good for your bones....well, nuff said, who couldn't use that?

Third, I have always felt that if a trial came up that I could take part in I would because that is how we find out which drugs work and which don't. Now....I will qualify that by saying that I wouldn't expose myself to something that I thought was dangerous or unproven. I do appreciate those people who do the trials without knowing anything of the side effects or outcomes of any given drug, they are far braver than I. But this trial can only be beneficial in my mind and so I am doing it.

Fourth, and this is really key....my kind of cancer tends to come back, if it's going to, within the first three years. After that the rates of recurrence drop off so drastically that by 8 years out it has a 0...yes that is a zero, statistic for coming back....weird huh? So I figure the more help I can get in these next three years the better.

So I was randomized(the computer put me in the trial and then selected my drug for me) and the arm I am in requires me to take 1600 mg of a drug once a day for three years....I can do that...piece of cake comparatively speaking to the past 6 months:)

Tomorrow I start the pills and begin the journey to strengthen my bones and hopefully help me along the way to never having to do this again.

And that is that.

Now, having said all that...there are possible side effects, but I am confident and hopeful(I know, I know...kind of contradictory) that I will not have any and if I do that they will be mild. And...if they aren't, well I am not going to hurt myself for this study either and my Dr. told me from the get-go that if I did have problems she wouldn't want me to continue in it, so I feel very comfortable with the whole thing.

And on a similar but different note, yes...I am getting rid of the port as soon as I can too. Since I was not put into the arm of the trial that had to be administered via IV I am not gonna keep it. And I am sure none of you are shocked by that:) So now I see if I can coordinate that with the reconstruction surgery(wouldn't that be wonderful?) and if not, which ...honestly, I am not really thinking that will happen, so if it doesn't then we just schedule it for when he can do it.

Anyway, now am off to bed as it was a day of class parties and school concerts and I am plum tuckered out:)

Hope you all are well and staying warm/dry/sane this week:)

Blog ya later-
K