OSU Update: All Good
I left sunny warm SoCal for cold and snowy Columbus, Ohio, but it was so worth it.
Labs remains stable with essentially normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelet counts and differential, and boring blood chemistries. Despite an small audience of student nurses, my bone marrow biopsy went well. It's harder to whine when it hurts if you have aspiring members of the healthcare team staring at your bottom and diligently taking notes. So let me take this opportunity in the privacy of my guest room to say OUCH now.
Results are weeks away.
Dr. Byrd is very happy with my progress, feels the slowed nodal shrinkage noted on my most recent CT scans last month is not a concern in anyway, and I am on a good trajectory.
After my clinic visit and biopsy, I had another interview and photo shoot with their very down to earth and professional marketing team at the James Hospital. This time I am really going to be the poster boy displayed smiling on 8 x 2 feet banners throughout the hospital and possibly at international meetings to promote the hematology and lymphoma clinical trials at OSU. It's a cause that I can fully endorse. As we have heard before, there has never be a better or more important time for a CLL patient to consider a clinical trial and OSU should be high on our list.
This modicum of "fame" allows me to join the ranks of my friend Terry in our local CLL support group who is already the international face and voice of RITUXAN. If this stardom trend continues for our members, our little OC group might need to have its own reality TV show soon.
Insurance issues are on track to be worked out quickly thanks to the hard work and co-ordinated efforts of several folks at OSU and Blue Shield of California today so I am happily leaving town tomorrow informed and consented and officially rolled over into the new continuation trial with a full 84 days of ibrutinib. Yeah. Goodbye Columbus for 12 full weeks.
Hard to believe it's been a year since I first started in this trial, and now that phase of my life has ended.
The next time I am back at OSU at the end of April, spring will be in the air and Dr. Byrd has promised me a much coveted tour of his lab. The marketing team says they may video or shoot photos for my blog- wouldn't that be sweet?
It's been hectic. Despite my nerves about presenting to a "specialists" audience, my lecture on sleep disturbed breathing and heart failure at UCSD last weekend went over well and now I am feverishly preparing my next lecture for the Nation Sleep Foundation in Washington due on Friday.
Life is crazy, but good.
Labs remains stable with essentially normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelet counts and differential, and boring blood chemistries. Despite an small audience of student nurses, my bone marrow biopsy went well. It's harder to whine when it hurts if you have aspiring members of the healthcare team staring at your bottom and diligently taking notes. So let me take this opportunity in the privacy of my guest room to say OUCH now.
Results are weeks away.
Dr. Byrd is very happy with my progress, feels the slowed nodal shrinkage noted on my most recent CT scans last month is not a concern in anyway, and I am on a good trajectory.
After my clinic visit and biopsy, I had another interview and photo shoot with their very down to earth and professional marketing team at the James Hospital. This time I am really going to be the poster boy displayed smiling on 8 x 2 feet banners throughout the hospital and possibly at international meetings to promote the hematology and lymphoma clinical trials at OSU. It's a cause that I can fully endorse. As we have heard before, there has never be a better or more important time for a CLL patient to consider a clinical trial and OSU should be high on our list.
This modicum of "fame" allows me to join the ranks of my friend Terry in our local CLL support group who is already the international face and voice of RITUXAN. If this stardom trend continues for our members, our little OC group might need to have its own reality TV show soon.
Insurance issues are on track to be worked out quickly thanks to the hard work and co-ordinated efforts of several folks at OSU and Blue Shield of California today so I am happily leaving town tomorrow informed and consented and officially rolled over into the new continuation trial with a full 84 days of ibrutinib. Yeah. Goodbye Columbus for 12 full weeks.
Hard to believe it's been a year since I first started in this trial, and now that phase of my life has ended.
The next time I am back at OSU at the end of April, spring will be in the air and Dr. Byrd has promised me a much coveted tour of his lab. The marketing team says they may video or shoot photos for my blog- wouldn't that be sweet?
It's been hectic. Despite my nerves about presenting to a "specialists" audience, my lecture on sleep disturbed breathing and heart failure at UCSD last weekend went over well and now I am feverishly preparing my next lecture for the Nation Sleep Foundation in Washington due on Friday.
Life is crazy, but good.
Labels: Bone marrow biopsy, Clinical Trial NCT01217749, ibrutinib, lecture, OSU, travel
posted by Brian Koffman at
9:32 PM
2 Comments:
Glad to hear all is well.
Sounds like you and your blog are getting more famous by the minute. Can only be good publicity for CLL
Regards from cold London
Susan
Awesome news from the home front! I hope you can keep up the pace you are on.....it tires me just reading about it. But now, we have a star in the making.....You have always been your patient's star, now the worlds.
Have a blessed 12 weeks. May the news be as good in April.
J
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