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RSS Syndication

My Odyssey Print E-mail
Written by Dr. Mel   
Tuesday, 28 February 2006
Article Index
My Odyssey
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I went to Boston, and as soon as I met Ken Anderson, I knew I arrived. What a wonderful person, and exceptional doctor! At our first appointment, I nearly forgot that I had myeloma. We talked about everything under the sun, including that, too. Of course our beloved Red Sox was part of the conversation. You know, one can actually see Fenway Park from his office. That is really a room with a view. Ken is probably one of the most upbeat and optimistic doctors that you will ever find. He is a warm person, too, who is quick to deliver a handshake and a sincere embrace. And let’s not forget his pioneering research for this disease. He even told me that I would likely be around to help pay for my grandchildren’s college tuition. I didn’t have grandchildren at the time. But I do now. I have Eric who at this writing is just turning three. Bring on the bills. I’ll gladly contribute.

 

I soon began the Phase 1 trial of Revimid, and let me tell you, any Phase 1 trial is not exactly a breeze. The main purpose of such a trial is to check the pharmacology of the drug – to see how well the drug is picked up by the body and to examine how much we can tolerate. Any efficacy is great, if it can be shown, but the main purpose is to examine how much a patient can really handle. So, there are numerous stays in the hospital, blood drawings, biopsies, and EKGs. A patient is really dedicating oneself to science with the hope and prayer that there will be some benefit. And thankfully, there was with Revimid. About two dozen of us tested this new drug, and I did very well. Side effects were manageable. The drug lowers the blood counts, but Neupogen and Epogen injections took care of that for me. I did not experience a worsening of neuropathy, and actually it began to somewhat diminish. We had to watch for blood clots, or deep vein thrombosis, but that didn’t surface. It was a marvelous drug. I took it orally, went to work, and saw my myeloma shrink, once again. From 2001 to 2003, Revimid was my single cancer drug, and I couldn’t have been happier. The monthly trips to see Ken were therapeutic, too. I always felt better after our sessions. Those were very good years.

 

But the history of this disease with me is that everything which I have taken has had a shelf life. No treatment seems to work forever, and I always need to see what else might be out there. Fortunately, these days, there seems to be something new always on that shelf.


By early 2003, the single therapy of Revimid was failing. The back pain returned along with increasing myeloma protein numbers. But at that time, a Phase II trial had begun and it combined Revimid with high dose Dexamethasone. I wanted to get on that trial because I saw how effective Revimid was for me, and I sensed that the combination would work while the single therapy eventually failed – at least I wanted to buy some time. But something really strange happened. Because I failed the single therapy trial, I was no longer eligible under the Phase II guidelines to enter that new trial. Don’t ask me why. I still don’t understand. But hospital rules are hospital rules, and doctors can get into hot water if those rules are modified. I was not a happy person. After all, it was through my efforts and 20, or so, other patients who showed that Revimid as a single therapy was probably not enough. Shouldn’t we be able to benefit from our own efforts and sacrifice? No, not according to the rules.

 
 
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