Cleveland Clinic - Phase 1 Drug Trials

Well, after arriving in Cleveland at 9:25a, parking the car and walking to the Taussig Cancer Center, I checked in at the Registration Desk on the 2nd Floor and was escorted back to the Exam Room by a Nurse. After getting the preliminary vitals out of the way Carmen and I sat in the Room for a good 20 minutes, but the Advance Nurse came in to apologize and advise that she was going through the records that had been faxed over to them.

So we sat for another 10 minutes, then she came in and started taking the family history of both my Parents and of my immediate Family, after getting through this, which was boring as heck; since the Advance Nurse was all business and was not too receptive to my joking around. The 2 questions that she asked me that made me chuckle pretty good where the usual psych questions.
Nurse: "Have you thought about killing yourself? Have you thought about harming others?"
My response to both was these where: "That's crazy, I'm not that far left of center."
The other psych question she asked
Nurse: "Are you depressed?"
My response was: "Yes!"
Nurse: "How long have you been depressed?"
Me: "Since about May 2007, when I was diagnosed!"
Nurse:"Have you discussed this with any Doctors, before today?"
Me: "No!" Was my response."
Nurse:"Why did you tell me this today? Because I asked you?" Was her follow up.
Me: "Yes!, since no one really asked me that" was my repose.
Nurse: "Thank you, for your honesty with this." was the Nurse's comment to me.

At this point her demeanor didn't change, but she continued on with the Q&A and then thanked me for answering the 1001 questions and steps out to "consult" with Dr. Pelley. Dr Pelley arrives in the Exam Room with an Exchange Doctor from Brazil in tow, after the introductions, Dr. Pelley proceeds to clarify a couple of the answers I gave to the Questions. After the clarification, he proceeds to do the usual examination of me and declares that I seem to be in pretty good health and not really suffering from the nodules in my lungs. He then discusses the 3 Phases of a Drug Trial and explains what each one is and how it is handled. He started with Phase 3 and worked his way to Phase 1. This is when he discussed the 2 Drug Trials that are ongoing and explained them. Both of these Trials are end stage Phase 2 and they each offer different options.

The First Drug Trial is one that would require me to take 2 pills a day, then have blood work drawn frequently through out the course of the trial. This would mean that I would have to be traveling back and forth to Cleveland for the Lab Work to be down.

The Second Drug Trial is a vaccine, where they would inject me with a Virus and monitor me for an entire day to see how I reacted. Then after that I would be required to return to the Clinic at 3 days, then 4 days and finally 5 days; for the first week. After that it would be 7 days, 23 days and finally 56 days, with a CT Scan being done. This one appleaed to me since it would require me to be at the Clinic for 2 full days, once at the start and once at the end. The Cost of the Clinical Drugs and the CT Scan would be billed to the Drug Company and everything else would be billed to my insurance.

Dr. Pelley did mention that I might want to investigate University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mi or Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mi. I told Dr. Pelley that I was suppose to go there, but they couldn't get me in quickly enough for my Chemotherapist. Dr. Pelley said that he had a colleague that worked at the Karmanos Institute and that he would contact his office for me,if I desired, and see what they have available for Drug Trials, since these 2 Universities may have other Trials that would possibly benefit me better. I decided that I wanted to try Karmoanos, since it is only about 30 minutes away in Detroit, Mi., so Dr. Pelley said that he make the arrangements for me.

We ended walking out of the Taussig Cancer at Noon and proceeded to drive back to Toledo. The travel time to Cleveland was good, since we left the house this morning at 6:53a, stopped and got Gas and some munchies and cash for the Toll Road and arrived at the Cleveland Clinic at 9:25a and my appointment was at 10a.

Now the wait for the call for my visit to Karmanos comes to play. In the mean time I've got an appointment with my Chemotherapist, Dr. Schaefer, on Friday morning to discuss what was said in Cleveland and see what I has to suggest about Karmanos. So until then,my life returns to the routine of Work and home for now.