March 01, 2011

Over It

Finally, I am in the last three months of this drug study for Gilenya.  All my penultimate and exit appointments have been made for each of the doctors/facilities involved.  I've entered everything in to my calendar and I see there are three visits (multiple tests) this month, one visit a week for three weeks.  April is going to be easy, just one visit to one place.  May has three visits again, this time over two weeks.

While I'm pleased to have participated over the past two years, I am so. bloody. sick. of. doctors. offices.  And MRIs.  And eye exams.  And Pulmonary and cardiac tests.  And Dermatology visits that always involve something being sliced off. And Neurology exams.  After May 16th - my last and final day - I don't want to see any doctor of any kind until 2012.  Seriously.

2 comments:

Webster said...

Gilenya has already been approved by the FDA. Are they making sure your(our) hearts don't fail or that we don't develop weird skin lesions while taking it? Did the FDA put the cart before the horse? Are we being screwed by Big Pharma yet again, given the price of Gilenya *more than all the rest*.

I hope your tests all come out fine.

Anne P said...

Hey, Webster! Even though it's approved, those of us already in the study still had to complete our initial two years, which would have been mid-March for me. But they sped me up and stopped me in mid-February, meaning I'm unblinded and am on real drug now (even though I'm sure I always have been). Since Day One I've had five (?) Pulmonary Function Tests, two echocardiograms, four or five MRI's, several EKG's, and given blood every three months. Oh, and three Dermatology visits, checking my moles. Many of those thinks are required prior to starting the drug in the open market, if I'm not mistaken.

Is Big Pharma sticking it to us again? Well, at the risk of biting the hand that's fed me for the past two years, I have to say, "Absulutely". But I haven't had a documented relapse in two years and my EDSS score is 3.0 from 4.5 so I'm happy.