this week i got my 10th infusion of the
biogen aducanumab
well i think im getting the real stuff
but
i might be getting the placebo
im thinking the real stuff
our last trip took over 3 hours to get there
the last 2 hours was spent stuck a lot in traffic
this time we left at 5am
we mostly avoided the bad traffic on the 405
think austins 35 at its absolutely worse
thats the 405 during rush hour
maybe worse
we made it in over 2 hours
we arrived 2 hours or so before our appointment
which was ok with us
we decided we would rather zoom through traffic
than be stuck in that not moving traffic
we just went on a long hike around the campus
the first we have done
by the time im finished with this study
if i am ever finished
since
many times they will extend the study more long term
we will know the campus and the area real well
we also save our weekend grocery shopping
since there is a large grocery chain just
across the street from ucla
for those in texas think maybe nicer than
a real nice heb
so we shopped then took a lengthy hike
then on to the infusion center
it seems that every time i go now
things just get more streamlined
i arrive by 1000 am and i am out of there before 100pm
i am now at the point of the infusions where
i just get checked in
see the research doctor
wait on the infusion to be processed
they do the iv and hook it up
it runs in over a hour then they flush the iv with saline
for 15 minutes then im out of there
no labs or other testing
thats the way it will usually be from now on
usually
except for the annual visit coming up in march
and
the 6 month visits
in september 2018 i will have the final visit for the
first phase of this study
ill get the last infusion of the mystery stuff
is it real or not
then
if i opt to i can do another 42 months of infusions
of
the real guarantee you gonna get the real stuff infusions
i want those for sure
so
i see in the future this little dim light thats aflickering
i see the hope light way out there
ill know for sure im getting the real stuff
one thing i have noticed after this infusion on tuesday
is a persistent headache that is requiring acetaminophen
twice a day to control
remember
headache is a good thing
it means i might be getting the real stuff
being a apoe 4/apoe4 genotype i am more likely to have
small micro bleeds where the bad ass beta amyloid is removed
which is the usual cause of the headaches
heres hoping thats why
also if im getting the real stuff
in late 2018 when they do my amyvid pet scan
the pet scan for the bad ass beta amyoid
remember it had to be positive to get in this study
if i am getting the higher dose stuff
then my scan will be negative or almost negative
for the bad ass beta amyloid
of course like i have written before
i will never get to know if i was getting the real stuff
aducanumab the first 18 months of the study
and
i will never get to see any of my amyvid pet scan results
i can live with that
as
long as this stuff slows it down
as a reward on tuesday
we elected to leisurely drive the pacific coast highway
thats the hwy one from los angeles back to santa barbara
it goes through the pacific palisades then malibu
then through mostly almost uninhabited areas
i found it relaxing as my wife she drove
so i could do all the sightseeing without running off the road
rank this visit
a 10 for sure
the organicgreen doctor
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