MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'guinea pig'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:37:31 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600795&cid=t_337116_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FfXx2YtVF-qo%2F More clinical trials may be run overseas, but work has not dried up in the US. In fact, a robust Phase I industry continues, but there are concerns since many volunteers supplement their incomes by enrolling in trials as often as possible. Consequently, sponsors and investigators worry data will be skewed by people who enroll too soon after participating in other trials. Patient advocates, meanwhile, worry about the risks participants may face from exposure to some meds and follow-up care. And so once again, the notion of a national Phase I clinical trial registry is being raised. The latest call for action comes from a pair of physicians who published a commentary piece this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In their view, a registry is long overdue in the US in ord... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600795 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:01:29 +0100 4600795 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4031439&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fdoin-the-happy-dance.html After a lot of traveling and record gathering and anxiety and just general hassle: I GOT IT! I got the first dose of T-DM1 today, in Highland, and I will get it every three weeks hereafter.  Here's the funny part: My blood draw on Friday was the only thing I was worried about, and Dr. Ibrahim, the oncologist who heads up the trial,  doesn't work Fridays, it turns out, so he didn't get the results until this morning. When I arrived, Tricia, the trials coordinator, said we had to draw my blood again because the platelets were 90-something-thousand on Friday. And they needed to be 100,000, because the drug causes platelets to drop.  So we went down to the blood draw lab, escorted and expedited all the way by The Amazing Tricia, and they sent the blood out STAT an... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4031439 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 01:42:15 +0100 4031439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4025743&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fcontinuing-saga-.html It's Friday, six o'clock, and I'm waiting to see if Dr. Ibrahim will e-mail today to tell me if I am in the trial, or if I am going to have to wait till Monday to find out. I would, of course, so much rather get the results of all the tests today, because then I will know if I'm getting the first dose of T-DM1 on Monday, or not. "Not" will be reason for a major meltdown, as you can imagine. Today, Megan drove me to get an ECHO (which shows how well my heart is doing). All my past ECHOs in Seattle have shown a heart that is in surprisingly good shape for a woman who has had as much chemo, and as much Herceptin, as I have. So I'm not too worried about that one.  I also had blood drawn today to check a number of things, and I am a bit worried about that bec... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4025743 Sat, 02 Oct 2010 01:11:12 +0100 4025743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4023090&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fwhere-can-you-get-t-dm1.html The government's clinical trials Web site (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01120561) now lists 12 locations around the country where researchers are recruiting patients for a phase II trial of T-DM1, which they are now calling:  trastuzumab-MCC-DM1. These include: Highland, California; Stockton, California; Denver, Colorado; Davie, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Lafayette, Indiana; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; Charleston, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; San Antonio, Texas; and Fairfax, Virginia.  Regardless of which location you choose, you have to pre-qualify first by calling this number: 888-662-6728. That's the trial information support line at Genentech.   Genentech has said it was going to open trials... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4023090 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:35:49 +0100 4023090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4018394&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fthe-saga-continues-.html So, as you all probably know from my post the other day (See: Jeanne vs. Shingles: Jeanne Wins!), I did make the trip to the LA area to see Dr. Ibrahim at the Beaver Medical Group in Highland... I've spend the last two days getting a bone survey, a CT, a bone scan, and another test or two that I can't recall right now. However, due to a staff mess-up, one of the tests I needed had not been scheduled at all, and two more were booked for the same time on the same day at different facilities ... Fortunately, I felt like something was wrong on Tuesday when I was in seeing the trial coordinator, Tricia Ramos, about making sure the SCCA records dept. did fax the missing parts of my 12-year-cancer-history medical chart.  There was info in those early records that Dr. Ibrahim needed.... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4018394 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:03:55 +0100 4018394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003391&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fjeanne-vs-shingles-jeanne-wins.html So, I went to Dr. Lee's office this morning to have my shingles checked, and Dr. Lee was not working today, so there was something of a shuffle to get me in to see one of the other doctors in the practice EARLY enough so that I could still make my flight, if the doctor OKed it ... I realized when I got up that I was going to have to prepare for both possibilities, so I packed my laptop bag with all the things I would need if I was hospitalized today for more aggressive shingles treatment, and I packed a separate bag with the clothes and toiletries I would need if I DID make the trip to S. California. My friend Laurie, who was driving me, was smart enough to point out that we needed (well, she needed) to load the wheelchair in the trunk because I would need it if I did fly. And I rememb... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003391 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 05:14:20 +0100 4003391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3999216&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fcitigroup-comes-through-.html Or, we could say in the headline, "Citi Does the Right Thing." And don't think that it wasn't because of all the letters you, my friends and readers, wrote, and of course the bigger, bolder posts at the top of my blog, that did the trick. Because they had ignored earlier posts on this blog--going back months--about how they weren't getting back to me, so it was the big deal we made out of my problem that got the attention of the right people, including the CEO, who is really tired of hearing from all of us. And "Citimortgage forecloses on dying woman" would make a very compelling headline. But I'll play nice here, and report that Citi gave me exactly what I asked for: a 12-month, no-pay (meaning no payments for 12 months) forbearance plan. I haven't ... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3999216 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 23:22:08 +0100 3999216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3999219&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fdo-you-have-alaska-airlines-ff-miles-youd-be-willing-to-give-me.html I just returned from a trip to Beaver Medical Group for a consult with Dr. Ibrahim, who heads up the T-DM1 clinical trial there. The other purpose was to sign the consent documents, which I've ranted about before. (See: A Double Catch-22) As a result of that consult, my next step is to fly back to Ontario, California, on Monday next week. I'll spend two days getting tests and scans--from a blood draw, to an ECHO to check my heart, to about four more things. Well, maybe three more ... In any case, another friend had offered me her frequent flier miles on Alaska, but she doesn't actually have enough miles to cover the two tickets, one for me and one for my very-essential traveling companion. So if you have any miles you are willing to give away, please send me an e-mail. Th... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3999219 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 02:12:59 +0100 3999219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3994237&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Ffor-those-of-you-who-are-wondering-the-clinical-trial-is-looking-good.html Just a short note. I will try to write more tomorrow if I can find a WiFi spot at the airport. Monica and I are flying home tomorrow. So--I have a bunch of tests and scans that I have to pass, and if I do, then I'm in the trial and can get my first dose next week. The treatment appt. is already scheduled, actually. I will be flying down next week for the whole week. Longer, more detailed post tomorrow, I promise.      Jeanne   @ Jeanne Sather 2010. (Source: The Assertive Cancer Patient) The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3994237 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 07:54:11 +0100 3994237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987199&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fim-home.html How many exclamation points are too many?  When I was in J School, we were taught to use exclamation points sparingly, and NEVER more than one per sentence. However, this homecoming, after six days at Northwest Hospital really deserves as many !!!!s as I can squeeze in. The best thing about being "sprung" was being outside in the fresh air, and it didn't hurt that the sun was shining. I had not breathed fresh air in six days. None of the windows I saw at the hospital--and certainly not the ones in my room--could be opened. The two best things about being on the oncology floor at NW Hospital, were (No. 1) the fantastic nurses and nursing assistants. Everyone who took care of me during my time there was warm and caring and competent, with the exception of one nursin... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987199 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:10:32 +0100 3987199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3929426&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fi-need-some-time-off.html Yesterday I had the final-final cyberknife treatment, to kill the tumor in my sixth rib on the right side.    Over the past several months I have had huge doses of radiation--four separate series of treatments--and I'm beginning to understand the term "radiation sickness," usually applied to the hibakusha who survived the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Not to get too dramatic about the whole thing, but my body has taken a major beating, and now I need to heal. Part of that will be simply doing less, every day, until my energy rebounds. As a result, I won't be online much for the next week or so, and I will be skimming through my e-mail, but not answering most of it. Sorry.  I spent several hours working in my garden this morning, with the fai... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3929426 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:15:10 +0100 3929426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3913263&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F08%2Ft-dm1-news-.html I'm not sure what this news item about T-DM1 means for me, if anything. T-DM1 is the new drug that I plan to get in a clinical trial once I've finished my current cyberknife treatments. I think it's the right drug for me--pretty much the only drug, really--and there is a trial opening at the UW/SCCA soon (although THAT is held up in a committee, I'm told). In any case, the drug maker failed to win "accelerated approval" for T-DM1, "because all available treatment choices for metastatic breast cancer ... had not been exhausted."Well, here is one woman for whom all options HAVE been exhausted. But I'm not going to panic, because I don't think this news affects the clinical trial, but it might affect how soon the drug is available outsid... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3913263 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:29:57 +0100 3913263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3776567&cid=t_337116_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fa-double-catch22.html What do you call it when you've been caught in TWO Catch-22s in one day?A Catch-44? A Catch-22/22? Or just a damned mess?I thought I was on a roll yesterday morning, making arrangements to fly to California for an appointment with the doctor, Dr. Ibrahim, who is heading up the T-DM1 clinical trial in Highland, California. I e-mailed the woman who will be making travel arrangements for my friend Monica and me. I e-mailed a hotel near the clinic to make reservations. And I e-mailed the study coordinator, Tricia Ramos, to ask her if she could make the appointments for the tests and scans I need to have done at the clinic where the trial is taking place. Tricia had already told me that the results of my tests and scans done at other facilities would not be acceptable, and I wou... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3776567 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:50:49 +0100 3776567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3750274&cid=t_337116_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FeazSdtgmU7M%2F What is it like to volunteer for one Phase I clinical trial after another? Why do people particpiate? What is at stake? How risky is this practice? And should there be more university oversight? These are among the questions that are raised by Roberto Abadie, a visiting scholar in the health-sciences program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, who spent a year living in youth hostels and group houses in Philadelphia and has just published a book about the subject. “Philosophers and bioethicists are very logical, and they can construct strong arguments,” Abadie tells The Chronicle of Higher Education. “But what they can’t do is to go in there and do what I did—to do an in-depth ethnographic analysis, spending weeks and months with volunteers.... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3750274 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:04:16 +0100 3750274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3585277&cid=t_337116_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fauthor-and-human-guinea-pig-aj-jacobs.html (Source: Sleep Education) Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3585277 Thu, 20 May 2010 19:01:00 +0100 3585277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331349&cid=t_337116_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F04%2Fon-being-a-student-therapist-week-four%2F One of the “fun” parts of being a Master’s student (fun in quotes because it depends on how you take it) is that you get to be a guinea pig. Not just in your own experience as a learner, but at the mercy of professors doing research, doctoral students conducting experiments, and random investigators from other universities sending out electronic surveys via email for you to fill out regarding all aspects of your counseling life. All of them say participation is completely optional and there’s no compensation, but would be very much appreciated. Last semester, I pretty much agreed to participate in everything. My helping nature made me think, “You might be asking others to do this someday yourself, and good karma comes around.” This semester, I am way more protectiv... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331349 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:30:51 +0100 3331349