Got It!

Yesterday was our round-trip visit to Lansing, Michigan to obtain the new cancer drug.  Everything went very smoothly and I took my first AZD9291 pill before bed last night. It might take some adjusting to because my stomach felt pretty off last night in bed and you can’t take anything one hour before or two hours after ingesting the pill.  Hopefully, it will work and all this will be worth it.

The ride was 3.5 hours to Michigan and 4 hours home.  A very easy ride.  The staff at Sparrow Hospital is very nice and pretty informal.  It was comfortable to be there.  I was there for a total 3.5 hours.  We arrived way ahead of our scheduled appointment so had to just wait around for a while.  They were able to take us a little early so that helped move things along.  Once at the appointment, most of it was going over paperwork and reviewing what possible side effects I might get, drug interactions, signs of trouble, etc.  After we got through everything, all the paperwork gets e-mailed to Astra-Zeneca’s regional offices and approved and then my new oncology nurse Tracy walks in the door back at Sparrow  with a three-week supply of the drugs.  It was a long day, but a pretty easy one.

We’re back in Lansing in three weeks, Oct. 23.  They want to check me over and make sure I’m doing well with the AZD9291 and then I get a six-week supply until I have to come again after that visit.  It will be every six weeks from then on until the FDA approves the drug and then I can get it from Illinois or anywhere else.

I'm so happy to finally get on this drug.  I continue to hear good results from those who have been involved.  Thank you for the support and good wishes of all of you out there who have been sending me messages.  Please keep them coming!  :) 

Also "thank you" to the staff at both Rush University Medical Hospital and Sparrow Hospital for their help in coordinating the logistics to make this possible.