TTK Trial – Initial Cycle

 

June 3, 2021

In my last blog I left it at the point where I was awaiting a response to see if I would be accepted into this drug trial.  On May 26^th I received confirmation of my participation.  That meant that I would start the trial on May 27^th with a 12 hour stay in the hospital in the Cancer Trial area of the Chemotherapy Unit at the Ottawa Hospital – General Campus. The long stay was intended to monitor the drug absorption into my system and to monitor my vitals and blood reaction to the drug over time.  After the initial day I was monitored frequently with the same procedures and saw my Dr. more often than before.  This will continue for 28 days and then there will be another 12-hour day of monitoring at the end of the cycle. 

On my first day I settled into a chair around 8 AM in the Pharmacology Pod at the General Hospital for my long stay.  The first hour or so was a busy time as blood was drawn, BP was taken, ECG was done, and vitals recorded.  After all of that I was given my 28 days of pills for the trial.  Each day I take 4 pills at the same time of day.  I must fast for 2 hours before and 1 hour after taking the pills.  During this first day they drew blood 8 times for measurement and baseline establishment.  They took my vitals at various intervals during the day.  I managed to amuse myself at the beginning watching and soaking up the process.  After all of that I resorted to reading, sleeping, doing some email, watching Netflix, and generally pissing away time.  As the day passed, the patients left the building and a small crew of nurses stayed behind to finish their shifts at 8 PM.  Unfortunately, I had brought along the wrong earphones so I could not watch movies until most of the patients left.  I was also responsible for feeding myself during the day, so I had a small, packed lunch and some nibbles for the rest of the day.   During this day I was also monitored for side effects and happily I was able to indicate that I was experiencing none of the typical side effects.

My first return visit to the hospital was 8 AM the following morning.  I did blood samples and visited with Lena to go through several questions about how I was feeling etc.  Only then was I allowed to take my second dose of pills.  Once that was complete, I was on my way for a couple of days to work through the trial process.

June 19, 2021

Three weeks has passed and now I can outline some of the changes that have happened since the start of the Trial.  As I review my Drug Diary listing (who knew I would have a drug diary in my life) I see the full gamut of symptoms from this drug.  But I have not told you what this drug is so I will start at the beginning.  The drug is called CFI-402257 and it is designed as an oral drug that blocks TTK protein kinase activity. 

“TTK is a protein that is important in regulating cell growth, and cell death, and in ensuring proper cell division.  Many tumours are shown to make too much TTK.  When there is too much TTK produced, it is believed to contribute to uncontrolled cancer cell growth and cell division leading to additional mutations in cancer cells.  Therefore, it is believed that blocking this protein from working will lead to cancer cell death, stopping tumours from growing or shrinking them” – note quote is an excerpt from my 16 page consent form to join the Trial.

Obviously, with such a drug being infused into your system, there will be some effects that the body will demonstrate that are referred to as side effects.  These side effects are list in a long list but the key ones that have affected me over the period have been Nausea, Diarrhea, low WBC, fatigue or malaise, and reduced appetite.   I have experienced all of these except for low WBC.  My platelets are remaining high during the many blood tests that I have had.  In the first week of the trial, I lost 10 lbs in weight and felt weakened by that change.  My appetite has been low, and my eating habits have changed to that of a small bird.  I am still struggling to gain back any of my lost weight.  I have had some terrible nights due to a trial with a sleep aid while going through these other changes. I have spoken with the DR about these effects and we agreed that I best abandon the sleep aid for the time being.  He will prescribe a new choice sometime in the future. Otherwise, I have managed the nausea with meds, but I am trying to get along now without those extra drugs.  I limited the use of nausea meds to early in the day.  I have had one or two really good days when I felt almost normal.  Unfortunately, my usual state is one of low energy, listlessness, and general fatigue.

That, in a nutshell, is how the trial is affecting me these days.  I find some peaceful times with naps and sleep in front of PGA Golf and treasure those moments.  The real effects, those that hinder the cancer growth, will not be known until my third cycle of the trial when I have a CT Scan and compare it to my CT from just prior to the start of the trial.  This upcoming week id the end of my first cycle and I will spend Wednesday (June 23, 2021) at the hospital for another 12-hour marathon of testing after I take the drug in the morning.  This time I will have the right earphones so I can watch movies at my leisure without disturbing other patients.  The next day I start cycle 2 without a 12 hours stay in the hospital.

In all of this I have still managed to uphold my end of the boat business with Bruce.  We have delivered most of our boats to our clients, dealt with some interventions and miscellaneous requests on top of the regular spring business. It went pretty smoothly all things considered.

Me, watching Longmire episodes!

In other news, Freddi is now fully vaccinated as she managed to get an appointment in Alexandrea this last week.  She has had a couple of days where she felt like she was hit by a truck, but she is coming out of that very well.  We are now able to travel and are planning a trip to visit our son and his family in Pemberton BC in a few weeks.  We have not seen them since January 2020.

Today is a sunny Saturday with a coolish wind and we are all together here at Lake Bernard.  What else could we ask for as we enjoy the location, weather and company.  Thank you for dropping in and I will update this Blog as I settle into my second cycle when I hope to find a new point of balance for third old body.

Be well and stay safe ……