Finally, some news

I went to Sloan Kettering yesterday and met with my new doc, who had worked before with Goy. Very nice man who seems to be ahead of the curve on cancer treatments. I signed on to a clinical trial of bendamustine. It's a drug that had been used to treat several types of cancers in East Germany, yet nothing had really been written down or documented. The drug is FDA approved, but the trial is to study the effects on Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Well, to see the efficacy rate, side effects, etc. However, the drug is "exciting" and "promising", though, for legal reasons, I can't get excited or have them promise anything. Oh well. I am okay with it all.

I have testing (PET/CT, EKG, bloodwork, bone marrow biopsy) on August 6th, with treatment to start on August 11 (continue on the 12th) and then repeated every 28 days for 6 cycles (1 cycle is 28 days). This means the treatment schedule will be as follows (more for me than you):

August 11, 12

September 8, 9

October 6, 7

November 3, 4

December 1, 2

December 29, 30

The side effects are like side effects of other chemos, though they are supposedly well tolerated. I will find out.

Insurance, of course, won't cover travel, food, or lodging, and part of my insurance won't cover visit to NYC hospitals, but since it is a clinical trial, I really only have to worry about the incidentals. And that is still a bit of a worry.