Day 162, Year 11: Drug Trial Off and Running
Date: Friday, April 1, 2016
Weather: Mostly Cloudy with Some Rain, High Temp in the 60’s F
Location: At Home in Evergreen Preserve, Lowell, MA
Since today was April’s Fool Day AND the first day of Mark’s participation in the drug trial, I was fearful that things might not go smoothly. But my fears were for naught. Mark had a great day, albeit a long one. For this first trial treatment, next week’s second trial treatment, and then once every four weeks after that, trial protocol requires Mark to be in or near his infusion room at Mass General for about eleven hours on each of those days. Today we arrived at Mass General a little early for his 7 am appointment time and left there at 6 pm. The trial requires hourly blood draws before and during the infusion time and then a blood draw every two hours following the infusion. And because it is trial with other necessary protocols, it takes three hours to get things started. But today was broken up by multiple visits from Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco. They came in the morning to visit while Mark was getting the infusion. Coco arrived as Ladybug Girl and Ziggy as Minion Boy. They both looked adorable and the ladybug wings that Heather brought for Coco to wear were a super hit. Then I went with Justin and gang on the T to Park Street to walk through the Boston Commons. Ziggy and Coco made some friends and reluctantly left their new friends to walk back across Beacon Hill to Whole Foods.
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| 160401 Day 162 Cape Cod, USA–Day in Boston |
There we bought items for a picnic lunch to take back to the hospital. We had hoped that Mark would be able to leave the infusion room and come downstairs to eat with us. He was delayed, so after lunch we met him in the 8th floor outside and inside Healing Garden to spend time.
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| 160401 Day 162 Cape Cod, USA–JJZ&C with Granddad at MGH |
And when Mark and I got home after 7 pm, Justin and Jo had dinner ready for us. It was a great day and we are so grateful that Mark is finally in treatment which we hope will produce positive results.
We have cancelled all traveling activities for the weekend and will spend the next two days here with JJZ&C and Heather and company from the Cape. They arrive tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow night we will have a gigantic sleep over. Lots of fun coming up.
