Mom had her port flushed last week at Trinity - or rather they tried to clear it out but there was a bunch of fibrous material in there and so the nurses weren't able to fully access it. It's not a big concern but they will need to get it cleared up eventually if Dr. Porubcin schedules mom for chemo in a few months. For now it's ok. She has another port flush scheduled for January 17, so maybe the nurses will be able to clear it up then.
We had a great Christmas weekend - mom stayed over and got her fill of grandsons and pets. Tom made home made lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner and we also went over to Tim and Lisa's (Tom's brother) to exchange gifts. Mom is starting to think about making a trip to Arizona to visit Aunt Ruth and Uncle Bernie for a couple of days and then also visit Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Paul (Dad's sister and brother in law) in Peoria, AZ. There's a couple of weeks between the port flush on Jan. 17 and then blood work in February where she can travel.
The latest Doxil update is that the manufacturer, Ben Venue Lab, is still working on "equipment issues" and won't start producing more Doxil until next year, so the closest available date will be November or December of 2012 before it will hit market. If anything came out of the Hearings last week, I guess that the FDA has a few more rules to better manage the shortages when they occur. As most of the problems are manufacturing issues, along with drug costs, the FDA must feel that they must put some sort of rules in place to get a heads up on when a drug shortage is coming down the road. I don't understand how this is going to improve things... or get more Doxil manufactured quickly, but they have to start somewhere.
The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance has a list of good web sites to keep tabs on the drug shortage, along with connections to write your congress/senate person.
No comments:
Post a Comment