On Tuesday I was scheduled to go at the Benaroya research Institute for Diabetes at the Virginia Mason hospital in Seattle to participate in a regular blood draw they like to perform on me, but to also get screened for a new research I have agreed in participating which will involve me for more than a year of testing and trials by injecting a new "drug" once a week at the beginning.
This drug is being developed and tested on 72 humans worldwide (I would be the first subject in Seattle). It is the hope and believe that the drug would and can preserve the current insulin production of a type 1 diabetic like me rather than letting the auto immune system continue the destruction and eventually making the pancreas "dead" as far as insulin production is concerned.
This Tuesday was the 1st step in the screening phase, which involved a series of blood draws at regular intervals after they had given me a "special" glucose/protein shake to see the left over effectiveness of my pancreas. They also performed an ECG (or EKG) to make sure my heart would be able to handle the little bit of extra stress the study requires.
I am now waiting for the research director to schedule me in for an eye exam, when to start a 24 hours urine sample collection (not a very fun part of the screening as I have to carry around this 3 litter jar with me for whenever I need to go to the bathroom. I also have to keep it refrigerated and I hope my son won't mistake it for lemonade....). They will also set me up with the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor during the first 11 weeks of the trial and need to set that up on me.
More to come...
