Vemurafenib

Good morning peeps.

The Berlin trip looms ever closer. I feel like I could never really be fully prepared, so I need to drop that constant panic-y feeling of forgetting something. I've been tying up last minute details, like getting long johns, a watch, a scarf, outlet converters, small things like this that will be handy over there. It's just an awfully long way from home, and I'm used to someone else doing the thinking and planning for things like this. But here I am, leaving next Thursday on my own to Berlin. This is going to be fucking rad.

Also, one of my favorite musical artists Maynard James Keenan (the lead singer of the band "Tool") has a side project called Puscifer. They just put out a new album that is absolutely brilliant, and their tour is stopping by the Paramount theater on Monday. Yes, I have tickets. Yes, they are 5th row center. Yes, I am very excited :)  Jeannine will be accompanying me, she loves Puscifer too. It's going to be a treat sitting so close to him. I'm going to be completely star struck. Like a 13 year old girl.

Also, I had an appointment with Dr. T last Tuesday. No scans or anything, just blood work and an EEG. Everything (of course) is still fine. I guess this drug (Vemurafenib) got approved so fast, it's actually unprecedented. The study I'm involved in is continuing, and as long as it is, I'll keep getting the medication for free. Run that medication name through google, it's actually a lot of positive news for a change.

It's weird to contemplate the fact that this drug has come out and these advancements have been made right when they have. Some may refer to this as "answered prayer", go ahead and speculate freely as to why this has happened right as I'm going through this fucking goddamned bull shit. Personally (call me completely crazy) I think it's because of smart scientists and good timing. Good timing exists, doesn't it? You ever get to the bus stop right as the bus is pulling in? Good timing! Just a couple years ago, my options would have been scant at best. It's really likely that I wouldn't be here right now. I would have been put through a round of hellish chemotherapy that I would very likely not even respond to, get sick and loose all my hair, puking and everything. Then...  But that's not what happened. Smart scientists and good timing prevail. Vemurafenib is here, and I'm riding the very VERY tail end of the bell curve. There's no possibly way that can be true unless I was "the man". This means, by logical progression, that, because the first statement is true, then I truly must be "the man". This confirms it.

There's some other stuff going that's making me smile, but I'm going to save details until things solidify a little more then they currently are.