Dosing study for the inhaled trial

The purpose of the dosing study is to determine how much of the chemo will make its way into my lungs. This information is then used to determine how much to give me.

First, a physicist came out in the waiting room to discuss the test with me. He answered a number of questions; he was aware of why I was getting the test done, but didn't know how any of the previous trial patients handled the drug. (The test started an hour late, which wouldn't have been that bad if the waiting room was comfortable. But, it was freezing. Everyone had their coats on.)

I then had breathing lessons given by Jud. Jud is a respiratory therapist. (I'm not sure what a respiratory therapist does aside from teaching people how to breathe.) It was important that I develop "reproducible breathing". A breathing cycle is 5 breaths (with Jud counting them out) and one deep breath that I hold for 4 seconds. We practiced a number of times. Then, we practiced with me breathing thru my mouth with a tube in my mouth connected to oxygen and an alcohol mister. The alcohol mist made me cough.

After Jud was convinced that I got the breathing technique, I was put into the tent with a gown on. The tent is a 3 foot by 3 foot by 6 foot clear plastic tent that smelled like a new plastic shower curtain. It has a 2 foot by 3 foot filter to filter the air. Jud made a hole for my breathing tubes. The physicist put the radioactive liquid into the mister (they were using technetium-99n). Two were two filters on the breathing tubes. I did 5 breathing cycles, and went into another room for a picture series with a gamma camera. (I couldn't find a picture of a camera similar to the one used on me online; this is the best I could find.) The absence of radioactive particles in my mouth and lungs confirmed that the filters were working. I'm not sure of the purpose of this part of the study.

Then, I go back into the tent for another 11 breathing cycles without the extra filters. So, I'm breathing in the radioactive particles. Another series of pictures; these ones show my mouth, lungs, and stomach. The physicist was also looking for my bladder (it should have shown up), but it wasn't visible.

They (Jud and the physicist) like what they saw on the gamma camera images. A computer program will take the images and output dosing information.

Copyright © 2003 The Shriver Family: Last modified: 12/14/03.