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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:52 pm
by NHE
Lars wrote:NHE,
I don't smoke tobacco or pot. The cannibas reference was from my Nuero who seemed convinced it was the cause of neg. MRTC's in one of her patients.
Please accept my apology for the misunderstanding. I hope that you can get into the Tovaxin study while still dealing with your asthma problems. I think that Tovaxin has a lot of potential for treating people with MS. An
interview with David McWilliams after the completion of the phase Ib/IIa trial quoted a 90% reduction in relapses with 40% of the people in the study experiencing a reduction in dissability.
Sincerely, NHE
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:09 pm
by Lars
NHE,
Absolutely no need for regret. It is really impossible to get a complete picture of anyone from a series of letters. All questions, thoughts, advice and concern is greatly appreciated. No need to use up valuable energy. It is enough work to stay possitive, happy and deal with this MS thing every day. I'm a big advocate of saving the gas in the tank for really important trips. With all that said, I have seriously considered the Cannibas route. Wondering if it could help me with pain. Lew made a compelling point as it pertains to his MRTC tests. ????? Keeping all options open.
Thanks,
Lars
Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:02 pm
by Lyon
Lars wrote:First of all I am positively convinced that the asthma business in ms related.
Hi Lars,
In this thought you are in good company. Until recently it was assumed that allergy and asthma were almost the opposite of the autoimmune diseases because allergy and asthma seem to be TH2 driven and autoimmunes seem to be TH1 driven. Researchers are starting to find that relationship between allergy, asthma and immune-mediated diseases is closer than previously thought.
This excerpt from the April 2007 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY " Helminths as governors of immune-mediated inflammation" gives a hint of the current thought process regarding the possible relationship of the hygiene hypothesis or "loss of evolutionary normal conditions" and the increased incidence of asthma, allergy and immune-mediated diseases in the "developed" countries.
2. The emergence of immune-mediated disease
IBD, asthma, MS and T1D are examples of immune-mediated diseases. Over the last 70 years, these immune-mediated diseases have become common in industrialized, highly developed countries but remain rare in less-developed countries.
IBD results from chronic inflammation of the small and/or large intestine. It is treated with immune-suppressive medications such as glucocorticoids, azathioprine, methotrexate and anti-cytokine mAbs. IBD was uncommon prior to the 1940s but now afflicts more than three million people in the United States and Europe (Loftus Jr., 2004). As IBD emerged within developed countries, it was most common in people living in cities (Ekbom et al., 1991), northern latitudes (Sonnenberg et al., 1991 and Shivananda et al., 1996) and with white collar type jobs (Sonnenberg, 1990). As countries develop economically, the prevalence of IBD in the population increases (Loftus Jr., 2004 and Lakatos et al., 2004) and when people move from a country with low prevalence to a developed country with high prevalence of IBD, their children acquire a higher risk of developing IBD (Jayanthi et al., 1992and Carr and Mayberry, 1999). This suggests that growing up in an industrialized, developed country increases the risk of acquiring IBD.
A similar situation exists with asthma. Asthma is caused by chronic inflammation of the airways, often with allergic provocation. Asthma has increased dramatically in developed countries over the last 40 years and is becoming prevalent in urban centres of developing countries (Braman, 2006). Children of Mexican immigrants born in the United States are more likely to report asthma symptoms than children born in Mexico and immigrating to the U.S. at older ages (Eldeirawi and Persky, 2006). Again, this suggests that the environment in developed countries promotes or permits asthma (Asher et al., 2006).
MS results from immune-mediated inflammatory destruction of neural pathways in the central nervous system. Like IBD and asthma, it is treated by suppressing immune cell function. The prevalence of MS has a strong geographical distribution (similar to IBD and asthma), has increased in frequency over the last century and is high in children of immigrants born in developed countries (Marrie, 2004). As countries develop improved sanitation, the prevalence of MS increases (Cabre et al., 2005).
Lars wrote: If my theory is correct the asthma will go away with the other symptoms.
Your thought process is on track but you have to remember that there is nothing broad spectrum about Tovaxin. It was designed to be absolutely specific to eliminating myelin reactive T cells and doing nothing else. For that reason Tovaxin almost certainly won't have any effect on allergies, asthma or other "autoimmune" diseases although each of those other afflictions probably have their own _____ reactive T cells which Opexa could and probably eventually will design a vaccine for. As a matter of fact Opexa is working on a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes right now.
Bob
Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:09 pm
by Lars
Hey Bob,
Very interesting read, thank you. It gave me some hope that I'm not nuts. An interesting side note to this Asthma bit and the Advair dilema is that since I stopped Advair I have become much worse. All my symptoms seem compounded and some new ones have arisen. Logicaly I began to wonder if the small amout of steroid in Advair had been suppressing my symptoms to some degree. The clinic answer is a definate, possible, maybe, maybe not, it warrants checking into, good question. I did get a waiver for the Advair and may be the first person in Advair history to take it for MS rather than Asthma. The Singular still seems to be working fine. I'll keep you posted. Did the initial MRI, the next visit should be to recieve a shot! I'm more than ready.
Thanks again,
Lars
Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:19 pm
by Lyon
Lars wrote: I did get a waiver for the Advair and may be the first person in Advair history to take it for MS rather than Asthma.
Hi Lars,
If you're saying what I think you're saying, that's awesome. Do you mean that Opexa gave you the go ahead to stay in the Tovaxin trial and continue using Advair so that you can participate and control your asthma?
Did the initial MRI, the next visit should be to recieve a shot! I'm more than ready.
Congratulations and good luck! My wife got her first shot today. Absolutely uneventful but exciting anyway!
Bob
Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:30 am
by ewizabeth
Hi Lars,
I hope you'll have the positive T cells. When I was testing for the second time, my sister jokingly told me I should eat McDonald's for a week before the test. She knows that my diet is mostly anti-inflammmatory and nutritional foods.
If I had the stress I've had lately during the testing phase for Tovaxin, I might have tested positive. I think overloads of major stressors really increase the bad stuff in our systems.
Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:21 pm
by Lars
Hi Bob and Ewizabeth,
Bob, to answer your question, yes. I don't know how unusual it is to get a waiver but I'm assuming they are only interested in my bright and cheery disposition. There was some talk that it may be beneficial (i wish someone would add spell check) for the study to take this into account. I am having great results with Singular and find no apparent need for Advair at this point. It is nice to know I have the Advair permission if necessary. I'm happy to hear that your wife got her first shot. I wish you both the best. By the way, do you remember how long it took from procurement to injection?
Ewizabeth,
Thanks for the post. I did test possitive. There is another subject post by me on that and follow up subjects. I have tried to log all this on the "journal page" but can't imagine anyone finding enough free time to tackle that.
Well wishes,
Lars
Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:34 pm
by Lyon
Lars wrote:By the way, do you remember how long it took from procurement to injection?
Ha! I wrote the procurement date down so I wouldn't forget and I forgot where I wrote it!
I seem to remember that it was scheduled for 12 weeks after procurement but we had to postpone the first appointment due to a Florida trip so I
think it was 14 weeks total.
Bob
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:37 pm
by flipflopper
Lyon wrote: My wife got her first shot today. Absolutely uneventful but exciting anyway!
.
I was hesitant to start a new thread to give everyone an update about my first vaccine because it was also very uneventful. I decided to place my post here instead. My appointment was last Thursday. I had no reactions to the vaccine and no injection site reactions. I only had a tiny bruise on both arms. The small bruise on the left arm was bigger than the bruise on my right arm. But that's it. Once the needle was removed from my arm, there was no pain at all. There is nothing else to report at this time.
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:43 pm
by flipflopper
Lars wrote: By the way, do you remember how long it took from procurement to injection?
Lars,
To answer the question you asked before, for me, it took 14 weeks.
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:45 pm
by Lyon
Thanks Flipflopper,
My wife got her treatment Wednesday (25th) and is already convinced that she's on the placebo. I hope she's not, but either way the prerequisite year of uncertainty is getting shorter.
Bob
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:28 pm
by Loobie
It gets shorter, but let me tell you, it gets real slow when you have some flare-ups. I am going in for my 'booster' on the 15th and then I have six months to go and no more injections until the extension. Those injections are so mild compared to jabbing yourself with Avonex in the thigh. That just sucks. I have a feeling my neuro. is going to maybe suggest some steroids after I tell him about my symptoms getting worse. But you know, I'm still working and all that and I feel like such a whiner when I think about my MS compared to others. It just starts getting really scary when there are times that there is no possible way to push through what you are feeling or ignore it.
That was always my strategy, if you feel bad, go work out. Now that is really not possible. I'm also newly 41 so I should relish a slow down, but I don't. I'm really starting to understand that if something doesn't change soon, I'm not going to be playing golf when I retire. Wah, I know, but all this getting used to really losing things is just shitty when you first come onto it.
I apologize for busting on this thread about Tovaxin. I'm just feeling pretty confused with having all this new on my mind. I just make sure and read everything that's posted about Tovaxin.
Lew
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:03 pm
by Lyon
Loobie wrote:I apologize for busting on this thread about Tovaxin. I'm just feeling pretty confused with having all this new on my mind. I just make sure and read everything that's posted about Tovaxin.
No need to apologise Lew, MS sucks. Unlike most people in 6 months you'll know firsthand whether or not Tovaxin really is a major advancement.
Bob
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:50 pm
by Lars
Lew,
Pretty close to right on. I have never once (until recently) considered the fact that I wouldn't TOTALLY recover at some point. I still have climbing trips on the calender. It is why I chose Tovaxin, I assumed it to be the best way to get back to the way I was. As months pass and symptoms multiply and worsen, it becomes a huge psychological dilema. I am also having a hard time trying to balance my expectations and what may be reality. I will also now apologize for rambling in the thread and ask a related question. Since I am relatively new to the forum I haven't heard much about what to expect post 1st injection. Have some people seen results right away or is this more along the lines of the other drugs that take time? I gather that some people must have had almost immediate results since some feel they are on placebo after a relatively short time.
14 weeks it is. (4 would be better)
Thanks all,
Lars
Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 11:31 am
by Lyon
Lars wrote:Have some people seen results right away or is this more along the lines of the other drugs that take time? I gather that some people must have had almost immediate results since some feel they are on placebo after a relatively short time.
Hi Lars,
Tim Wesner has mentioned that after treatment he went from not being able to do much with his hands to cutting his own meat and I don't know of any other first hand accounts we've ever gotten.
Bob