Vanderbilt Study

One of the creative ways that I can get money is to participate in studies at Vanderbilt. The current study I am applying for is a HIV/TB study. They need HIV negative candidates to test how a new TB drug interacts with an already approved HIV drug. It requires a couple of 3 night hospital stays and some blood drawings during the week. For being in the study I get $1000. The trick is getting into the study. My body has been having some liver enzyme issues, they are slightly elevated. I quickly became much more informed about my liver. The enzymes that are elevated (ALT and AST) are alerts for liver damage that can be caused by Cirhosis of the liver, having hepatitus C, taking too much Tylenol, or eating Fast Food too much. (See Also documentary Fast Food Nation) I don't eat fast food much but I eat just as unhealthy. It is not unusual for me to eat a dozen eggs a day, a box of Nutty Buddy candy bars, High sodium noodles, on special days I can scarf down a dozen donuts in two days. I eat too much unhealthy food, combined with not much exercise in the winter time and not drinking enough water leads to some internal health issues.
Yesterday I bought some fruit and vegetables in an attempt to get my liver enzymes down before my blood retest this Thursday. The good thing about these studies is that I get some free comprehensive physicals. My blood pressure is good...they even did an EKG, which was fine, they test to verify that I am HIV-negative. I always figured I had a strong metabolism that could be fed junk food and keep working strong, after all I haven't gained alot of weight or other signs of getting unhealthy. These test were a good wake up call.




There is another study that they are running some genetic testing on me to see if I am eligible to participate in. This one would involve taking a medicine and then they perform a spinal tap to see how much of the drug got into my spinal fluid. That one pays $600 and is a shorter study.