We got the news last week that the Ralph’s Merck study is shutting down. I got a text from the nurse at Emory to say Ralph should stop taking his blue pill but to come in for the appointment already scheduled for this week—and to bring all unused pills with us.

I was a bit startled. Not sure how I should feel but surprisingly upset. Ralph has been holding steady for so long, and I assumed the little blue pill was at least a large part of the reason. But he has not enjoyed the study. His visits, at least two hours being prodded and tested plus an hour each way to and from, always leave him feeling tuckered out and slightly woozy.

I liked Ralph being in the study. Self-centeredly, I enjoyed have a chance to talk (i.e. whine about Ralph) to the social worker whom I like as a person. Despite Ralph’s complaints, having an excuse to take him for an outing always seems like a positive thing, and gets harder and harder. And I liked that he was being checked regularly, that someone would catch any problem sooner than later.

So many studies are going on with Alzheimer’s, and there is always a new breakthrough on the horizon that seems to fizzle. The reality is that I didn’t expect this study to make a difference for Ralph but I was thinking about any children/grandchildren who may have inherited the gene. I figure whatever happens with Ralph is going to happen at this point and we’ll deal with it.

The nurse and I agreed that Ralph is probably not likely to participate in other studies. For one thing, his inability to have an MRI locks him out of most.

What saddens me, I guess, is the sense that another door is closing.