Or maybe round eight. I am easily confused. Anyway, last week I began a new round, 50 mg of this now famous little pill. During the two weeks off, I had some days I really did not feel well. Nothing exciting, just a low grade feeling bad. So I was not happy to face the medicine cabinet Monday a week ago. If feel bad now, I deduced, I will feel worse after this little guy kicks in.
Haven't felt better in a month, thank you. No real fatigue, appetite back a bit (not ready to eat a horse or anything, but I did get down most of a taco salad last night and that made my bride happy and when she is happy I am ecstatic). Energy is surprisingly up. For example, this morning I woofed down one of those instant breakfasts (I do love the strawberry flavor) and drifted out to to the porch to read the paper, do some work and forgot to take my medicine. Suddenly it was after 11 and I never thought of taking my mid-morning nap. Taken all together--though forgetting to take the cancer medicine was not a good move--may also be an indicator I am doing pretty well overall, or at least better.
Going to drive out in the country this afternoon to work on a farm book I am photographing. Normally just the idea of picking up the camera case is a chore. Today, I can't wait to get out of here, two dogs in the back seat, all of us excited about a big adventure. OK, at least an adventure.
Boy, do I remember the early days on Sutent. Hurting feet, terrible nausea, unforgiving fatigue. Today all that seems to have never happened. I am not ready to sing "Oh Happy Days," but I am singing "Oh Happy Day," you just can't hear it. If you could hear it you would ask me to shut up. When I sing the birds leave the feeder and the dogs go under the house. It is truly that bad.
Goes to show, in my mind, that when it comes to Sutent there are far worse things to deal with, especially when you get over the "hump." And I don't think I am an exception to the rule. Now that I have stopped singing a Carolina wren is singing in the hickory tree. Wish you could hear that. Nothing makes me feel better than to hear a happy bird sing, especially when I am feeling pretty darn good myself.
Hi to all and my best wishes to the people who are fighting Cancer.
My father in law was diagnosed with Renal Cancer around 40 days ago. His was in Stage IV. After lot of fighting he unfortunately lost the battle 10 days ago. He was a nice man and deserved to live. We took him to the best doctors in India, got him into the best hospital and even bought him the highly-expensive drug Sunitinib (Sutent)., Unfortunately he was not able to complete even one life cycle. Out of the 28 tabs he was supposed to take, he only took 8 and now we are left with 20 tabs. Ideally we would have thrown this medicine out with all other tabs, capsules, syringes and what not but then they say its a life prolonging medicine, a wonder drug... I feel kind of sad and bad to say this but if there is anyone out there who wish to buy/ take this medicine can contact me. The medicine was bought in India on doctor's prescription and will all bills and taxes paid (Still retain those). You can contact me on my gmail ID : [email protected]
My best wishes to all those who are still battling. My god bless you.
Posted by: Chaman Gupta | January 12, 2009 at 03:06 AM
My husband died this month from RCC, I have a new round of Sutent I would love to get in touch with someone who needs it.
Posted by: Pwaldrep | November 14, 2008 at 08:33 PM
My husband died this month from RCC I have almost a full round of Sutent, I would love for someone to have at a fraction of the cost. I do not know how to get in touch with someone who could use it.
Pwaldrep
Posted by: Pwaldrep | November 14, 2008 at 08:31 PM
hi i was looking for a advice on where you can buy this sutent or does it have to be prescribed by the doctor in need of it asap someone please help i need to know where to buy it straight away.
Oh i almost forgot please reply to [email protected] and put in the subject box chkd please
(I got an e-mail from this lady and we discussed her situation in some detail. Since she is in the UK I directed her to the James Whale Foundation site, which is fighting for national approval for Sutent. I did tell her that she could buy it privately with a prescription, but the cost is prohibitive, very prohibitive. Pfizer will often provide a limited supply for free to qualified warriors, but that hardly remedies much. As we all know, this can and does go on for years. However, if you have any better ideas, please contact her directly. This is a very scared lady. Thanks.)--DCF
Posted by: Lariessa McCormack | October 31, 2007 at 05:54 AM
Hello again David
England calling!! Well Ken has almost finished the first cycle of Sutent and has steadily worked his way down the list of side effects. We are currently at the nose bleed stage but he has coped with everything really well. He took our 8 month old Grandson Finn, in his pushchair, on a walk today for the first time. I am so proud of him!
Ken will be scanned after the second cycle of Sutent and hopefully the results will mean we go ahead and buy the third. There is still no chance of our NHS prescribing the treatment but the fund raising means we have enough for 3 months. The fire fighters at Blyth Fire station, where Ken works, have been fantasic and are still trying to raise money with events and sponsorship etc. Those men and the other fundraisers are what restores my faith in human nature. But isn't it sad when it comes down to a man who is, after working in industry for 37yrs, reduced to begging for a chance to prolong his life because the system he has paid into for 37yrs deems him 'not cost effective'.
Take care David, great to see you are so well and keep your fingers crossed for us.
Judith xx
Posted by: judith potts | July 17, 2007 at 01:44 PM
Hi David,
Came across your website by chance when looking for side effects and their treatment of mouth soreness.
My husband Ken has just started on Sutent for RCC. We are paying for the drugs ourselves as our local pct has refused to fund it. Every time he takes a tablet I tell the tumours to "eat sh.t and die you ba....ds!"
This is Kens first week so do you have any tips for us?
A positive story like yours gives us all hope.
regards and stay well
judith potts x
Posted by: judith potts | June 27, 2007 at 07:54 AM
David,
Keep up the good fight. I have been watching your blog and comments for a while now and appreciate your positive attitude.
I too have stage four rcc/clear cell. First diagnosed in June of 2004. Had a radical left nephrectomy removing all of the usual stuff including a 15cm tumor. The surgeon/urologist thought he got it all but warned me to be viligilant and come back every three months for the first year and then every six months thereafter. On the third year in May he saw something suspicious and asked for lung ct and found a mass in my right lung. This time he sent me to a lung surgeon and the agreement was to cut out the right upper lobe since nothing else seemed present. I had a pet scan done by the surgeon but he neglected to tell me another area was seen in my left lung and mediastinum area. He later said that the ct scan was more reliable than the pet and he thought he got it all. Needless to say he didnt and my urologist came into the hospital and recommended a first rate onclogist in Memphis. The group of doctors at UT Cancer met with me and suggested IL2 even though I was still recovering from the lung surgery. But they thought it best that I go as soon as possible. I believe you went through the same thing with IL2 high dose and it was brutal but I made it through the fourteen treatments. After two or three weeks they wanted me to do another set of treatments and I wouldnt do it until finally my family convinced me that it was the best course. This round was much worse than the first (if that can happen) and my liver and remaining kidney almost failed and they had to move me into the main intensive care unit. After recovering from that we did the scans and the cancer was spreading in the left remaining lung and showed additional growth in the medistinum. We then went to Nexavar until May when we discovered it was not working and now I am on Sutent since about a week ago. From reading your post I can see that there might be hope and I thank you for posting your words of wisdom. Keep up the great job and we appreciate you out here in the Mid South. May we all achieve victory over this disease .
Chris Lee
Marion Arkansas
p.s. I have been blessed with good oncologist like Dr. Barry Boston and Dr. Sal Vasireddy of UT Cancer and I will always be grateful to my urologist Dr. Howard Hasen.
but I will also beware of lung surgeons (-:
Posted by: Chris Lee | June 25, 2007 at 09:05 PM