Another update...

Hi everyone,



Mom started her second cycle of Sutent yesterday. As I said before, she is now taking 37.5 mg daily instead of 50 mg. Her weight has gone down almost 8 pounds since last Thursday which is great -- this means the diuretic is working and her legs have reduced in size. Now she will probably decrease the dosage on that as well -- I believe that she is now in the weight range Dr. Baweja wanted her to get to before reducing the dosage.



I also got a chance to read the reports from her most recent CT scan which was a few weeks ago. Several of the larger tumors/nodules in her lungs have decreased in size. Also, the tumor on her kidney has not grown (I think it may have also decreased in size, but I can't remember exactly right now). In addition to that, the lesions on her liver have also decreased in size. This is great news as it means that the Sutent is doing its job.



The weekend was pretty good considering she wasn't feeling as well as she would have liked for a weekend of camping. She ended up spending a lot of time in the camper because it was too chilly for her outside but she was still able to enjoy the party and the great food. (For those of you who may not know, we had a camping weekend for JT's 30th birthday.)



I don't think there's anything else new right now...but as usual, if I forgot anything I will add it later.



One more thing....on behalf of my mom, Sally and Chad -- thank you all for your ongoing support, thoughts and prayers. Knowing you're all out there supporting us is amazing...gives me goosebumps in fact. Thank you so much.


Abby

Update...

Hi everyone,

Mom went to see Dr. Baweja today and here are the changes. Overall, things are going well other than the excessive swelling related to water retention. So, the Dr. changed the diuretic she is on from Lasix to Bumex. She was also given an IV of Lasix before she left the doctor's office to speed up the reduction in water retention. Apparently the swelling had gotten so bad that her thighs and butt were swollen and she wasn't able to bend her knees very well -- so that's the biggest concern right now. The Dr. also gave her a Procrit injection which is supposed to help her body produce more red blood cells (hemoglobin) which will help her feel better as well.

She will be starting the next cycle of Sutent on Tuesday 5/19 and the Dr. lowered that dosage from 50 mg daily to 37.5 mg daily. Hopefully this will also decrease the side effects while still giving her the benefits. I think that's it for now -- after I talked to her earlier she was going to be getting some lunch then heading home to take a nap.

As usual...if I've forgotten something, I'll add it later...

Abby

Another quick update...

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay...the past week or so has been a bit hectic, so I haven't been able to get on and post anything.

A week ago yesterday (May 3rd), Mom finished her first cycle of the Sutent. She's been feeling up and down over the past week. The swelling in her legs seems to be okay if she has her feet up but once she starts walking around or standing, they swell up again. Her cough has gotten worse and she is now sleeping propped up on pillows to minimize the coughing at night so she can get more sleep. She will be going to see Dr. Baweja this Thursday 5/14 for another check up. Then she will start the next cycle of Sutent next week. Once she finishes the next cycle, she'll take 2 weeks off and then the plan will be to do another CT scan to see how things are going.

I think that's about it for the update. Chad and I made her and Sally a Mother's Day lunch yesterday -- BBQ pork chops, roasted garlic potatoes and baked/grilled asparagus. I have to say we did a pretty good job on it -- it was delicious. And, they enjoyed it...which was our goal.

As usual, if I've forgotten anything, I'll add it later...and I will update again after her appointment on Thursday.


Abby