So, last night I took the first dose of the 10th cycle of chemotherapy fighting my kidney cancer. While the normal cycle of Sutent usage is 28 days on, 14 days off, the last couple of cycles we have been playing with the timing, and are now trying a one week break in the middle of the 28 days on. I am now calling a cycle two weeks on, one week off, two weeks on, two weeks off (seven weeks as opposed to the former six weeks).
The major side effect to me is fatigue, and the change did little to help that, and the taste issues were all but non existent and the chest pain was minimal and easily controllable with pain medication (Vicodin and time release Morphine at night). I had a couple of bouts with painful and swollen feet, to the point that no amount of pain killer helped (you know its bad if I miss poker because of the pain), and the doctors are currently studying the possibility of gout. They are doing a Uremic Acid test as a part of the normal screening that is done prior to each cycle, and while I know gout is a possibility, and I clearly fit the profile of someone who may get the disease, I think it will end up being just cumulative toxicity to the Sutent.
The cold weather is moving in on us here in Maine. The thought of shoveling snow in my current medical state is chilling, but I am still happy to be here, and have no plans to depart any time soon.