Sutent Blog

It’s now February 15, and I have now completed my second full Sutent cycle of two weeks on and one week off. So far the side effects are being well tolerated.

I am being hit with occasional bouts of nausea, which has just been nausea and thankfully, nothing else. These bouts come and go without warning and last just a few minutes, the worst being when they wake me at night. I have been carrying and releasing a great amount of gas. The acne and/or rash is becoming more pronounced on my face, neck, and now my feet. I have also been quite fatigued. If this is the worst of it, let’s live life to its fullest.

I also have some memories of my first rounds of treatment during 2001. I was on a high dose IL-2 therapy during January and then July of 2001. After the July cycle, I did not return to my office until September 2011, just 10 days after 9/11. In total, I missed seven of the twenty months prior to returning to work.

Most people in the New York area are just one or two people removed from someone who had perished during the World Trade Center attack, including the son of a neighbor of mine. That was on my mind when I returned to work after months of treatment for kidney cancer. In fact, many of the people who worked at my company never expected to see me alive again. The reception I received was beyond explanation. The emotions expressed were overwhelming. That may have been one of the best days of my life.

We encourage you to share your story or experience with Sutent on our main Sutent Blog page.