Here we go again... same journey different plan

Well, it has been another interesting month for Eric. I have meant to blog several times but just couldn't find the motivation to get it done. This time of year for me definitely lacks in motivation. It is certainly nice to see more daylight each day. It is amazing how much different it can make me feel. Our month has not gone as planned and it certainly hasn't been easy for Eric.

I can't remember how much I've written before but at the very end of the cycle before this last one right before our Cleveland visit, Eric started seeing signs of a foot sore. This is another common side effect of Sutent. Since it was at the end of the cycle, it never turned into an issue and quickly went away when he started break. Unfortunately, when he started the next cycle, it quickly returned and by the 2nd week was becoming a major set back. This side effect is very painful and obviously made it difficult to even walk. But we all know Eric and he continued on dealing with the pain and eventually, the sore became infected. With 9 doses of Sutent left, Cleveland discontinued the cycle. Without the Sutent in his system and with the help of an antibiotic, it has miraculously healed and looks normal again.

We also found out in Cleveland that his thyroid was "out of sight" high and they put him back on medicine for that. It definitely explained why Eric was always so cold and more tired than expected. 3 weeks after Cleveland, he was retested in Archbold and it had gone even higher. I can't even imagine how bad he must feel because it wasn't just a little bit high but crazy high. So, 2 weeks ago Cleveland tripled this medication. Once again, the expectation for a great break didn't really happen. Sure, it's better than being on drug but because of all of this, the recovery just didn't happen like it use to.

So, to keep a long story short, it is time to start treatment again. Cleveland decided to lower the dosage from 50 to 37.5. It is more important that Eric can stay on the drug for 28 days then to be on the maximum dosage and having it cut short because of side effects. The hope is that lowering the dosage will make the side effects easier to tolerate and keep his treatment on schedule. As well as Eric handled the maximum dose, we are hopeful that this new plan will work well for him. He started the cycle last night so here we go again.

We don't have our next appointment in Cleveland scheduled yet but typically it would happen during the next break which is about 3 months from the last appointment. They will probably schedule it when Eric reports that he started Sutent yesterday. I will post again when I know more. For now, thank you again for your continued prayers. It feels so good to know that God hears so many prayers for Eric and our family. I know that they give us strength every day and I am confident that Eric's cancer is stable because of the prayers of so many. Thank you for your part in our journey. We are forever grateful. Eric, Gwen, Emily and Adam