Friday, November 24, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving
I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you were able to enjoy the day with family and friends. As I have been fighting this disease, my friends and family have given me so much more than I could have ever imagined – I am so grateful. Our family spent the day with friends and had a very relaxing and enjoyable time. My parents are headed up for the weekend and it will be nice to spend time with them without worrying about traveling to the doctor.
Again, all the best to everyone and thanks!
Seth
Again, all the best to everyone and thanks!
Seth
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Sorafenib Update
As you can see my blogging has become quite sporadic as of late. Here is what’s been going on.
After about 10 days on the drug I started to take a turn for the worse. I was experiencing extreme stomach aches and nausea, along with decreasing appetite. It got bad enough that I was more or less bed-bound and not eating anything. Fortunately, I still complete my tube feeding each night which kept me from losing weight.
After talking with doctor, we decided that I should stop taking the Sorafenib until I started feeling better. I actually traveled to New York this past Friday for my bi-weekly checkup and was able to get evaluated. The doctor isn’t convinced that the Sorafenib was the root cause of my poor condition, as much of it seems more related to my surgery. I’m an unusual case in that respect. I am now doing much better, although I still don’t have much of an appetite. At this point I will probably start back up on the Sorafenib early this week at half the dose (400 mg instead of 800 mg) and see how things go. I am obviously disappointed that my transition onto this drug wasn’t super smooth, but I have no doubt that I can work through these issues.
My trip to New York was pretty uneventful. I took the train from Philly again and am finding this pretty convenient. Dad came along with me and drove me back to State College on Saturday. We enjoyed watching the Ohio St/Michigan game. My grandparents went to Ohio State and my Dad was born and raised in Ohio, so we were naturally rooting for OSU. For those of you following the BCS debates, my personal opinion is that an OSU/Mich rematch would be great, and that Michigan could very likely beat them at a neutral site. It will be very interesting to see how it plays out the other one-loss teams. As usual, somebody is going to feel left out.
Our plans for Thanksgiving are to stay home. Mom and Dad will be coming up for the weekend and we are planning on finding a good Christmas tree at one of the local farms. I hope everyone has a great holiday and is able to spend it with loved ones and family. I’m probably one of the few people in the whole country who won’t be eating too much on Thursday (although I wish that weren’t the case!).
Take care and thanks to everyone for staying in touch.
Seth
After about 10 days on the drug I started to take a turn for the worse. I was experiencing extreme stomach aches and nausea, along with decreasing appetite. It got bad enough that I was more or less bed-bound and not eating anything. Fortunately, I still complete my tube feeding each night which kept me from losing weight.
After talking with doctor, we decided that I should stop taking the Sorafenib until I started feeling better. I actually traveled to New York this past Friday for my bi-weekly checkup and was able to get evaluated. The doctor isn’t convinced that the Sorafenib was the root cause of my poor condition, as much of it seems more related to my surgery. I’m an unusual case in that respect. I am now doing much better, although I still don’t have much of an appetite. At this point I will probably start back up on the Sorafenib early this week at half the dose (400 mg instead of 800 mg) and see how things go. I am obviously disappointed that my transition onto this drug wasn’t super smooth, but I have no doubt that I can work through these issues.
My trip to New York was pretty uneventful. I took the train from Philly again and am finding this pretty convenient. Dad came along with me and drove me back to State College on Saturday. We enjoyed watching the Ohio St/Michigan game. My grandparents went to Ohio State and my Dad was born and raised in Ohio, so we were naturally rooting for OSU. For those of you following the BCS debates, my personal opinion is that an OSU/Mich rematch would be great, and that Michigan could very likely beat them at a neutral site. It will be very interesting to see how it plays out the other one-loss teams. As usual, somebody is going to feel left out.
Our plans for Thanksgiving are to stay home. Mom and Dad will be coming up for the weekend and we are planning on finding a good Christmas tree at one of the local farms. I hope everyone has a great holiday and is able to spend it with loved ones and family. I’m probably one of the few people in the whole country who won’t be eating too much on Thursday (although I wish that weren’t the case!).
Take care and thanks to everyone for staying in touch.
Seth
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Started on Sorafenib
I had a busy week, traveling to and from New York. The news from the doctor was mostly very positive and I’m feeling a renewed sense of optimism about my treatment. My latest C/T scan showed mostly stable tumor size, with just a little new growth in places. Considering that I’d had only my chemotherapy treatment since August, this was very welcome news. I also had an MRI of my spine while in NY, and everything looked good there as well. I “passed” all my lab tests for the Sorafenib trial and started on the medicine on Wednesday. It’s too early to tell what side effects may manifest, but so far I’m feeling fine. I’ll be returning every two weeks (thru January) for checkups and lab work to support the trial requirements. I took the train into NY and will continue to do so for the most part, it’s very convenient.
I am continuing to gain strength and am finding it easier to stay on me feet for extended periods. My eating habits are still not back to normal, but are slowly improving. We treated the kids to dinner at Applebee’s last night and I even managed to eat most of my Oriental Chicken Wrap (always one of my favorites). I’ve gained a few pounds since I left the hospital and I’m hoping to continue the trend. The picture here is from Thursday of this week.
So that’s the latest on my treatment. Drop me a line when you have a chance and let me know how things are on your end.
Take care,
Seth
