What Can we expect next---please help!!!

My husband was dx'd in Dec 2008 with stage 4 RCC with mets to both lungs & his liver.  He took 2 rounds of sutent & his cancer progressed.  In April they started him on torisol & has had some good results until now.  He had alot of pain so the Dr did a MRI & found a spot on his spine.  CT scans showed 1 of the tumors grew.  He had some bleeding 2 weeks ago & has been in the hospital. They still can't tell us where the bleeding came from but he hadn't had anymore.  Friday they moved him over to a skilled nursing facility for rehab.  He has not been up for 2 weeks. This is the second time he has been to rehab.  The first time he did great with rehab but I have my doubts this time.  He keeps telling me he is tired & he doesn't think he will be around much longer.  He is very emotional right now & it breaks my heart to see him like this.  The Dr is telling us he will not get anymore treatments until he gets on his feet.  I am not sure if they will give him the torisol again or if they will start something new. His white blood count did go up last week to 26 & they started him on antibotics.  The last time they checked it before he left the hospital it was 18.  Has anyone had anything similar to any of this?  I am not sure I know what the next course of treatment should be.  He doesn't seem like he will do very well with the rehab.  He refused PT in the hospital last week because he felt so bad.  I don't think they will let him refuse therapy in the rehab center.  I am so afraid he is giving up...and I don't know what else to do or say to him.  Has anyone out here been in this situation before? 

I am so sorry to hear this about your husband. My husband was diagnosed in June 2008 with stage IV and mets to one lung. He was on a clinical trial first for sutent, then in Sept. 2008 he had the right kidney removed and started sutent again until Jan.2009 when it stopped working. He was switched to Nexavar for only 2 months then in May he was so sick he was admitted to the hospital for renal failure. His creatine was 4.0. After several days of IV fluids, he was much better and released from the hospital. Now since June he has been on a chemo infusion of Gemzar every two weeks along with sutent again. His tumors in the lung have stablized but it has been very hard on his only kidney and with bad side effects..weak, nausea, constipation etc. Been in bed for almost 4 months. Dr. last week reduced the dosage by 20%. He also has fluid in his right lung which I drain everyday and now has a small amt in the left lung. This disease is so difficult, we are on a roller coaster of emotions and don't know what to do next. We are at MDAnderson in Houston which is the best cancer center in the county and I know he's getting the best care, but there is no cure yet for this cancer and the future is bleak. We take each day and just go through the motions. I pray the next day will be better. My husband is only 62 and that is so young. He is fighting and I am fighting with him. There are more new treatments now for kidney cancer so check with your dr. I know it he is so tired and weak and wants to give up, but tell him there are people out there living with stage IV for many years and like our dr. said...they are coming up with new drug all the time. In just the past 3 years, they have 4 new drugs and more in the pipeline, Anderson is on the cutting edge of the latest. It is so hard being the caretaker...I know, I cry all the time out of frustration and the unknown. Please take care and feel free to email me with any questions.

Leslie.........

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On 9/27/2009 judben wrote:

My husband was dx'd in Dec 2008 with stage 4 RCC with mets to both lungs & his liver.  He took 2 rounds of sutent & his cancer progressed.  In April they started him on torisol & has had some good results until now.  He had alot of pain so the Dr did a MRI & found a spot on his spine.  CT scans showed 1 of the tumors grew.  He had some bleeding 2 weeks ago & has been in the hospital. They still can't tell us where the bleeding came from but he hadn't had anymore.  Friday they moved him over to a skilled nursing facility for rehab.  He has not been up for 2 weeks. This is the second time he has been to rehab.  The first time he did great with rehab but I have my doubts this time.  He keeps telling me he is tired & he doesn't think he will be around much longer.  He is very emotional right now & it breaks my heart to see him like this.  The Dr is telling us he will not get anymore treatments until he gets on his feet.  I am not sure if they will give him the torisol again or if they will start something new. His white blood count did go up last week to 26 & they started him on antibotics.  The last time they checked it before he left the hospital it was 18.  Has anyone had anything similar to any of this?  I am not sure I know what the next course of treatment should be.  He doesn't seem like he will do very well with the rehab.  He refused PT in the hospital last week because he felt so bad.  I don't think they will let him refuse therapy in the rehab center.  I am so afraid he is giving up...and I don't know what else to do or say to him.  Has anyone out here been in this situation before? 

All of this really scares me.  I don't know if I can handle taking care of my husband if he really gets sick and cannot get out of bed.  He was diagnosed in May 09 with RCC and mets to the left lung and pelvis.  My husband has been on Sutent since June and he is doing OK with 37.5 each day.  He will get a scan next month. He has had problems with fluid in the left lung and 3 weeks ago a surgeon put a pleurex tube and he is now being drained once each week.  He is doing OK with that.  For now he sleeps alot and is afraid of being in crowds and getting sick, now that the weather has gotten cold.  I don't know what will I do if he gets worse..how do you do it????   Please help.