CancerCompass message board discussion started by Neilh on 3/5/2007 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,10099,0.htm Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Scheduled to begin Sutent on April 15.  I am interested in finding information on quality of life while on the treatment.  On the two weeks off the medication do the side effects diminish?  After reading the string of comments I feel that the drug will be much better than the Interferon alfa I was on last year.  Thanks in advance.  God Bless you all.Neil Neilh Mon, 05 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT  Neil here is a link you may find interesting..I know nothing of this drug or what type of cancer you have.  (I am a multiple myeloma survivor -bone cancer) I also would look up alternative therapies  that can also assist in getting you well.  I took alternative 95% and regular therapy 5%.  Mine was an unusual case but it is the reason I am alive.  All the best.  Here is the link:www.chemocare.com/bio/sutent.aspHere is another site for alternative supplement that really helps with the side effects of chemo and cuts them way down.www.polymva.com  www.facr.orgAll the best..Elaine   On 3/5/2007 Neilh wrote:Scheduled to begin Sutent on April 15.  I am interested in finding information on quality of life while on the treatment.  On the two weeks off the medication do the side effects diminish?  After reading the string of comments I feel that the drug will be much better than the Interferon alfa I was on last year.  Thanks in advance.  God Bless you all.Neil  Commonsense2265 Mon, 05 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT Hi Neil,As you will see from other posts everyone taking sutent is different.  My husband started his first cycle on Dec 1st. and really the side effects for him have been very manageable. Cycle 1 nothing much until day 11 when fatigue set in, our youngest daughter picked up a bug at school and this knocked him for six, he ended up in hopsital for 5 days.  They just monitored him in the hospital and he carried on the sutent. Tiredness was his main complaint.Cycle 2 nothing much at all. Tiredness some days but not too bad, slight yellowness of the skin, odd rash on body, blotchiness, he uses baby oil on his skin every day and finds vaseline intensive care with aloe vera takes care of any slight itchiness.Cycle 3 ok until yesterday day 10 when the tiredness set in.  He is finding it hard to stay warm the last few days but nothing major.Since December 1st he has been able to do jobs around the house, collect our daughter from school, normal things.  He takes it easy and just does what he can.  At the end of this cycle he will be scanned to see what is happening we are very hopeful and a positive attitude goes a long way as you will see from other peoples postings.Good luck when you start Sutent and stay in touch.Siobhan  Siogeo Mon, 05 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT  I'm 70 years old now and I've been on sutent for two years.  The side effects do abate during the two week hiatus.  However, I've found while some disappear almost completely, others never completely disappear.  For example, the soreness on the bottom of my feet, which is located in the area of a callus disappear almost entirely, as does stomach and intestinal problems (like diarrhea and gas) and my appetite also returns. These changes usually take place within 5-7 days after stopping sutent. But my sense of taste never returns completely to normal in the two weeks off the drug. Also over the two years I've been on sutent I've found that the severity of the side effects seem to vary somewhat and new ones have appeared over time.  For example within the last year I've developed neuropathy in my forearms and legs, which involves a sense of numbness and muscle cramps. Right now my legs seem very weak too, making it harder to walk.  Another new side effect is inflammation of the lining of my eyes and periorbital swelling in which I fluid accumulating around my eyes, especially in the area between the inner side of my eyes and my nose.  But I must say that besides sutent I take a lot of other prescription drugs and some of them have similar side effects, so its hard to know which side effect is due to which drug or whether the combination of drugs make the side effects worse.Despite these problems I've tried to live as normal a life as possible. We still do a lot of travel abroad to Asia, Europe, etc.  I also still try to keep myself mentally active by reading and studying, although I must admit I'm not as physically strong as I used to be, but maybe that's partly because I don't exercise very much these days.I know that individuals react differently to sutent (and others drugs for that matter), but I hope this has been some help to you.  Sutent is keeping the two tumors I have--one in my pelvic area and one in my abdominal area- from growing and that's a real blessing.  I wish you all the best. Ray On 3/5/2007 Neilh wrote:Scheduled to begin Sutent on April 15.  I am interested in finding information on quality of life while on the treatment.  On the two weeks off the medication do the side effects diminish?  After reading the string of comments I feel that the drug will be much better than the Interferon alfa I was on last year.  Thanks in advance.  God Bless you all.Neil  Raywei Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT