Kidney and lung cancer.

Hi Shelly

Just wanted to reply to you to let you know although you may feel alone you're not.

My mum has secondary kidney cancer which has now spread to her pancreas & liver. She has just started a targeted therapy treatment called Panzopanib. She takes 1 x 400mg tablet a day, so far she has no side effects which is brilliant although I think this may kick in when they up the dosage. We don't know if it's working yet as she has only been on these tablets for just over a week so I guess we have to wait & see when she has her next oncologist appointment next Thursday, keeping everything crossed. It's a really tough time and I've found everyone on this site so friendly and lovely and lots of people who are actually going through this can give you real experience and helpful ideas on how to cope and help those who are suffering.

Look after yourself and I hope your dad gets on well with the treatment, keep in touch and let us know.

Take care

Jo x

Hi Jo,

i’m so sorry for the very late reply. My Dad is on the same treatment and he isn’t to well at the moment but I know he will have his good and bad days. How is your mum doing?

many thanks Michelle.

Hi Michelle

No problem at all. I'm sorry to hear your Dad isn't doing too well. My mum isn't on pazopanib anymore as it was really knocking her for 6, feeling really sick, dizzy spells and her balance was all over the place. She is now on sunitinib which she has taken to much better. Although for the last month she has had what seems to be vertigo then yesterday she collapsed with stomach pains and was taken to hospital, very worrying especially since none of us could go with her. Thankfully she was able to come back home in the evening, although her stomach is better today her head is very muzzy. I'm sure this hot weather isn't helping. I keep trying to tell myself that not every illness is related to this horrible cancer, but it keeps niggling away at me. it's tough isn't it, and so very cruel.

I really hope your dad starts to feel better soon, how long has he been on pazopanib for? If it's been a while and he feels rough I do know there are lots of different options. Once my mum changed to sunitinib she instantly perked up as you could see she felt better on them, still had a few side effects at first felt a bit sick but mints helped with that, now she gets a few sores on the pressure points of her feet but nothing that really stops her and when she is on her 2 week break they clear up.

I am always here if you need to chat. Take care and try to look after yourself as well x

Hello Jojo, 

I’m so sorry to hear about your mum and I hope she gets better soon and it must of been so worrying not being able to go with her to the hospital. I’m glad they were able to change her tablets to sunitinib and she doesn’t have bad side affects. I am the same when they feel under the weather and I think it’s to do with the the cancer but it’s hard not To think like that.

I got it wrong my Dad is on sunitinib too but he gets poorly on them too. He gets very tired and it’s usually the last two weeks whilst taking them that he’s sick, an upset stomach, up all through the night, hardly sleeping and not eating so the hospital have to sometimes but him on shakes to but weight on. when he finishes taking them he usually perks up on the 2nd week and before you know it he’s back on them again. Just after Christmas he had a scan to say the tumour shrank from 14cm to 12.5cm which was fantastic news!!!. He was due a scan this month but with all this virus he got taken off his tablets for 8/9weeks then he finally got put back on them and ended up in hospital for the day as he had a temperature so he got antibiotics and taken off the tablets for a week and then in hospital last week for the day again as he was poorly again. He has had a sore knee for a few weeks and on his first visit to the hospital they drained it, so the consultant wanted to see him on Thursday past to drain it again and send it off to see if he has an infection in it which I hope it is (in a way) and find the results out on Monday.

In August it will be 1 year since we found out and the consultant said if the tablets work he could have 12/18 months and I know he could live longer and be here for 2 years as who knows but it’s always playing on my mind even more so that the year is coming closer. It makes it so much harder as I haven’t seen him since February due to the virus and he lives in the West Midlands and I’m in the highlands, scotland so I can’t wait till they say I can see him. 

I’m so sorry to go on and on.

It feels good to talk to someone going through the same.

Thank you and your more than welcome to message me anytime.