Gosh...Has it been a month?

Hi friends,

It's been a whole month since I reported in. There is a lot of same ol', same ol' , but we've had a busy month and seem to be doing pretty well.

Three weeks ago I had the worst set of sore feet I've ever had. It lasted a complete 12 days. I could still get around, but I think that I was compensating in the way I walked and somehow got a sore hip and thigh. Feels like a pinched nerve to me. Doc wasn't particularly worried about it...I suppose he's seen worse... nurses asked if it was discolored and sore to the touch...when I said no, they said ok. The sore feet went away when I got to my off-Sutent week. The internet theory on the sore feet side effect is that the small capillaries in your extremities can rupture and some of the Sutent seeps out into the muscle. I didn't miss any work (probably should have) but I spent lots of time sitting down.

Doc, the wizard of the hemotology and oncology, decided that I was anemic about two weeks ago (another one of those side effects) and since he wants all of my systems strong so he can keep kicking the hell out of the mets at full dosage, he prescribed a couple of units of blood. So last Friday, a week ago, I went to St. Vincent's and spent about 8 hours getting a transfusion. On TV they install blood at a much faster rate than real transfusions. Turns out it only costs about $500 per hour. Rumors are that you get instant perk, I musta missed that part, but I do think that I have more energy. We'll check blood again next Thursday.

Spring break was last week. Debbie has a side effect from teaching school.....when it's spring break, she has the strong urge to feel sand under her feet. So, we took a few days to go to Pensacola. I wish we could get Al Gore fired up about global warming again because it was cold

at the gulf coast. I have thin blood anyway and it doesn't seem right to be coated up in a beach chair. Sunscreen is about 3o SPF and I guess we had on our SPF 200+ polartec and gortex.

You'll be happy to know that I have had no loss of appetite. I've given up pie, but I seem to find other things to stay well fed. I did get some new sunglasses....cool dude huh!

We're hanging in. I'm in my 32nd week of Sutent. It's sorta becoming a way of life and I'm not worried about where we're headed. It's not at all bad, just aggravating at times. Thank goodness for good insurance and good friends and family. I still respect this disease and know that it's not always black and white on whether we're gaining or slipping. I think I'll go back to just being Bryan....it's who I am anyway.

Y'all hang in there too.

Bryan