2nd Infusion Went Well

The second infusion was much less intense than the first as I detailed in the previous post. It was still a long day, though. They started sodium bicarbonate via IV an hour before the infusion of the SNS032 drug. That's the stuff that's suppose to protect the kidneys. It doesn't sound very sophisticated. I guess they just go back to the kitchen and mix it up.

The SNS032 infusion lasts 6 hours and 15 minutes. The first 15 minutes is a heavier dose. Then there's 6 hours of a single dose. There were no side effects.

The whole process took about 9 hours from when we checked into the outpatient clinic. We got there about 1:15 and left at 10:15. Lynda was pretty bored I'm sure, but I slept through a lot of it. As it turns out we were deep enough into the building I couldn't get a cell phone signal for my Verizon air card.

This stuff does make you tired. Here it is Saturday and I could take a nap at any time - even after a very good night's sleep. So far that seems to be the only side affect.

The big node under my right arm seems to have gone down a little. It's still there, but it has not grown, it's less sore, and I belief smaller in size. So maybe this stuff is working. They did say that it would act much slower than previous chemotherapy. So I'm trying to be patient.

My eyes have been hurting since last Sunday. It's GvHD they think. It doesn't seem related to the Sunesis drug. GvHD or previous chemo has affected the function of my tear glands. I can't make any tears, so my eyes dry out very badly. They were already bothering me before Sunday, but something changed and they got dramatically worse. It felt like I got soap in my eyes and I couldn't get it out. I spent all day Sunday with a cold wet compress on my eyes. I went to the eye doctor there at MD Monday and Tuesday. They put me on steroid eye drops and ointment. Plus I have several over the counter products they have me using to keep my eyes moist. This is a real pain - literally and figuratively. Some of the drops and ointments make my eyes blurry, so I can't see well. I'm very sensitive to light also. So sunlight, TV, and computer have been difficult to endure. Today, though, they seem to be better. At least I'm able to get on the computer.

The GvHD started in my feet and worked it's way up through my mouth and is now, I guess, in my eyes. It took a good week for it to resolve in each affected area, so I'm hoping for the same time frame in my eyes. My feet, hands, and mouth are much much better. I would say all that is 99% resolved. The outer layer of skin on my feet is peeling again. My hands have about completed their peeling. My mouth is pretty much back to normal. So now I've got to get my eyes back.

I go back to Houston this week for the third infusion of the Sunesis drug. Then I get a week off. So it's three infusions per month. They will let you have as much as 6 months worth. Exactly how many cycles I get depends on my response.