Not feeling very well

Unfortunately, I've not been feeling very well for the last week or so.

We had a terrific Christmas (in Bethesda with Gwyneth's family - photos here and videos here) and then took William to Disney World after New Year's (along with my sister's family and my parents - photos here).  Had a really wonderful time!

Just after this trip, I started to get much more fatigued and short-of-breath.  My sputum was pretty ugly (including some blood), and I was getting daily chills and fever.  We did some blood work and got a new CT scan: my red blood cell count was quite low and my lungs had lots of infiltrates (hazy areas that probably indicate bleeding and/or infection).

So, last week, I received a blood transfusion, which made me feel a little better.  We also started some antibiotics, hoping that my lung issues were mainly related to infection.  However, I didn't improve that much (the fever and chills stopped, but I'm still very fatigued and short-of-breath).  Just yesterday, I received another blood transfusion.

Unfortunately, it appears that my lung issues are likely caused by tumor and tumor bleeding.  This has happened before (last spring), but looks a bit worse now.  Fortunately, I improved a lot with last summer's chemotherapy, so we're headed in that direction again.  The oral "biologic" agent that I've been taking for six weeks (Sutent) doesn't seem to be working very well.

So, I'll likely start a course of doxorubicin chemotherapy next week.  This will be one infusion (as an outpatient) every three or four weeks.  Fortunately, I'll be allowed to receive this through an IV, so I won't need a new, permanent catheter.  This is good, as I've had issues with blood clots and catheters in the past, and I'm continuing to have blood clots in my right arm.

I'm quite comfortable when sitting, conversing, or walking short distances.  But, longer walks - and especially stairs - really make me huff and puff.  I've been able to work some, but mostly have been at home.

This has been hard on us, so we definitely appreciate your prayers and support.  Hopefully, a bit of the chemotherapy will get me feeling better (I know - given what you usually think about chemotherapy - it sounds a little bit odd!).

Robert and Gwyneth