One Week of Regorafenib in the Books

I've been taking regorafenib for a little over a week now, having started the date of my previous post. Four pills (40mg each), taken with a low fat meal. I've been doing it at breakfast, as I'm a big fan of cereal, which fits the bill. So far, so good as far as side effects. Things I've been told to watch out for are high blood pressure, mucositis, mouth sores, and a rash on my hands and feet. I did have dry nasal passages briefly for a couple of days after I started. No mouth sores yet, but I've had dry mouth since last Monday.  Thankfully, regular use of biotene mouthwash keeps that in check. I'm supposed to check my blood pressure twice a day, as it's possible for it to climb dangerously high. Thankfully, I have some wiggle room there. I normally run low (100s/60s), and so far I've only had a bump of 10 above my baseline numbers, which is still low. The trial doctor told me that side effects often force a dose reduction, and most patients end up taking two pills, with the second week of treatment being the toughest. With that facing me now, I guess I'll soon know how I'll fare.

Scans to see if it's working are in the 8th week. And that's the big question I'll have to face as I continue up to that point. With the chemo, since I was so symptomatic, it was easy to tell that it was working by tracking my symptoms and the tumor sticking out of my back. Here, I'll have to rely on not developing any symptoms, but lung tumors can get pretty big before they result in symptoms. So far, I can breathe in pretty deep, perhaps even a little deeper than before I started the trial, so here's hoping that's a good sign.