Metastatic Prostate cancer to bone - next step chemo

[bdbarrett]

14 years of Prostate cancer. My husband has done all treatments except chemo. Still on lupron, xtandi, xgeva. Have done zytega/prednisone, Provenge, xofigo, SRS on 3 lumbar bone Mets last month. Psa 1.3 before radiation. Really worried about doing taxotere. Is it really hard? Sick, hair loss, more fatigue?

[JamesAtlanta]

You two have been on an amazing PCa journey. Congratulations on the results thus far. It is inspiring and gives hope to us all.

Regarding chemo, assuming your husband is in generally good health, it’s not nearly as bad as we all fear. My experience is that it was more or less like getting mentally geared up to get a mild case of the flu that lasts a few days to a week per treatment. I was able to keep working full time. I simply took the day off for treatment and then worked from home for a few days. The symptoms start to kick in 2-3 days after the infusion. By week 2, I was back at the office or even traveling.

A few tips:

* Hair loss - yes, you will lose your hair. I kept the hair on my head because I wore something called Polar Caps. They cool your head so that the chemo does not cause hair loss. You can google the company that makes them and it explains the process - you basically rent the caps. I did this because my wife had previously had breast cancer. She told me the worst part was ‘looking sick’ due to hair loss because people treated her differently. So she encouraged me to use the caps since I was still working. They work incredibly well.

* Ice your finger tips and toes during the infusion. This will help prevent neuropathy. For the fingers, just put on surgical gloves and submerge the fingers in ice, removing when it gets too cold. And repeat. For the toes and balls of the feet, use gel pads to ice them.

* The day after the infusion your husband will likely get a shot of Nulasta to fight infection. Take Zyrtec - to help reduce joint pain and body aches. I have no idea why an over the counter allergy medicine helps, but it does.

* Exercise during chemo. Even if it’s just walking a couple of miles per day. It will help significantly with fatigue.

* The skin is the body’s largest organ. And his skin will dry out. So use a lotion every day. I used Lubriderm.

* Brush teeth carefully and gently.

I’m sure others will offer more tips and inspiration. But chemo gets a bad rap. It really fights cancer systemically and is very tolerable. Don’t be afraid. Based upon your husband’s response to other treatments, he should do very well.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you both. Don’t hesitate to reach out with. more questions. Hopefully I’ve alleviated some of your concerns. 😊

James

[bdbarrett in reply to JamesAtlanta]

Thank you so much. I will print this so we remember your tips.

[Schwah in reply to JamesAtlanta]

His tips are 100% corrrct and his experience matches mine 100% also. All excellent advise

[rococo in reply to JamesAtlanta]

Excellent advise for chemotherapy

[Ewhite99]

I completed six rounds of Taxotere two winters ago. It's not that bad. Felt fine the first few days after treatment. Felt like I had a bad hangover for days 5-9 and then not so bad until the next treatment. I lost most of my hair but not all. Also lost my eye brows, a small price to pay. What little hair I had to start came back six months after treatment, my eyebrows are still missing in action, much fainter than before. The treatment itself is not too bad as long as you keep yourself busy with music, TV or a book. Good luck! I'm sure it will help tremendously.

Just read JamesAtlanta's response. he is on the money with Zyrtec. It's an absolute must. I forgot to take it before my first treatment and had crazy back pain for a few days. I took it prior to the other treatments and had absolutely no back pain. Unbelievably effective.

[vandy69]

Good Morning bdbarrett,

James gave you great first hand advice. All is can add is buy and use Biotene products for mouth care and my MO recommended taking 100mg B6 orally daily to mitigate peripheral neuropathy.

Also my MO prescribed Dexamethasone to be taken day before, day of, and day after chemo to reduce side effects. He used a small dose of Aloxi before each chemo to prevent nausea and it worked.

I also added Wisconsin American ginseng to combat chemo fatigue. Google Mayo Clinic and ginseng for their trial.

Best wishes. Never Give In.

Mark, Atlanta

[bdbarrett in reply to vandy69]

Thank you