Some time ago someone posted about the way prostate cancer finally overwhelms the body (if my memory serves me right). I found this article informative and have been looking but cant find the post. Can someone help me please.
Had radiation to spine and hips late March. I am still not feeling very strong. PSA now 446 .Will do chemo in the next week or so if my body is up to it , but don't want to do it if it is just going to make me worse as QOL is a significant consideration.
In case nobody remembers this post, this are the main reasons you die from PCa that I know of:
visceral mets - e.g. affecting the liver. If the liver does not work any more you die. Or brain mets.
spinal cord compression - if bone mets at the spine damage the spinal cord and this is not treated in time.
infections - because chemo therapy weakens the immune system:
Taxotere has been found to increase QOL because it shrinks all your tumors, allowing better organ function, and it relieves pain.
Thank you Tall Allen. Your input is helping with my decision.
Taxotere probably does what you say for most prostate cancer patients.
It did nothing of the above for me. I had taken a PSMA PET-CT scan before and after taking docetaxel (taxotere). My mets increased in size and qty after going through 6 cycles of taxotere. As regards pain, I didn't have any pain before, during or after taxotere.
So, the conclusion MUST be that taxotere works for some, maybe most, but NOT FOR ALL metastatic prostate cancer patients. I keep insisting on writing this because people might get the mistaken impression that taxotere is a sure thing. Also, consider the side effects of taxotere before happily taking the treatment.
"So, the conclusion MUST be that taxotere works for some, maybe most, but NOT FOR ALL metastatic prostate cancer patients."
I think that seems to be true for pretty much all the prostate cancer treatments, to some extent or another.
Maybe so. Even then this must be mentioned so that people new to the disease do not think of taxotere as some bloody wonder treatment that improves QOL and shrinks all your tumors and relieves pain. Standard of Care procedure 
Yes agreed. Only Gator blood does that. LOL
Of course, Gator blood would do the trick Its the ONLY infallible CURE for cancer that ever was or perhaps, ever will be
When I was a kid visiting relatives in Florida. I mean in the swamp scary people. They were very distressed because the jackass was gone, and the certainty was that the gators got it. Very very distressed when my parents said go outside and play.
You are the "drug" man and conventional guy! I mean that in a good way.
You could think of it as just taking one chemo treatment at a time, while watching to see what your PSA and lab test reports say as you go along. Many men do get good responses on chemo, which can "buy them more overall Quality-of-Life time in the long run, compared to the temporary amount of time they may be on the chemo. Beyond the possible chemo, there might then be other oral drugs available for you later, with relatively low side effects profiles.
Most QOL issues are manageable. This disease is no afternoon picnic in the park. Stay logical. QOL or certain death.
GD
QOL … how about a fun lighthearted uplifting post about “ manziers “ …
Trouble posting one to one via this Pca group
Radiation post RP unnecessary unless PCa recurs 
Info about ongoing Phase III PCa trials
