Cabazitaxel Cycle 2

[tom67inMA]

The side effects are past their peak, but I'm still tired and sore and moody. Read my blog to find out about the little road trip I took today to avoid another emotional meltdown.

tominmotion.blogspot.com/20...

[noahware]

Nice post, Tom, thanks. I tried Bupropion for depression years ago, and all it did for me was increase anxiety. (Works well for some, though.)

Getting into nature is a great way to address an impending emotional meltdown. Unfortunately, I usually wait too long and escape AFTER the meltdown has started. ("Running away from home" I call it, and it doesn't feel all that different when I ran off into the woods for the day, as a kid, when the "Dad-isn't-fair" or "Mom-isn't-fair" thoughts got overwhelming, LOL.)

[tom67inMA in reply to noahware]

The anxiety increase with Bupropion is a new thing for me, but it only happened when I tried increasing the dose. I seem to be very sensitive to any psychiatric medication. The standard dose for Bupropion is 300mg/day, and I get significant benefits at 75 mg/day. I tried cymbalta briefly, and the lowest available dose was just off the charts too strong for me.

Love the "running away from home" analogy. I've done it several times as an adult. It's very tough to predict these episodes in advance.

[Shooter1]

Best of luck with chemo. Wish I could sleep through the night. Quit clonazepam cold turkey a couple of months ago and haven't had as much luck sleeping since. Been on it for several years as a sleep aid but Dr was concerned with cognitive thinking and memory, so I quit. Miss it sometimes though,.

[podsart in reply to Shooter1]

How much klonopin were u taking daily?

[tom67inMA in reply to Shooter1]

For what it's worth, I've been on clonazepam for over a decade and was gainfully employed as an engineer for most of that time (until this cancer thing came along). Were there specific symptoms you had that made the doctor concerned? Or was it just an abundance of caution?

[GoBucks]

Great blog as usual. Excellent pee and bladder report. Nice pics. I too had ESS.(Election Stress Syndrome). I'm over it. Stay strong, keep laughing and I look forward to pics of Mt. Monadnock.

[j-o-h-n]

Good blog.... Since I've been watchin ID (Investigation Discovery TV) crime shows on cable TV I must warn you that many real life episodes describe how someone walking in the woods (or park) usually comes across a murdered missing person's body. So stay out of those parks and woods and go to a local pub which features ladies pole dancing. For pain relief you may want to get up on stage and try pole dancing with the ladies. And just think it may lead to a new career that's better than being an IT developer. Give my regards to your wife and her bucket... Get Well, Stay Well and I enjoy reading your blogs....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Monday 11/16/2020 10:26 PM EST

[SeosamhM in reply to j-o-h-n]

You leave me speechless but chucklin', brother j-o-h-n! Only you could weave a narrative that starts with murder and ends in a strip club! Or maybe you got the whole thing from ID! But it's all practical advice! Cheers! - Joe M.

[j-o-h-n in reply to SeosamhM]

He's a cool guy...... I only bug people I like.....

youtube.com/watch?v=yGA6YGn...(Not working as expected?)

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Tuesday 11/17/2020 9:49 PM EST

[tom67inMA in reply to j-o-h-n]

I'm weird enough to maybe "enjoy" finding a body deep in the woods. Not like "oh this is fun!", but more of as a unique life experience. Certainly between Lupron and Covid, the joy of pole dancing is not what it used to be.

[Ramp7 in reply to tom67inMA]

I try to start each morning with a good hike in the woods. It's hunting season, so I and the Border Collie wear Orange.

Some of my best ideas have been hatched while hiking.

[SeosamhM]

As always, thanks for the blog, Tom. I often lack the determination to speak about my journey; your effort humbles me. We're pulling for you!

[StayPositive1]

Good on you, Tom. Great blog - I’m going to check it more frequently. I hope you have a good Tuesday.

[Doseydoe]

Ah! Tom my uteral stent race buddy. Glad to hear that your wee functionality is better if not almost normal. Like you, my pee is now blood free and I can lie on my side again without kidney pain . A collective sigh can be heard......... Loved your blog, you have a nice turn of phrase. Good idea to get out of the four walls and get some fresh air. The lake looks great and I could almost smell the fresh air. Maintain the rage brother and I hope your new chemo does some good, cheers 😎, DD

[tom67inMA in reply to Doseydoe]

If it weren't for the pandemic, I could see us getting together to talk about the joys of living stent free over a beer, and then enjoying a nice, pain-free, beer enhanced piss. I do really hope the chemo is working because it's kicking the snot out of me at the moment. I've got increased bone pain and my ALP is spiking, but that could be side effects of Neulasta.

[Doseydoe in reply to tom67inMA]

Indeed, comparing agonising stent stories over a few beers could be the genisis for a horror story. If we added Wimpster to the crew, it would be like adding Stephen King as a co-writer! I've heard some say cabazitaxel has less SE than docetaxel. I've had doxy and that's no picnic, how do the two brews compare 🤔 ?

[tom67inMA in reply to Doseydoe]

LOL! Yes, there are several here that could contribute to the stent/catheter/nephrostomy horror story.

It's hard for me to compare cabazitaxel and docetaxel, because all else is not equal. As a rough guess, I'd say it's not too much worse than docetaxel and that most of the problems I'm having have to do with 6 cycles carboplatin+etoposide earlier in the year. If you count the atezolizumab (which didn't feel like a walk in the park), my chemo port has been in continuous use since February.

[Doseydoe in reply to tom67inMA]

You must so over the whole treatment process. To have all that stuff pumped onto you must make you feel terrible. It makes me sad and angry that we all have to endure these things in order to live. I hope your feeling a little better today, 😎DD.

[tom67inMA in reply to Doseydoe]

Actually, I developed a migraine yesterday My cancer was symptomatic before treatment, and generally all these drugs have replaced severe symptoms with mild to moderate side effects. Overall, it's a win, but when I think "I'm winning", instead of a big celebration, this comes to mind:

youtube.com/watch?v=PUHvMLN...(Not working as expected?)