Starting Docetaxel soon.

[SF22]

I will be starting chemotherapy (docetaxel) soon. The order was for chemo + prednisone. When I asked the Oncologist about the prednisone, he seemed confused and said ,"oh that is added to the chemo IV". I thought it would be in a pill form. Can anybody help me on this one? Also, I'm scheduled for six sessions and they want to put in a port. Has anyone not had a port and just did it by IV? Just seems like a port has a better chance of infection. Did you do chemo gloves and boots?

[GP24]

Predinsone shall mitigate side effects of the Chemo. It is usually taken as pills. A port is shall provide less discomfort than finding a new vein each time.

[16starsky]

My Husband had 6 sessions of chemo 2yrs ago. He had a port, and the prednisone was in tablet form. Yes wear the cold cap and mitts if you can, you probably wont loose any head hair., and its helps with the neuropathy . The side effects were a lot less than we were expecting.

Good luck 🤞

[Magnus1964 in reply to 16starsky]

Good information, I didn't know pregnisone would help with neuropathy. Thanks.

[16starsky in reply to Magnus1964]

Sorry Magnus, its the cold cap/gloves that help.

[Tall_Allen]

The prednisone prevents some inflammatory side effects. It is a pill. You should also get Neulasta and an antihistamine.

A port is a good idea if your veins are hard to find. It can prevent extravasation of the drug that can damage blood vessels and cause sores.

[brucesam in reply to Tall_Allen]

Hi Allen,If I'm allergic to prednisone, what's an alternative?

[Tall_Allen in reply to brucesam]

dexamethasone

[brucesam in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thank you, Allen.

[dockam]

Hi, in 2015 I had prednisone via IV and no port thru 15 Taxotere sessions. I believe that sometimes you may get it in pill form to take the day before and then that amMy best to you

Fight on

Randy

[Hidden]

I asked my doctor about pre-medication with Dexamethesone when doing chemo and also about Prednisone. He said that both should be done. He said that 10mg of Prednisone (pill) should be taken daily during chemotherapy. This is what I did when I had Docetaxel chemotherapy in accordance with the STAMPEDE trial protocol.

I tried to go without it just to see and the side effects of chemo got about 3 times worse without it. Definitely is a big help.

[Muffin2019]

I had chemo about 3 years ago no port, took prednisone with little side effects other than some loss of hair other than my head, gave me anti nausea pills (which I still have under refrigeration that I have used occasionally) . The big thing is to get a lot of protein and stay away from fried foods, this I learned after eating fried chicken, only used the anti nausea pill once, lots of vegs and fresh fruit. Would I do it again, yes I would, good luck.

[Irun]

Hi , we are all a bit different but a few things from my experience that may help you understand in layman’s terms.What the docs do t usually say is what the chemo actually does as if you understand that then other stuff falls into place .

Chemo kills (or tries to ) fast growing cells, cancer is fast growing (relatively) so it kills that (hopefully) .

What else grows fast ? Your hair, your nails, your tongue, the nerve endings in ties and fingers so that’s why all those things get affected too . The chemo therefore also kills stuff that you don’t want killed so in simple terms , the prednisone (steroid) speeds up the growth of the bits that are getting damaged to mitigate that damage hence why you usually have a load of it the night before and the day of chemo .

No one told me that on day 4 after chemo my tongue would go black , it did for 2 days then recovered ( hence you can lose your sense of taste ) , I also did not expect all my body hair to fall out over the 6 sessions, I used to be quite hairy on legs/chest /arms etc but after chemo and being on zoladex I now have little hair , one positive from having cancer !!

As for anti sickness pills , they have little side effects for most people if any . Fill your boots I would say , I only took them for 2 days after the first session but then felt nauseous on days 3-5. Next time I took them for 5 days and never felt sick , if you don’t take them and feel sick they don’t work as well in making you feel ok so why not just take them ?

Anyway others may see things different to me but the above I learnt along the way .

I also ran 2 full marathons on week 13 and 15 of chemo and am still here today 6 years on and starting this today ( I am the Kev in runaroundtheworldwithkev by the way )

ultra-x.co/runaroundtheworl...

Just goes to show what you can still do if you go for it .

Take care

[Doseydoe in reply to Irun]

You must be made of tuff stuff 💪

[Irun in reply to Doseydoe]

Ha thanks , I really am just an ordinary guy , never that fit or good at sport but when diagnosed at 49 I realised I was lucky to still have a choice , give up and feel sorry for myself or live . I chose get out and enjoy life , raise money for charity and do what I can to help others live a good life no matter what . Every day counts ! If it all ended tomorrow I would look back and say I have had a blast !

[Doseydoe in reply to Irun]

Good for you, I did 9 shots of docetaxcel with dexamethesome and had to self administer filagrastem to get my bloods up. I was lucky to walk around the block. As you said, we are all different. I'm heaps better now, chemo did its thing. Chemo was one of the pieces of the puzzle that ended up getting the prostate cancer under control, cheers big ears 👂👂🍻😁, DD

[franko1946 in reply to Irun]

👍

[Newyork6264]

Tomorrow is my seventh session of chemo. Get Dexamethesone at start of session and take Prednisone 2 pills every day. So far side effects have been loss of hair (most of mine was gone already), for me the munchies which I blame on steroids, some numbness in toes and just a general feeling of being in a fog for 3-4 days afterwards. Plan is for 10 session and I get an IV each time. If I had to do it over I'd do a port.

[MateoBeach]

If you have good easy to access veins then a port is not required. Definitely try the ice gloves and boots to protect from neuropathy. Lost my hair with the first cycle and didn’t mind at all. Felt like a real cancer warrior. It grew back after some time. I did not tolerate the prednisone. Got hiccups 24/7. MO said it was not really necessary so I dropped it after 3 cycles of suffering. Fatigue increased with each subsequent dose so my daily runs diminished. Just do what you can and it is soon over with. Not to be feared but embraced in the fight against cancer. True warriorship that will make you feel connected and compassion for all who go through chemo.

[EdBar]

I had a port put in when I had chemo 5+ years ago and I still have it, my MO said it might be best to keep it in case it’s needed so I did. I had a buddy who didn’t get a port and the chemo burned the veins in his arm pretty bad, this doesn’t happen with a port.Getting a port put in is an easy out patient surgery and if you keep it it requires flushing every 4-6 weeks so it continues to function properly. I usually get a port flush and blood drawn for labs at the same time.

Ed

[FightTillTheEnd]

Just about to start a new round of 12 cycles of docetaxel (just finished 12 sessions over 6 months too).

Prednisone tabs 10mg daily, dont know about the IV variety of prednisone. I only get the chemo through IV. Veins are getting very difficult to find these days.

This resulted in a severe case of chemo rash on one hand, think the vein was not found properly. I think a port might be a better option. I now look like a drug addict with all the IV holes in both my arms.

No gloves and boots but all hair gone as a result.

[Hidden]

My husband just completed 6 rounds of docetaxel; they gave him dexamethasone in pill form to take the day before and the day after his chemo infusion (4 mg twice a day). On the day of his infusion, they gave him more steroids PLUS anti-nausea medicine in an IV 20 minutes before administering the Docataxel via IV. He has great veins from participating in scores of Ironman and other triathlon races over the past 40 years, so a port wasn't needed. He fasted the day before his infusion (bone broth only) during the infusion and wore ice mittens and booties during his infusion and intermittently the few days following, which we feel helped to ward off neuropathy. His oncology OMD also suggested that he MOVE while getting his infusion (walk around, do squats, visit the bathroom) in order to keep the chemo from "settling" in his kidney. He's feeling and looking GREAT today, and latest blood labs and scans have shown that his treatments have put him into remission. His hair is just starting to grow back

[tango65]

This link has info about chemotherapy from prostate cancer by a recognized expert:

grandroundsinurology.com/dr...

[V10fanatic]

I'm a bit perplexed in regards to the number of treatments. My MO has me scheduled for just 4. He stated that 4 will accomplish the vast majority of the work, so there's no need to risk the side effects of the next 2 doses. Anybody else use this plan?

[andy909]

Have been on Docetaxel Chemo @ Sloan. No port, no problem. You do not need a port. The regimen is dexamethyzone orally the night before Chemo, the morning of and the evening of Chemo. I do not find the iv uncomfortable and there is no danger of infection. Have been using cold caps but not gloves. My hands are very sensitive to cold. Keep track of your white cell count and check your temperature after Chemo. Neulasta will restore your white cells if necessary. I generally experience mild flu like side effects two or three days after Chemo and they usually last for two days. Cannabis does wonders for the side effects especially together with a low dose of ibuprofen.

[HerbieP]

Yep, docetaxel plus prednisone pills (my first session was two weeks ago). Nausea and fatigue was minimal as nurse advised me to take the anti-nausea med before I needed it. Senna-plus for stool movements was advised as well. I wore cold gloves and socks, had 3 pairs so started 20 mins before infusion and rotated through as they warmed up. I also had Ice pops I held in my hands and sucked on occasionally throughout the next 24 hours w/cold mitts/socks as well. I don't want neuropathy so I'm all in on being uncomfortable the first 24 hours (two half lifes of docetaxel is 22 hrs).