Need Tips from Chemo patients

[Back2future]

My bone scan results came back today and they were not good. PCa progressed to other parts of the body. Tomorrow I will have a talk with my MO and more than likely he will recommend chemo. I would appreciate your tips for beginners on what to do to prepare for chemo sessions and minimize some of the side effects. should I wear ice packs to feet, hands and head? Should I fast before chemo? etc.

[dockam]

Hi, the best way is to use the search box, as there have been a ton of posts about things to do with an upcoming chemo. Feel free to click on my pic and look at my previous posts ( had 21 Taxotere sessions in 6 1/2 years)

[tallguy2]

I had 6 taxotere sessions in 2018. The key is to ask for the Neulasta on-body injector to be placed on your stomach at the end of each session. It helps keep the white blood cell counts up and it kept me out of the hospital.

A recent trial result suggests a combination of chemo plus abiraterone. Check Tall_Allen’s posts.

Best wishes!

[Avanat]

Hello, My husband and I read all the chemo tips on this site and others before he started treatment and we are sure they helped him avoid some of the worst side effects. I provided links to the tips below.

My husband, Steve, iced his feet and hands to avoid neuropathy. He bought chemo socks via Amazon and held frozen water bottles while wearing lightweight gloves. You could also just put ice in baggies and keep your feet on them during treatment. He’s avoided neuropathy, except for a little bit of numbness on the bottom of his feet. He did have some numbness in his fingers but it’s already gone away. We expect the numbness to go away in his feet eventually too. He also bought a chemo ice cap to avoid hair loss but 13 days after his first treatment his hair fell out so the ice cap wasn't used for his subsequent treatments. He also chewed ice chips during treatment too. Be sure to dress warmly since all that ice will make you cold. The cancer center provided warm blankets so that helped too.

He also did a modified fast before every chemo treatment too, which is to supposedly aid the effectiveness of the chemo.

He was lucky in that he didn’t experience major side effects except for fatigue. He did experience what we thought was thrush but he found out later it wasn’t thrush but something called stomatitis. Apparently it was an adverse reaction to the immunotherapy (Opdivo) he was on as part of a clinical trial. Steve, is on this site too under the name Stevana if you want to message him directly with any questions.

Steve always felt good the first few days after chemo but had a chemo crash on the 3rd or 4th day after chemo where he felt especially tired. On those days he didn’t do much but after a day or two of rest he would be well enough to work in the yard, do a light work out, etc. Hopefully you will be able to tolerate the chemo fairly well, too. It’s worth it as his scans after chemo showed Steve’s lymph nodes had decreased in size, bone mets are stable and no new cancer growth. Good luck and I hope this helps you keep your cancer at bay.

Alana

healthunlocked.com/advanced...

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[tango65]

Good info by a real expert:

grandroundsinurology.com/dr...

[DarkEnergy in reply to tango65]

Absolutely, I was fortunate to discover Dr. Tanya Dorff's talk, before my Taxotere (chemo) treatment. My treatment was an elective decision, meaning my medical condition at the time did not warrant the use of chemo.

The rationale was easy, metastasis Cancer is systemic disease, Taxotere treatment is systemically actionable.

[Back2future in reply to DarkEnergy]

What did your fasting regimen consist of? 2 day before and 1 day after chemo? Did you drink or eat anything during that time? I read Dr. Tanya Dorff's talk but didn't really say anything to take other than vegetable broth.

[DarkEnergy in reply to Back2future]

No fasting, I just ate light, veggies and water - my take for easing the body's uptake during treatment. Nothing I read to do this, it seemed the right way for when having chemo therapy.

[Chugach]

If you have mets to bone - zap those with high dose radiation prior to or during chemo. Drink a lot of water before and after chemo and try to get some exercise each day, even just a walk around the block

[Chugach in reply to Chugach]

And get a port

[Back2future in reply to Chugach]

Are you referring to IMRT radiation? How long should those be for pain? NCI says it can be 1 or 2 sessions high intensity but the local radiologists want to go 5 to 8 weeks that's too much I think.

[Chugach in reply to Back2future]

I’m referring to targeted high dose radiation- it is usually like 3-5 days

[Chugach in reply to Chugach]

Your RO would know

[MateoBeach]

Generally: Yes, yes, and yes. Get a detailed consultation with a chemo educator nurse at the facility before the first infusion to be prepared and up to speed. Fasting seems to help but is not widely taught, Ice for hands and feet. As for the head it is a matter of preference.. it can be cool to have chemo baldness. And it does come back. But be vigilant for peripheral neuropathy as treatments continue. Not cool at all. Better to stop docetaxel and switch to cabazitaxel if it develops after a few treatments so it will be less likely to be severe and permanent.

[Back2future in reply to MateoBeach]

Excellent advice thanks! even if Jevtana is about $13K and Taxotere is less than $600.

[Bodysculpture]

We all have a tendency to fear Chemo as a result of the horror stories when we are initially diagnosed I was in severe pain prior to Chemo

After my last infusion of Docataxal the pain totally left me

My PSA is now 0.16

2 years post treatment

Going home to Barbados for 3 weeks

Going to meet this legendary Rasta elder who is doing remarkable things

He is a herbalist who has had amazing results at his home in St John

Going to see the bushman

Who believes there is a herbal cute for every sickness

The elderly people in Barbadoa go to him for advice

He is also a scholar who studied at UWI

No I don't expect a miracle but I am eager to suggestion

[Back2future in reply to Bodysculpture]

Thanks for support. How many infusions during the 2 years?

[Bodysculpture in reply to Back2future]

6 infusions Docataxal 3 weeks apart In November 2019

Still get my hormone suppressants injections every 3 months

Fatigue can be expected

Exercise will combat this

A month after Chemo you should be in a better place to continue

[DarkEnergy in reply to Bodysculpture]

"We all have a tendency to fear Chemo as a result of the horror stories when we are initially diagnosed I was in severe pain prior to Chemo"

What's the horror?

The only take I've seen is Hollywood's depiction of someone on chemo looking like a "Walking Dead" zombie.

No horror, Taxotere was made from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree, now it's synthetically produced. This treatment saves lives, like me, please stop the noise.

Have you considered what will happen if the cancer is not treated, it would be far worst than chemo's side affects!

[j-o-h-n]

Good Results will bring you back to the future...........

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 09/17/2021 5:23 PM DST