Started Taxotere - any advice?

Hi, My husband, John, started Taxotere on April 5 after trying prednisone and keto and various other things. PSA:
April 11/13 - 539
Mar 14 - 425
Feb 26 - 350

He had brachytherapy in 2000 and PSA started to rise again soon after. It was controlled for years on an herbal, Prostasol but that started to fail in 2011. He has been on Degarelix for some time. It really exhausts him for about 3 days after each injection.

John is 73 and has aged a lot in the past 5 months. He had the Flu and pneumonia in January. Then had a bad kidney infection + a return of some pneumonia in March. Mostly his cancer has been in the pelvis causing a blockage of the ureters and necessitating having 2 nephrostomy tubes put in last May. He has not had bone pain but recent scans show that the cancer has moved into the bones. He does have some pain in bladder off and on and bleeding from the bladder (only a little urine output there mixed with a fair bit of bleeding). Hemoglobin 110 last month. Not too bad considering.

We are hopeful that the chemo will slow the cancer. He felt OK on Days 1 and 2 of chemo and then pretty awful on Day 3 and 4. Still very fatigued.

Any suggestions on dealing with fatigue?

Also, we have daughters with small children who want to come from afar and visit. One is scheduled to arrive on May 16 evening....ie Day 11 after treatment. Her girls are 3 1/2 and 1. We have no way to know how he might feel by then and how immune compromised he may be. Perhaps not very after just the first chemo? Cancer centre said his immune system will be lowest 7 - 10 days after chemo. White cell counts have been good prior to chemo.

I am feeling pretty exhausted these days. More on my shoulders, of course, and I guess the emotional strain of it all. My life is very much stuck in limbo too. Feelings of sadness and grief. Guess I just have to work through them.

Thanks for any advice or support you can offer. I know there is a wealth of knowledge and caring on this group.

Ann

Ann, I'm so sorry you and your guy are having to deal with all this. I know it is a frustrating and scary time. I do not have any suggestions, but know that you have found a good forum to seak help and comfort. I hope that your husband is under the care of a first class prostate cancer oncologist.

If you will provide your husbands biopsy data and Gleason score, along with the city where you live, you will receive better guidance.

I wish you peace and comfort as you cope. God bless.

K

Many thanks Special Lady, Kbota and MsWorryWart. Its so nice to have the support.

I am concerned about exposure to the little ones but also know it is important for my husband to see and be with his daughters...and they come with small kids. We will try to use the masks but last time in Emerge when he was given a mask, he wouldn't tolerate it for long. he will keep his distance from the kids and he does wash his hands a lot.

I am hoping that by the middle of May that colds and flus will not be such an issue as it is in the winter. Also we will be able to be outside a lot and have the kids outside.

Kbota: We live in Toronto, Canada and my husband is under the care of a prostate cancer specialist at a major cancer hospital. John's Gleason score was 3 + 3. That was in 2000. I don't remember much about the biopsy report.

Thanks Everyone. Ann