Posted 5/3/2016 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
Dear John16,
We're right here, standing alongside you, my comrade ...
We've got a thread that is going to help you NAVIGATE the waters of Taxotere chemotherapy treatments ... it's ready to go, and I invite you to check it out tonight --- it will make you the captain of your own ship, in case you hit any rough waters during the chemo journey ...
The helpful thread is EASY to find --- up in your search bar on the top right-hand side of your screen, do a search for a thread entitled "TAXOTERE SIDE EFFECTS" and you will find it immediately.
If that doesn't work, search back through the archives to March 13, 2016, and you'll find it waiting there. The thread was started by our member Madeline Smith --- from there, several of us from "The Chemo Club" forged a thread, bit-by-bit, that put together our collective experiences with the Taxotere chemotherapy treatments that you inquired about.
John16 --- our intent was to create a personalized, first-hand, "down in the trenches" account of our actual and authentic experiences during chemotherapy treatments --- we wanted to created an honest account of what chemotherapy treatments are truly like, from a range of brothers here --- going above & beyond what the medical brochure will tell you that they hand you at the receptionist's desk in the oncology department. The thread we put together is meant to be shared from one comrade to another --- one brother to another brother. We're all in this together ...
I invite you to read it --- it's an active, ongoing thread --- and once you get started on chemotherapy treatments, we would welcome you to add your own experiences on to that existing thread for others to read in the future.
Doctors have worked diligently over time to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy over time. We all acknowledge that undergoing chemo treatments can be a rocky road at times, but they had made tremendous strides in reducing side effects such as nausea and fatigue. All of us here who have undergone chemo treatments experience what we nickname "the chemo crash" a few days after each treatment, characterized by some lethargy and fatigue --- but we're here to support you during all of your treatments, without hesitation.
As well, ALL of us in the "Chemo Club" will tell you that the most essential thing you can do to reduce the side effects is to drink LOTS of water in the days before, during, and even after each chemo infusion --- we have a saying and it goes like this: "Water, water ... drink the WATER !" So, John16, my friend ... remember to DRINK THE WATER, without fail all during the weeks of your chemo treatments.
If someone had simply told me the night before my first treatment that it was simply ONE NEEDLE or infusion port inserted for the chemo treatments, I would have slept much better the night before. I had visions of a medieval torture room, filled with thousands of needles, all with my name on them ... that was not the case ... one needle for the infusion ... a couple of hours for the infusion process, and I was out eating dinner at a fancy restaurant afterwards after every treatment. I would heartily recommend that you always take a trusted friend or family member with you to each chemo treatment ... just for company, passing the time, and for moral support.
I will tell you that my oncologist worked closely with me because he knew that I wanted to be teaching in my classroom each day --- so, he timed my chemo infusions for very late in the day on Wednesday afternoons, predicting that my "chemo crash" would hit on the weekends, giving me the weekend to recharge --- it was exactly as he predicted --- the "crash" would hit me on the weekends after the Wednesday afternoon infusion. I rested up over the weekend, and continued teaching during the entire series of treatments. Honestly, I did not miss one single day of teaching in my classroom during all those weeks and months of chemo treatments --- except for a few hours late on those Wednesday afternoons, every 3 weeks.
My series of treatments included six infusions of Taxotere, given once every 21 days, for a total of 18 weeks for the entire series of treatments. In my case, I started on a hot August afternoon, just as school was starting, and I finished up my chemo treatments in November, right before Thanksgiving. My family, friends, colleagues, community members, and STUDENTS all rallied around me in incredible ways during my treatments --- my desk in my classroom is still filled with all the cards and letters and notes of support that I received during my treatments --- I leave them in my desk to remind me of the GRATITUDE that I felt towards others and have tried to be mindful of others who have gone through the same treatments after I did.
I have five very good friends of mine who now face my same diagnosis, and I have agreed to serve as their "chemo coach" during all their treatments --- you need to have that network of support surrounding you during chemo. You have to stay determined --- physically and emotionally. Reading through the thread suggested above will help you do that, John16 ... and Taxotere chemotherapy has been a powerful weapon in the fight against prostate cancer since it was first approved in 2004 --- so, it's been in use for over a decade.
I think it might help you to know that I kept teaching each day --- but I also stayed true to my usual activities, hobbies, interests, and volunteer projects during chemo treatments --- I exercised each day and kept up with all my family and friends and social life. I wanted chemo treatments to be a CHAPTER in my treatment experiences to maintain my health, but I didn't want chemo treatments to become the TITLE of my BOOK OF LIFE --- and you will find that the fellows here who have gone through chemo have ALL done so with dogged determination to keep living life to the fullest, even while undergoing chemo treatments.
There's more and more of us now who have decided to pursue chemo treatments, now that chemo treatments have moved up the line in the treatment landscape to become a frontline treatment ... so there's quite a band of brothers here now who are official members of "The Chemo Club" ...
When pursuing new medical treatments, I think it's important to create a visual image to prepare yourself in advance. Here's what I share with my friends who are facing a series of chemo treatments for prostate cancer. You're going to receive a series of treatments, given over time. So, VISUALIZE a Winchester brand repeating rifle, invented in the 1800s --- often nicknamed "The Gun That Won The WEST" --- the Taxotere chemotherapy treatments are akin to loading up that Winchester repeating rifle and shooting at the cancer with 6 rapid-fire bullets in the chamber --- firing in rapid succession ... "Bang, Bang, BANG ! ... Bang, Bang, BANG !"
Your FIRMAGON shots are likely already delivering a knockout punch to the hormone sensitive cancer cells --- but the additional chemo treatments are going to shoot against those stubborn and resistant cancer cells that the FIRMAGON shots can't fully attack. In essence, so you are loading up an ADDITIONAL shotgun by pursuing the chemo treatments you mentioned in your latest post. You're firing at the renegade outlaw with your guns FULLY loaded. Chemo ... it's the extra weapon we have in the arsenal already ... you've got to shoot at it with everything your doctor is recommending to you right now. You also have the reassurance & backing of the experts you have consulted at M.D. Anderson there in Texas ... tremendous expertise ... peace of mind !
I started out with the ADT hormone shots and then got approved for the "early chemo plan" that is now in your future. I was in the first wave of fellows treated with the new plan to use chemo as an upfront form of attack, following the release of clinical studies that showed the impact of using chemo as a frontline form of treatment for more advanced prostate cancer cases. Now it's standard practice across the country, just as you have discovered !
My PSA had reached a plateau, the nadir point, after just a few months of ADT hormone shots ... and that's when the "early chemo plan" was approved, right in the nick of time for my case, and I jumped on board IMMEDIATELY. The first-hand testimonial that I feel is so important to share with you is that I actually WITNESSED that PSA dropping, bit-by-bit, with each successive chemo treatment.
The chemo treatments knocked my PSA down to the lowest level I had ever achieved since I was diagnosed --- paving the way for subsequent treatments to follow. So --- a personal testimonial to the potential power of chemotherapy that I wanted to share with you tonight --- these decisions being made in close consultation with my medical team, of course, just as you are doing through the experts at M.D. Anderson Medical Facility in Texas.
I started out with an unexpected diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer about three years ago, with both lungs full of metastatic cancer ... and I was just in my 40s when I got my medical news ... after a lifetime of perfect health. I finished up chemo treatments almost two years ago, and I'm still teaching school every single day ... I give thanks daily for that, and pray each day for all of my brothers & comrades engaged alongside me in this battle.
Just wanted to reach out to you tonight, from across the miles, after reading about your updated treatment strategy --- your plan is very proactive --- grab that Winchester rifle, John16, and let's get shootin' at those outlaws, bandits, and renegades ...
Sent with my best, from one "Battle Brother" to another,
"Iowa State Cyclone Team Fan" ~ Admiring The Midwestern Sunset In The Western Sky This Evening