Day 5 folowing 1st Taxotere Treatment

A very reliable source told me you have to do this every day for 10 years!

Thanks for the update. I also, for some reason, am never that thirsty so I hate drinking a lot of water, except when I am working out. That would be difficult for me.

Mel (not there yet, Sonny, but you know I tend to follow in your footsteps more or less)

Hello Sonny,

Sounds like you are coasting along very well following your first treatment ... weekend is here, in case you need to rest a bit in the recliner and watch some sports.

You've gotten through the initial days following the treatment ... and you could probably be on a commercial right now for selling the benefits of bottled water by now ?!!

With that being said ... I did my best to keep drinking water throughout my treatment cycle ... but life is real ... and after a few days, I went on to some other things to keep me hydrated ...

So ... in addition to the flavored waters that can help a fellow "mix it up" a bit ... and the water with lime or lemon wedges ... once you feel like you are progressing pass those few "chemo crash days", I honestly think you can give yourself a "Get Out Of Jail Free Card" from the MONOPOLY game and start adding back some of your favorite drinks, bit by bit ... we have to live a little, right ?!!

I did have to learn a lesson of my own the hard way ... after the third chemo treatment, I guess I got over-confident or just got distracted, and didn't drink much water that time ... so I honestly didn't rebound as well that time, and got myself back on track for the rest of the treatments and did a better job of drinking water and felt the true difference in my energy. But after a few days, after the "chemo crash" was over, did I start adding a few other drinks to my day ? You bet ... but I didn't leave water consumption behind in the dust, either ... just a healthy mix, as the days went by ... hydration is the key ...

Honestly, during my chemo treatments, I would get to work in the morning and just start the day with a big old glass full of ice water and get my day started with that ... then I knew I had gotten my day off to a good start ... my addiction in this life is cold tea, anyway ... so I started adding that back in, as it's water- based ... some good fruit juices, too ... but just to help myself along, I did keep going with the ice water, mixed in throughout the day ... but I didn't deprive myself, either ...

So ... water, you bet ... we all know it's the best elixir for all these treatments ... we all acknowledge that ... "doing what the doctor says" ... but, let's be honest here among the brotherhood ... we are HUMAN ... so, if you have some orange juice or cranberry juice or some cups of coffee or an Arnold Palmer to quench your thirst on a warm spring afternoon or a glass of wine for dinner tonight, go for it ... but then, of course, drink a bit more water afterwards, if you can ... and a glass before bedtime, if you can muster it ...

Sounds like you are doing WELL after your treatment, Sonny --- was wondering how you were sailing along --- appreciate the update !

Continued best wishes for SMOOTH SAILING,

Iowa State University ~ CYCLONE TEAM FAN

Fairwind..I was thinking the same thing {tho not the effect of the following sentence} …there is always too much of a " good thing " {in a material sense}. I was going to suggest running it by doctor…but then Sonny is fairly savvy and figure he probably did. 8 16oz bottles"whatever" seems like a lot+…but then there have been responses from chemo vets already…. Supporting is wonderful but not immune to the laws of the universe. Any chemo guys think Fairwind is on to something? View that as a direct or rhetorical question.

edit ps is there any chemo vet that drank that much water? direct question..no equivocation in response..I will equivocate my question thus , however…if the doc says ok..ok!

Thanks guys for the good thoughts and support.

As far as the water goes, while I did get the first heads up from the folks here that have been through the treatment, I also received the same instructions from the Infusion Lab, my Oncologist and the Chemo person that works for my Onco.

There must be some truth to it, because today I felt just like I did before I had the treatment. Same energy level and same drive to get things done. I can only hope that the following treatments will be so kind to me if I follow this regimen.

And, Oh Yes, I have not completely forsaken coffee (Elixir of the Gods), the occasional soft drink with meals and a beer or two. As I have said before, I am not just fighting for additional days, but for the ability to enjoy all of the days I am given. Quality of Life over Quantity anytime.

Sonny

Sonny, good to hear you are doing so well. It's a shame you have to drink all that water as the water is taking up valuable beer space! Keep trucking my friend and go kill some fish!!!

Hi Sonny, glad you are doing well but watch out for too much water. It has been know to kill people and not just drowning. Recall the young mom who died after consuming a large amount of water without urinating trying to wind a WEI for her son from a radio show.

I think someone else mentioned this but the half life of the drug is 11 to 16 hours. (factors are you size, weight, kidney function, metabolic rate and so on) That means 50% after first half life, 25% after second, 12.5 after third, 6.25 after fourth down to less than 2% after six. Six X sixteen is 96 hours or approximately four days. So pretty much gone water or no after four days.

An interesting tid bit I found on chemo has to do with how fast the PSA responds.

Blurb:

Results: There were 154 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria.
Using 42-day postdocetaxel data, no associations with OS
could be demonstrated. Using 84-day postdocetaxel data, patients
stratified by PSAHL demonstrated a significant difference in OS
(15 months vs. 25 months) and this relationship remained following
multivariate analysis (hazard ratio 0.08 [0.021-0.34]).
Conclusion: A more rapid rate of PSA decline (PSAHL <70 days)
measured after 4 cycles of chemotherapy was associated with a
longer OS. This result was independent of other known markers
of survival and allowed for a greater survival differentiation than
PSA response.

Good luck,
Don