So frustrated- lymph biopsy wasn't a viable sample!

I am pretty mad that they put Paul through all that and they didn't even get a decent enough sample for the pathologists.

I doubt he will do another one.

I'm sorry you and Paul are having such frustrations with his Dx. When I asked my RO why they don't routinely biopsy lymph nodes before treatment, he explained that they are difficult to do outside of a surgery where they are opening the patient up. They are still doing the lung biopsy, right?

- Allen

Allen- we were told no on the lung biopsy- too hard to do and they don't want to cut him. They won't even fix his hernia because of the cancer which I think is crap personally.

We go to the Urologist tomorrow afternoon then oncology Tuesday.

Kukukajoo,

I'm so sorry that y'all didn't get the results y'all were hoping for.

I had no idea that lymph biopsies were that difficult. Knowing that, I guess my husband was very lucky that both of his needle biopsies yielded conclusive results.

On the other hand, it makes me sort of nervous about one that I had done. Geeze...

Hope things start turning around for you guys soon.

My husband was on Taxotere/Carboplatin. Yes, he lost all of his hair, but interestingly enough, kept his eyebrows.

As it started falling out in clumps, I buzzed the rest off.

To throw in some humor... I can say that Taxotere absolutely proved who was leaving all of the hair on the bathroom floor! So, when I saw a "couple" of strands of long blond hair, I immediately picked those up to be free of fault! :)

Taxotere definitely causes hair loss. Carboplatin usually just causes hair to thin.
Actually, I'm not aware of anyone else here who had that combination. Most just have Taxotere and the normal cocktail ingredients that go along with it.

The plus side is that prior ro chemo he was starting to getting a very small thin spot on the back of his head. After chemo, his hair grew back very odd. First, the only hair that was growing was all solid white and he didn't have much gray at all when he started. This white hair grew to about an inch and stood up like he stuck his finger in an electrical socket. Well, the light brown hair eventually took over the gray and he had the most obnoxious thick curls I had ever seen. As it was growing out, I would clip his hair shorter and each time it looked like a nappy poodle grooming on the floor.

His hair is finally back to normal along with prior thin spot now completely gone. He had wavy hair, but those curls made it impossible to pull a comb through.

Now, he is right back to being as handsome as ever. :)

Lupron will keep body hair really sparse.

I may be wrong, but I think the only real advantage to Firmagon is that it prevents initial testosterone flare which Lupron can create, but casodex takes care of. It's my understanding of why his first injection was Firmagon...to give casodex time to work and then move on to Lupron.

Maybe Tall Allen can tell you if I am way off base on this. Some things become a blur and for good reason. :)