PSA drop rate?

Hello Hilander64,

We're in the same age range and would have been classmates from the same era, back in the day ...

I have also pursued a complete series of TAXOTERE chemotherapy infusions, just as you are doing now ...

In regard to that, there were times when my PSA would only creep down by a few hundredths of a decimal point, between the infusions ... sometimes dropping by only 0.01 or 0.02 ...

So, I had to keep the faith ... and my medical oncologist kept encouraging me along the way ... stay the course, watch the downward PSA trend, stay determined, patience is a virtue ...

In my case, over time and with great patience in between treatments every three weeks, we began to see a pattern ... the PSA slowly dropping down over time ... eventually creeping down to low decimal numbers.

To be honest, a series of chemotherapy treatments can take the patience of JOB from the BIBLE story ...

Slowly and steadily, my PSA continued to creep down over the course of those weeks ... which stretched into months.

Ironically, in my case ... my first chemo treatment was on a blazing hot August day here in the Midwest ... for my last chemo infusion, as I drove home afterwards ... some wayward flakes of snow were drifting down and it was almost Thanksgiving time in November ... so, late summer had passed into fall ... and fall was fading away, as snowflakes came down ...

It takes some fortitude and endurance and patience and sometimes a steely determination, physically and emotionally, to slog through the weeks of a series of chemotherapy treatments --- sounds like you are forging ahead through your treatments, Hilander64 !

Just wanted to REACH OUT with a note of encouragement to you, as your treatments continue !

Continued success in your treatment pathway, Hilander64 !

Handshake from across the miles,
Iowa State University ~ CYCLONE FAN

Hello Hilander64,

I looked back into my online medical records, to track the white blood cell count ---

My white cells plummeted after the first Taxotere infusion ---

My oncologist then put me on shots of NEULASTA, to keep my immune system restored and intact, knowing that I teach in a public school building with hundreds of youngsters ---

After that, then my white blood cells really SPIKED --- which seems to be what you are experiencing --- this was after my first or second infusion. I was never sick --- went to work every day --- had no fever or flu or strep throat or anything like that ---

After the large spike in white blood cell count, then my white cells stabilized ...

After ALL my Taxotere infusions were finished, then after a period of a few months, then my blood cell levels restored themselves ---

As I looked at all the data points for the various components of blood work from the lab, various blood components DO seem to fluctuate during chemo infusions --- this is why my oncologist watched over me so carefully during my series of chemo treatments.

Hope that alleviates some worries --- of course, continue to monitor everything with your doctors --- they will ring the alarm bell if they see something that warrants attention.

Best to you, going forward, Hilander64 --- keep posting !

CYCLONE FAN - Iowa State University