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Chemo treatment

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User
Posted 22 Jan 2018 at 17:18
Hi all

My husband started Chemotherapy last week, he is having six sessions one every three weeks. He will then have seven weeks of radiotherapy.

How have any of you coped with these treatments?

Best wishes to you all x

User
Posted 22 Jan 2018 at 17:29

Yes to docetaxel, six cycles. Would have had more but I picked up the known side effect of pulmonary embolisms and had to curtail the treatment. It worked at the time but after ending the chemo, within five months I was back to square one. Now doing cabazitaxel. Apart from the PEs, my experience was uneventful - minor side effects like constipation easily dealt with

Good Luck

AC

User
Posted 09 Feb 2018 at 20:06
Hi thank you for your positive posts and responses, we have had good news after just one chemotherapy treatment Brian’s PSA has come down From 11.00 in December to 0.91

The cancer has spread to the pelvis but they are happy that the chemotherapy will keep it all under control we are a little stunned that one session has worked so well. So the rest of the treatments can kick cancers sorry ass into oblivion.

User
Posted 30 Jan 2018 at 20:22
Just had my 9th cycle. Some hair loss, ridges on nails,swollen ankles/feet.

Best wishes

User
Posted 31 Jan 2018 at 03:51

Completed my 13th Chemo cycle yesterday.

No real bad side effects from the Chemo so far. It has worked well for me in controlling the beast within and I will continue with the cycles as long as it is effective and I can handle it, then i will move on to softer options.

Still working part time and at a lesser intensity than before but enjoying life.

One thing to remember with Chemo though is to always respect its power, both good and bad. So i never work or mix with crowds during the 7 to 10 day period when the white bloods are lowest and I always check my temperature every day for signs of infections. I have also had the pneumonia jab and flue jabs as a precaution.

So life goes on.

All the best wishes to your husband on his treatment journey.

Dave

"Incurable cancer does not mean it is untreatable and does not mean it is terminal either"
User
Posted 05 Feb 2018 at 14:54

It might be worth asking about hypo-fractionated radiotherapy, which is fewer bigger doses. I had this last summer in 20 visits to Edinburgh Western General and it was very easily tolerated. Research shows it's just as effective as standard longer regime.

Good luck with everything!

User
Posted 06 Feb 2018 at 14:11

I had the same treatment and to be honest it wasn't too bad...apart from being stupid after my 1st cycle....i got a temp over 38 and did not go to hospital....but I got through that.......i lost my hair and my eyebrows, face swelled a little but on the whole, things were good...i even managed to work through it...

Radiotherapy was also fairly easy....biggest problem was the hanging around if the machine broke down....

Now I'm oh the HT till Oct and the side effects from that are manageable......i have just had to accept the fatigue and live around it...

Hope my journey shows you it can be got through....

All the best to the both of you.

 

Shaun

 

User
Posted 07 Feb 2018 at 17:10

Hi,

 I was diagnosed in Aug 17 with a psa of 99.6 ;T3b N1 M0 and a Gleeson score of 4+5...

All very traumatic at the time but was immediately put on hormone replacement therapy ( Decapeptyl) and chemo (Docetaxel). The NHS have been brilliant! I've finished my chemotherapy and my psa is now 0.9. Major side effects are tiredness and hot flushes. Minor side effects are nail discolouration, occasional breathlessness.

The research on giving docetaxel in combination with hormone therapy , which has been highlighted today in the press, was also done in Canada with "unprecedented success". 

I now have 4 weeks off, before the radiotherapy which is 21 days of 10min blasts followed by hdr brachytherapy. If anyone has experience of this, I'd 'love' to hear it.

Regards to all readers.

Onwards and Upwards.

 

 

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User
Posted 22 Jan 2018 at 17:29

Yes to docetaxel, six cycles. Would have had more but I picked up the known side effect of pulmonary embolisms and had to curtail the treatment. It worked at the time but after ending the chemo, within five months I was back to square one. Now doing cabazitaxel. Apart from the PEs, my experience was uneventful - minor side effects like constipation easily dealt with

Good Luck

AC

User
Posted 22 Jan 2018 at 17:45
Hope the treatment goes well for you this time
User
Posted 30 Jan 2018 at 20:22
Just had my 9th cycle. Some hair loss, ridges on nails,swollen ankles/feet.

Best wishes

User
Posted 31 Jan 2018 at 03:51

Completed my 13th Chemo cycle yesterday.

No real bad side effects from the Chemo so far. It has worked well for me in controlling the beast within and I will continue with the cycles as long as it is effective and I can handle it, then i will move on to softer options.

Still working part time and at a lesser intensity than before but enjoying life.

One thing to remember with Chemo though is to always respect its power, both good and bad. So i never work or mix with crowds during the 7 to 10 day period when the white bloods are lowest and I always check my temperature every day for signs of infections. I have also had the pneumonia jab and flue jabs as a precaution.

So life goes on.

All the best wishes to your husband on his treatment journey.

Dave

"Incurable cancer does not mean it is untreatable and does not mean it is terminal either"
User
Posted 31 Jan 2018 at 20:34

Bri and myself thank you for your reply.
You are a inspiration to us.
Wishing you well on your journey. X

User
Posted 05 Feb 2018 at 14:54

It might be worth asking about hypo-fractionated radiotherapy, which is fewer bigger doses. I had this last summer in 20 visits to Edinburgh Western General and it was very easily tolerated. Research shows it's just as effective as standard longer regime.

Good luck with everything!

User
Posted 06 Feb 2018 at 14:11

I had the same treatment and to be honest it wasn't too bad...apart from being stupid after my 1st cycle....i got a temp over 38 and did not go to hospital....but I got through that.......i lost my hair and my eyebrows, face swelled a little but on the whole, things were good...i even managed to work through it...

Radiotherapy was also fairly easy....biggest problem was the hanging around if the machine broke down....

Now I'm oh the HT till Oct and the side effects from that are manageable......i have just had to accept the fatigue and live around it...

Hope my journey shows you it can be got through....

All the best to the both of you.

 

Shaun

 

User
Posted 07 Feb 2018 at 17:10

Hi,

 I was diagnosed in Aug 17 with a psa of 99.6 ;T3b N1 M0 and a Gleeson score of 4+5...

All very traumatic at the time but was immediately put on hormone replacement therapy ( Decapeptyl) and chemo (Docetaxel). The NHS have been brilliant! I've finished my chemotherapy and my psa is now 0.9. Major side effects are tiredness and hot flushes. Minor side effects are nail discolouration, occasional breathlessness.

The research on giving docetaxel in combination with hormone therapy , which has been highlighted today in the press, was also done in Canada with "unprecedented success". 

I now have 4 weeks off, before the radiotherapy which is 21 days of 10min blasts followed by hdr brachytherapy. If anyone has experience of this, I'd 'love' to hear it.

Regards to all readers.

Onwards and Upwards.

 

 

User
Posted 09 Feb 2018 at 20:06
Hi thank you for your positive posts and responses, we have had good news after just one chemotherapy treatment Brian’s PSA has come down From 11.00 in December to 0.91

The cancer has spread to the pelvis but they are happy that the chemotherapy will keep it all under control we are a little stunned that one session has worked so well. So the rest of the treatments can kick cancers sorry ass into oblivion.

User
Posted 14 Feb 2018 at 12:34

So pleased you’ve had such a positive response so quickly. My husband gets his first infusion on Wednesday. Hope we get good news too.
Keep going.

User
Posted 14 Feb 2018 at 14:32
Hope all goes well with minimal side

Stay strong and here’s hoping for positive news.

Stay strong x

 
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