Brief Report from the Lab Rat.

kh wrote:
> On Jun 4, 8:23 pm, Lud <Ludwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> sleep problems - melatonin helps most times - I have been using it for
>> 9 years and now use 20 mg.
>
> Yesterday I drove through the rain to Johns Hopkins for the weekly
> b

kh, I just re read all of your posts starting when you began the
taxotere. I suspect that my next psa test in a week is not going to
have the best of news in which case I know what's next and it's really
helpful to learn from someone who has been there. Time will tell. In
the meantime, thanks for the week by week rundown, and keep a fighting.
Have a good one.

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:23:27 -0700 (PDT), kh <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On Jun 4, 8:23 pm, Lud <Ludwi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
.....snip, tho all interesting
>
>I could see lightning strikes in the distance. It was a beautiful
>drive from Baltimore to Washington DC.

I love your descriptions. By chance, do you read James Lee Burke and
his Robicheaux dectective novels? He paints a description of the
landcsape and character of Louisiana and the south which together with
the depth of his heroes and villains are sheer poetry - at the same
time as keeping the story unputdownable. He'd be a soul mate for you
in between running up and down the corridors of John Hopkins or
servicing your car, while waiting.
>
>I've been testing myself, probing the limits of my endurance. I
>barely make the 84 steps of six flights of 14 steps. At the top, I'm
>in oxygen debt and gasping for air.
>
I took this as a challenge. I went straight out, gasped at six and
managed seven - just to keep targets in mind for you. Unfair of course
to you - I've been enormously lucky and got rid of my primary G9's
with no toxic effects, due to HIFU. My toxic effects are the
unforgiving ones of age. But systemic has sparked. So I'm reading you
also for my next steps.

>JHU reported that my BP was 106/69 with a resting pulse of 90.
>
>This is a change. I usually see a resting 125/78 with a pulse of 76,
>with occasional much higher readings. If I've been walking fast to
>get there, I expect 140/85, numbers like that.
>
>I have never seen my BP this low.

Let's know what the solution to this is, kh.

Meanwhile keep driving, observing, reporting - keep right on to the
end of the road...

Kind regards

Best wishes to all

MikeHi

On Jun 15, 7:05 am, Mik...@anon.com wrote:

> I took this as a challenge. I went straight out, gasped at six and
> managed seven -

Great!! By the 4th landing, I'm stuggling.

5th has my legs shaking.

I barely make the 6th and could not go more.

I'm not giving up. Every day, I try the stairs. I'm also walking 5
or 10 minutes every day.

Oh, gotta tell you... I got over to a local festival today. You
probably have them. 6 bucks to get in. People selling junk, stuff
they made, food vendors.

Walked in the sun for 2 hours. I'm still trying to tan my head. The
top is tan where I was already balding. The sides and back were
embarrassingly pale. I got my hair cut really short, doesn't look too
bad except for the color mismatch.

I walked around and then spotted a food vendor, STEAK and CHEESE SUB-
SANDWICHES with ONIONS and PEPPERS, $6.00!!!

It was piled high and hot off the grill.

So here I am. PCa, Mets, Chemo, hair falling out and eating a steak
and cheese sub in the blazing sun like a human vacuum cleaner.

Yeah, this is tough duty.

-kh

On June 15, kh wrote, regarding fun at the festival:

> I walked around and then spotted a food vendor, STEAK and CHEESE SUB-
> SANDWICHES with ONIONS and PEPPERS, $6.00!!!
>
> It was piled high and hot off the grill.
>
> So here I am. PCa, Mets, Chemo, hair falling out and eating a steak
> and cheese sub in the blazing sun like a human vacuum cleaner.
>
> Yeah, this is tough duty.

Hee hee. Good on ya!

I know folks who would go absolutely bonkers at the very idea of eating
dead cow, with or without curdled milk. Well, kids, we already have PCa
and there is not a shred of evidence that gobbling leaves & twigs will
give us even one day of life in addition to that which is ordained by
Fate, God, or Whatever/Whoever is cranking.

And please: No lectures.

Regards,

Steve J

"I am under no obligation to respect your beliefs. Respect is earned; it
is not an entitlement..."
-- Lionel Shriver

On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:34:29 -0700 (PDT), kh <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote:

.......//snip
>
>I'm not giving up.

Actually, when I quoted Winston Churchill for his "never, never,
never, never give up I didn't get it quite right. What he said was
even more relevant. It was 'never give in"... (implying seemingly
ovewhelming force - his moment had come in 1940 when almost
single-handed he kept GB going when it was alone in the world with its
army defeated facing Nazi armies which had conquered the whole of
Europe) . All we've got is Pca which is gonna go down too one day.
(I believe you'd find the whole speech inspiring kh - it's at:
http://tiny.cc/x1zWu

>/more snips.....
........ but your food-missioned inbuilt radar guided you to a local
festival.....

>I walked around and then spotted a food vendor, STEAK and CHEESE SUB-
>SANDWICHES with ONIONS and PEPPERS, $6.00!!!

>It was piled high and hot off the grill.
>
>So here I am. PCa, Mets, Chemo, hair falling out and eating a steak
>and cheese sub in the blazing sun like a human vacuum cleaner.
>
>Yeah, this is tough duty.

Not so tough as you thought, kh. You got it better than us over here.
You wrote in your first post:

> .......drove 65-70 mph through the rain. The speed limit is 65.
> Regular gas is over $4.00/gallon and people are slowing down....

I got calculating. US gallon = 0.8327 UK. Our cheapest 'gas' (petrol)
is 118p. a litre. At current rates of exchange, due to a Stalinist
government raking about 70% of the price in taxes, we poor sheep are
paying nearly $9 a gallon (8.733 to be precise). So you can smile and
go a little bit faster - for the moment.

Keep smiling, keep eating, keep doing it your way, keep reporting.

Kind regards.

Best wishes to all
MikeHi

<MikeHi@anon.com> wrote in message
news:i0dc54pt151jtvelldfsvrukqjl0d5pgi3@4ax.com...

> Actually, when I quoted Winston Churchill for his "never, never,
> never, never give up I didn't get it quite right. What he said was
> even more relevant. It was 'never give in"... (implying seemingly
> ovewhelming force -

I have the salient portion of this speech hanging on the wall above my desk.

"Never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small,
large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good
sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming
might of the enemy."


--
PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46
Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c
RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins
PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years
EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47
PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD .056 years
Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after
PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.4 years
Casodex added daily 07/06
PSA <0.04, <0.05, <0.04, <0.04, <0.1 2/12/08
Non Illegitimi Carborundum

On Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:17:15 -0400, "Steve Kramer"
<skramer@cinci.rr.com> wrote:

><MikeHi@anon.com> wrote in message
>news:i0dc54pt151jtvelldfsvrukqjl0d5pgi3@4ax.com.. .
>
>> Actually, when I quoted Winston Churchill for his "never, never,
>> never, never give up I didn't get it quite right. What he said was
>> even more relevant. It was 'never give in"... (implying seemingly
>> ovewhelming force -
>
>I have the salient portion of this speech hanging on the wall above my desk.
>
>"Never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small,
>large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good
>sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming
>might of the enemy."

Confirms you're a great guy, Steve.
Kind regards

best wishes to all

MikeHi

On Jun 16, 2:40*pm, Mik...@anon.com wrote:

> Confirms you're a great guy, Steve.

Yep Steve is a good one.

I'm up at Johns Hopkins at OutPatient on their JHGuestNet wifi. It's
for a bone scan and a CAT scan. Whew. They just gave me the
"technicron" injection for the bone scan. I have to come back at 2:30
for the scan itself.

-10 minutes pass-

I'm over in another building, Weinberg, waiting for time on the CAT
scan. I climbed a bunch of stairs to get here. Haha, getting my
exercise!!!

I asked them for a CD of my scans, I have to go over to "archives" and
they'll burn one for me. It's good to know that they'll burn CDs. I
can take these to my other docs.

There's someone playing "Happy Birthday" on the piano in the lobby.
Now they're playing :"when the Saints come marching in"

I'm doing pretty good today. I got about 7, 8 hours sleep and feel
almost normal. Head clear, energy level up.

I should be outside doing real work.

There's the servitor with two vodka-martini's for me.

-GAK-

This isn't a vodka-martini!!! This is cherry Koolaid with a constrast
solution for the CAT scan!!!

-Yuk-!!!


-kh

This is the night before the 4th infusion of Taxotere and the 3rd of
CNTO(328).

I've charged up my laptop and have not taken the Decadron yet. I
take that at 9 PM. Again in the morning and then just before the
infusion. 24 mg total.

So far, the Taxotere and the CNTO(328) have been "tolerable". While
I have all the side effects, they have not prevented me from
working.

The infusion is on a 3 week cycle.

The week before the infusion, I feel almost normal. I AM weak. The
stomach issues continue. I am tired and sleep more. I have a funny
dark spot on my thumbnail (this is supposedly a side effect).

I did the 6 flights of stairs again today. 14 steps per flight. It
seemed a little easier.

A couple times a day I have leg or arm jitters.

My weight is up about 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks. It's the
steroids.

I got an email from one of us. I don't check my email enough. I've
detailed how this has been going.

Speaking of going, my hair is sparse, Back, Sack, and Crack, not much
left.

-kh the smoothest labrat in the cage.

Test Results.

6/20/2008

ANC -1530
PSA - 3.6. Dropping! The Taxotere and CNTO(328) are hammering the
cancer.
Bone scan - hot spots are smaller, not as bright.
CAT-scan - tumors stable to shrinking

JH says the significance is that the PSA has fallen from 18 to 3.6 in
3 treatments. I'm here for the 4th infustion of Taxotere today.
Sometimes it can take 6 months to a year to kick prostate cancer's
butt.

6/24/2008

They pulled a little more blood this morning.

ANC - 5710. I'm in the waiting area and overhear other patients
talking about their ANC, 200, 400, numbers like that. They say theirs
creeps up slowly. Mine was just over 300 a week ago. It rocketed
up. I don't know if it's my treatment protocol or because I'm a bit
younger than the other patients.

I've taken the 3 Decadron doses and feel cranked, This was on top of
my morning coffee and Pregnesone. '

BP - 140/85, yeah cranked on steroids.

I brought my own snacks, cashew nuts. They give out snacks with too
many carbs. Although the steroids have my mouth ready for Oreos and
potato chips, the cashews will hold me until I can put my order in for
a Roast Beef and cheese sub-sandwich.

1 hour of battery power left. Then I have to move to a wall plug.

The doc's assistants debriefed me - sharing with you, my back is still
stiff. I'm tired after the infusion for about 5 days. I don't have
as much stamina as I'd like but I'm working a full day and walking 10
minutes a couple times a day. This is from the cheap parking lot to
my desk. CHEAP!

Their assessment is that I'm at the mild end of all the side effects,
"this lab rat, HOSTILE-17, is tolerating the treatment well."

Johns Hopkins is a few miles from Baltimore's Little Italy, you have
not lived until you dine there. They know how to prepare veal. I'd
be broke and 300 pounds if I ate there regularly.

In central Baltimore is the Lexington Market, oh my, seafood subs,
crab cakes, deli food almost as good as New York, cheeses, whatever
you want. Buy some to eat there and some to take home.

Competing with both is the Inner Harbor, much more touristy, I'd pass
and live the life of a local.

-kh My mouth is ready for the roast beef!! Let's get with the
infusion!!!

2:16 PM "Attention, attention, a code red emergency has been declared.
Emergency procedures.. " lights flashing.

here I am hooked up to a machine, am I supposed to unplug it and run
for it?

2:20 PM "The fire drill is over.."

Geesh. Scare a guy, will you.

During the fire drill the Taxotere infusion flipped over to the
CNTO(328). I didn't feel a thing.

From past trials, I'll have trouble sleeping for a couple days, then
I'll be beat and have a little head-fog during the day. 5 or 6 hours
sleep isn't enough. I'll nap a lot this weekend and after that will
be able to work at near full power.

I'm feeling some tingling in my feet. This is a side effect of the
Taxotere and the Decadron helps mitigate that, not that it's a big
deal.

After the cashew nuts, I packed my mouth with all the junk food lying
around here, graham crackers, oreos, a 6 ounce Pepsi, a 12 ounce Coke,
a 4 ounce orange juice. I had a big roast beef and colby cheese
sandwich for lunch. Heavy on the sugar and carbs but the bang of
steroids will amp up the hunger.

If I had been flying an American airline, I'd have to pay $15 or $20
for that food. Most of it was gratis, Someone please explain how come
a Hospital is serving better and cheaper food than an airline? OK,
so I only fly coach, but still.

Free Internet and free cable TV. No one confiscating my Leatherman
Micra.

Oops, either the airconditioning has failed or I'm having a major hot
flash. I'm wearing a light Haynes cotton T-shirt and cotton slacks.
Sweat is pouring off me.
..
I'm taking off my shoes, my feet are sweating now. I've noticed that
about half the patients wear New Balance brand shoes. I'm wearing a
lessor known competitor, Etonic.

I've overheard other patients complaining about being cold so you
should bring a sweater or hoodie. They have sheets and blankets if
you need it.

My belt is tight. Do you suppose it's all the junk food I slammed
down?

If you're weak or need to rest, you can get an infusion bed. You
could take a nap but it's a little noisy. Most infusion stations are
recliner chairs in an alcove. There are 15 inch LCD TV's, a guest
chair, and usually a small table, like for a dinner tray.

The infusion machines are on wheeled hospital IV poles. The pump is
about chest level and the battery unit is below. The IV's hang on
the top. It's a maze of plastic tubes.

If you have to go potty, you just pull the powercord and the machine
switches to battery power. The first time I asked but it's so normal
that you just do it. It's good to get up once and hour and just
stretch and flex. That will help work out the circulation and
tingling problems.

Tip. Dress comfortably, light clothing, the infusion can kick off a
major hot flash. Bring a kit of convenience items, your choice. I
have my laptop, AC power cord, jump drive, today's meds. Next time,
I'll bring some low-carb snacks. Quality cheese, celery, jerk beef
from a good store (not 7-11), sugarfree mints. Cell phone, of course.
Reading material. I have work on my laptop and jump drive so I'm good
there. This is a long day of sitting around so a few comfort and
utility items will help.

I hate the Decadron. Maybe I need it during the infusion but I hate
the jitters, problem sleeping, the hunger.

-kh dealing with it. 1 hour to go on infusion, Taxotere #3, CNTO(328)
#4.

kh wrote:
> 2:16 PM "Attention, attention, a code red emergency has been declared.
> Emergency procedures.. " lights flashing.
>
> here I am hooked up to a machine, am I supposed to unplug it and run
> for it?
>
> 2:20 PM "The fire drill is over.."
>
> Geesh. Scare a guy, will you.

I had the opposite experience. I unplugged some widget or another
(probably my humidifier mask) to save the staff the hassle, not
realizing that would light up the front desk panel.

Oh, well, they owed me some middle-of-the-night hassles after keeping me
awake most nights.

> If I had been flying an American airline, I'd have to pay $15 or $20
> for that food. Most of it was gratis,

Leno says AA is now charging people NOT to fly with them. Did you get
your bill yet?

> Someone please explain how come
> a Hospital is serving better and cheaper food than an airline?

Our local hospital has very good, very cheap food. We've dropped by the
hospital just for lunch, just like it was any other restaurant.

I.P.

"kh" <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:0c954413-7050-437f-97cf-9a02ec5d0b3c@34g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> Test Results.
>
> 6/20/2008
>
> 6/24/2008
>

As always, great post, kh.

Here's the skinny.

Last week, they gave me the 3th infusion of the Trial (Taxorere plus
CNTO(328), that's counting the "run in" of just Taxotere as infusion
number 0. They take blood just before the infusion.

PSA = 18
Cycle 0 = just Taxotere

PSA = 11
Cycle 1 = Taxotere plus CNTO(328)

PSA == 5.6
Cycle 2 = Taxotere plus CNTO(328)

PSA = 3.6
Cycle 3 = Taxotere plus CNTO(328)

Each cycle is 3 weeks. Here we are. Week 10. JHU says this is a
great PSA response. Good-average is a 50% reduction after months and
months. Not everyone sees a reduction. I'm a little concerned that
the rate of fall is decelerating but who knows.

I'll take any reduction of PSA.

Here's the part you're wondering about, side effects. As before, the
first 5 days after the infusion are like a stomach flu with a
collection of bizarre complaints.

It's unpleasant but not debilitating. Jittery arms and legs at
night. Stomach issues in the morning. Food doesn't taste quite
right. Hot flashes, sweats. Bouts of exhaustion. Stamina is off but
I'm still climbing the stairs. I did resort to percocet during the
worse of it. Took a half of a 10/325 at night. Hate doing that.

Napping in the afternoon Saturday and Sunday helped a lot.

I give the back of my hand to most side effects.

The pain in the middle toe of my left foot is much worse. It flares
up after each infusion. I'm sure it's related to the chemo but what's
going on? What is it? Gout? Arthritis?

My hair continues to fall out. On the other hand, I'm seeing more
and more, younger guys shaving their heads. It's about one in ten
around here.

A couple times, there were stirrings "down there", as if willie is
almost willing. What's that all about?

I've got an invite to watch 4th fireworks from a pal's waterfront
estate. I might pass, my ANC (white cell count) came in under 500 and
is falling fast. I've started antibiotics and should avoid crowds,
raw fruit and vegetables.

Still doing the green tea, pomegranate, blueberry drink. Soy, tofu,
calcium, vitamin-D, whatever might give me an edge.

QOL guys. Every time I go to Baltimore, I see the really sick, it's
about 1 in 3. They're pushed in, slumped in wheelchairs.

We're a long way from that. I walk in after driving 60 miles, short
hair like boot camp, black T-shirt, standing as straight as I can,
wrap around sun glasses, giving the power-fist to the
phlebotomists.

-kh I might feel like hell but I refuse to look like it.

kh, you give great reports, keep your sense of humor and inspire us with
your determination and fighting spirit.

Thanks.

All the best,

Ron B.

Chicago

"kh" <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:cfe09fb3-e72f-4290-a021-067f6adb20fc@d77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...

>
> PSA = 18
> PSA = 11
> PSA == 5.6
> PSA = 3.6
>
> -kh I might feel like hell but I refuse to look like it.
>

Another great report, kh.

With food tasting bad, how's your weight?




--
PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46
Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c
RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins
PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years
EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47
PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD .056 years
Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after
PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.4 years
Casodex added daily 07/06
PSA <0.04, <0.05, <0.04, <0.04, <0.1 2/12/08
Illegitimati non carborundum

On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 04:26:30 -0700 (PDT), kh <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Here's the skinny.
>
>Last week, they gave me the 3th infusion of the Trial (Taxorere plus
>CNTO(328), that's counting the "run in" of just Taxotere as infusion
>number 0. They take blood just before the infusion.
>
>PSA = 18
>Cycle 0 = just Taxotere
>
>PSA = 11
>Cycle 1 = Taxotere plus CNTO(328)
>
>PSA == 5.6
>Cycle 2 = Taxotere plus CNTO(328)
>
>PSA = 3.6
>Cycle 3 = Taxotere plus CNTO(328)
>
>Each cycle is 3 weeks. Here we are. Week 10. JHU says this is a
>great PSA response. Good-average is a 50% reduction after months and
>months. Not everyone sees a reduction. I'm a little concerned that
>the rate of fall is decelerating but who knows.
>
>I'll take any reduction of PSA.
>
>Here's the part you're wondering about, side effects. As before, the
>first 5 days after the infusion are like a stomach flu with a
>collection of bizarre complaints.
>
>It's unpleasant but not debilitating. Jittery arms and legs at
>night. Stomach issues in the morning. Food doesn't taste quite
>right. Hot flashes, sweats. Bouts of exhaustion. Stamina is off but
>I'm still climbing the stairs. I did resort to percocet during the
>worse of it. Took a half of a 10/325 at night. Hate doing that.
>
>Napping in the afternoon Saturday and Sunday helped a lot.
>
>I give the back of my hand to most side effects.
>
>The pain in the middle toe of my left foot is much worse. It flares
>up after each infusion. I'm sure it's related to the chemo but what's
>going on? What is it? Gout? Arthritis?
>
>My hair continues to fall out. On the other hand, I'm seeing more
>and more, younger guys shaving their heads. It's about one in ten
>around here.
>
>A couple times, there were stirrings "down there", as if willie is
>almost willing. What's that all about?

What?! Willie stirrings? kh don't miss out. You seem to be about the
only guy in the Universe taking this extraordinary treatment. If
willie shows any further signs of rising up, get your lawyer to get
you a piece of the patent on the treatment. After all, it's America!
>
>I've got an invite to watch 4th fireworks from a pal's waterfront
>estate. I might pass, my ANC (white cell count) came in under 500 and
>is falling fast. I've started antibiotics and should avoid crowds,
>raw fruit and vegetables.
>
>Still doing the green tea, pomegranate, blueberry drink. Soy, tofu,
>calcium, vitamin-D, whatever might give me an edge.
>
>QOL guys. Every time I go to Baltimore, I see the really sick, it's
>about 1 in 3. They're pushed in, slumped in wheelchairs.
>
>We're a long way from that. I walk in after driving 60 miles, short
>hair like boot camp, black T-shirt, standing as straight as I can,
>wrap around sun glasses, giving the power-fist to the
>phlebotomists.

Like I said, black T shirt, wrap arounds an' all, I ain't meeting you
in any one to one challenge...Or maybe I'll take up your darts
challenge the night immediately after you've had your 4th or 5th
cycle. ...when I note....

>Jittery arms and legs at night.
> Stomach issues in the morning. Food doesn't taste quite
>right. Hot flashes, sweats. Bouts of exhaustion

Night suit you?

As I'm looking forward to the large tumbler of Islay you'll owe me
after, I'm cheering you on kh to keep giving the finger to 'otomists
of all kinds and especially to that nasty big b..tard (dots for the
ladies) Pca. Meanwhile, while I'm waiting for your glass, I'll be
drinking to you and to continuing wonderful news on PSA declines.

Kind regards

Best wishes to all

MikeHi
"Exponential lightspeed". Def: The discovery of the cure for Pca at a
speed which defies Einstein (You'd better believe it. The white cells
are gathering for the charge).

On July 3, kh wrote:

(snip)

> Here's the part you're wondering about, side effects. As before, the
> first 5 days after the infusion are like a stomach flu with a
> collection of bizarre complaints.
>
> It's unpleasant but not debilitating. Jittery arms and legs at
> night. Stomach issues in the morning. Food doesn't taste quite
> right. Hot flashes, sweats. Bouts of exhaustion. Stamina is off but
> I'm still climbing the stairs. I did resort to percocet during the
> worse of it. Took a half of a 10/325 at night. Hate doing that.
>
> Napping in the afternoon Saturday and Sunday helped a lot.
>
> I give the back of my hand to most side effects.

(snip)

This essay by Lam, one of the best med oncs in the world and a
specialist on PCa re: Taxotere and its SEs and what to do about them
should prove helpful.

I note that the highly complex and technical procedure for preventing
"derangements" in the sense of taste involves sucking on ice during the
infusion :-)

I believe that a patient is not well-served by a physician who fails to
address SEs of his/her tx.

Regards,

Steve J

On Jul 3, 7:26 am, kh <tch...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> ...
> PSA = 3.6

Outstanding!

> ...
> I give the back of my hand to most side effects.

More outstanding!

>
> The pain in the middle toe of my left foot is much worse. It flares
> up after each infusion. I'm sure it's related to the chemo but what's
> going on? What is it? Gout? Arthritis?

I got small joint (fingers and toes) pains on hormone therapy.
It's a known side effect of HT, but I don't know if anyone knows
why, and have no idea if that's related to chemo too.

In any case, I found hot or cold water would relieve the pain
very well, and exercise helped too. I'd work my toes up and down
in my shoes.

> ...
> A couple times, there were stirrings "down there", as if willie is
> almost willing. What's that all about?

I think it must be a sign of life returning.

> We're a long way from that. I walk in after driving 60 miles, short
> hair like boot camp, black T-shirt, standing as straight as I can,
> wrap around sun glasses, giving the power-fist to the
> phlebotomists.
>
> -kh I might feel like hell but I refuse to look like it.

You're an inspiration to us all.

Keep up the great work and the great reports.

Regards,

Alan

Eek.

I neglected to include the link to the Lam article on Taxotere SEs. Here
'tis:
http://www.prostate-cancer.org/educa...deEffects.html
or
http://tinyurl.com/2p4bkx

But no one seems to have noticed.....

Regards,

Steve J

On Jul 4, 2:29 pm, Steve Jordan <mycrofts...@cox.net> wrote:

>
> But no one seems to have noticed.....

I did. Thanks, the taxotere info was good, especially the ice on the
tongue.

JHU's infusion center has an ice maker at the door so I'll try that
trick.

-kh

On Jul 4, 6:41 pm, kh <tch...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Jul 4, 2:29 pm, Steve Jordan <mycrofts...@cox.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > But no one seems to have noticed.....
>
> I did. Thanks, the taxotere info was good, especially the ice on the
> tongue.
>
> JHU's infusion center has an ice maker at the door so I'll try that
> trick.
>
> -kh

kh - you are amazing how you are handling that Taxotere - wish you
continuing success.

A word of caution about what you put in your mouth - I was offered ice
and freezies at the cancer center and thay did a marvelous job of
preserving my taste buds, kept my mouth from getting sore but I got a
throat infection that was going around at the time (gp saw alot of
cases that summer) and my white blood cells were high ( I was on
Nuelasta). I'd suggest that you bring your own ice and/or freezies to
avoid the risk.

Lud