Re: Taxotere - 10 week report

On Jul 3, 3:01*pm, "Steve Kramer" <skra...@cinci.rr.com> wrote:

> With food tasting bad, how's your weight?

Just before the infusion 184. A week later 178. My weight is all
over the place.

I'd like to get down to 175 and stay there.

The week before the infusion, things taste right again. I take 5 mg
pregnesone 2x day. They say it has an anti-prostate cancer effect.
As a steroid, it cranks up the appetite. Ice cream and whole milk
feel good going down.

My stomach is still sour and there's a slight dull ache. Some days,
I have bouts of diarrhea in the morning. Then I'm fine for the rest
of the day.

Guys, this is not horrible. Definitely not compared to being choked
to death by the tumor near my windpipe or feeling my spine ripped
apart. I was crawling to the bathroom in the morning and did not make
it a couple times.

My complaints - I've lost muscle mass and strength. I don't have
stamina. I'm tired most of the time and don't sleep well, the
jittery legs and arms.

I'm told that most guys find this treatment "hard". The record is 17
cycles. I just finished 3, not counting the run-in. I'm going for
the record. It's not enough to want it, every cycle, I have to
"qualify" by meeting the study's requirements for blood levels.

This last infusion did not seem as bad as the previous. I had more
leg jitters and toe pain but I didn't have the head fog of cycle 2.

As verbose as I am here, I'm giving more detail to the study people.
Someone will come behind me who might be helped by something I
notice.

As my PSA drops, I'm beginning to think that I'll beat this. Not with
the Taxotere and CNTO(328) but with something else in a year or two or
five.

Something will come along. If we're going to be there for it, we have
to strengthen ourselves all around.

I am pushing myself hard at work, studying, getting stuff done, and
working WITH people. I need the income to pay for the medical
insurance and for my, er, golden years.

I feel like hell when I exercise but I climb those stairs every day,
then walk for 10 minutes to the cheap parking. I don't do the gym
thing but I walk and lift stuff as much as possible. I'm not going
to beat cancer only to have a heart attack or end up emaciated. (You
should see how frail some are at the hospital.)

I'm surprised that no one else is on Taxotere. That says that
everyone else is doing fine. Good.

-kh

I appreciate your posrtings so much. I am getting very close to
deciding whether, or not, to go on Taxotere in the near future. I will
be 82 on the 10th. So far the mets have only been found as lung
nodules. My psa has been creeping up since being at <01 while on
Eligard. Casodex was added when psa got to 1.5 It dopped to .7 then
started creeping up slowly. It was 2.4 last month. My Gleason is 9.
I feel pretty good at this time.

Please continue your postings....your intelligence and great courage is
an inspiration to us all.
~Ralph

"R L" <wa5pdk@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:5471-486D8F96-569@storefull-3273.bay.webtv.net...
>I appreciate your posrtings so much. I am getting very close to
> deciding whether, or not, to go on Taxotere in the near future. I will
> be 82 on the 10th. So far the mets have only been found as lung
> nodules. My psa has been creeping up since being at <01 while on
> Eligard. Casodex was added when psa got to 1.5 It dopped to .7 then
> started creeping up slowly. It was 2.4 last month. My Gleason is 9.
> I feel pretty good at this time.
>
> Please continue your postings....your intelligence and great courage is
> an inspiration to us all.
> ~Ralph

Ralph,

Ask your medical oncologist about second line hormone therapy,
ketoconazole and estradiol. A friend of mine did well on that for
some period of time - not long, but he started with a PSA of 500.
His doctor ("Snuffy Myers", an aggressive medical oncologist who
has PCa himself) has also put him on Revlimid with a significant
lowering of PSA, and on large doses of pomegranate extract
and resveratrol.

I expected my friend to be dead by now since he had a PSA of
500 about 2.5 years ago. But at the moment, his PSA is still
under 10 and he's living a pretty normal life with no symptoms
whatever other than the normal HT side effects.

Alan

On Jul 3, 11:28 pm, "Alan Meyer" <amey...@yahoo.com> wrote:


> Ask your medical oncologist about second line hormone therapy,
> ketoconazole and estradiol. A friend of mine did well on that for
> some period of time - not long, but he started with a PSA of 500.
> His doctor ("Snuffy Myers", an aggressive medical oncologist who
> has PCa himself) has also put him on Revlimid with a significant
> lowering of PSA, and on large doses of pomegranate extract
> and resveratrol.

Second that.

I was offered ketoconazole OR Taxotere alone OR the trial with
Taxotere boosted by CNTO(328).

JHU said they've had "good" results with ketoconazole, which is
popping an inexpensive pill intended for anti-fungal treatments.

On their recommendation, I went for the biggest bang the Wizard had in
his bag of tricks. I had a 1 month doubling time and the PCa tried
to kill me twice.

I'm going after it, like it had gone after me. Full court press,
condition-zero.

Knock it around with your doc. Work through your trade-offs.

JHU said that if I chose ketoconazole, Taxotere would be available as
a next step but the trial might be closed.

The advantage of the trial is the early use of an experimental drug at
no charge against my insurance and better access to PCa medical
specialists. I meet with the study nurse weekly and we maintain email
contact.

For a trial, there's none of the "insurance won't approve CNTO(328)
because it's not FDA approved or on the insurance formulary yet."
The drug company supplies it and pays JHU to administer and monitor.

I don't know what CNTO(328) costs but I imagine it's expensive. It's
a genetically engineered material. I'm guessing thousands of dollars
per dose.

The downside is that it's experimental, no guarantees. I'm a lab rat.
I'm ordering one of these to wear with my black T-shirt.

<http://www.fun-shop.com/08-81059/Hat-Animal-Felt-Mouse-Hat.html>

-kh

ANC (white count neutrafils, neutrophenia, fights bacterial
infections) was 250. This is below the "we like to see at least" 500
but not as low as I've seen at 2 weeks post-taxotere.

On the other cycles, my ANC is rocketing up from here but as a
precaution, I just took another Cipro this morning.

The cycle works like this:

Week 1 - Tuesday morning, they pull some blood, get an overall sense
of my health. I'm juiced on Decadron, having taken 4 tabs already
with 2 more in my pocket. The doc makes the go/no go decision. If
my ANC is above 1,500, it's a go, I pop the remaining Decadron and
wander up to "Infusion" on the 2nd floor to wait for the Pharmacy to
brew the potions.

Eye of newt, toe of toad...

The 4 or 5 days after the infusion are the worse for side effects.

Week 2 - Tuesday afternoon. I swing by JHU, they pull some blood and
an hour later, results in hand, I confer with the study nurse. This
is usually brief as I send in reports via email every few days. Week
2, the 7th to 14th day, I'm climbing out of the chemo abyss. Still
feel weak but each day, I have a little more stamina.

Week 3 - Tuesday afternoon. Yesterday. Bloodwork at JHU, ANC 250.
Talk to the substitute Trial Nurse. Feeling pretty good. Week 3, the
14 through the 20th day are the best. The side effects have faded to
a dull buzz. It's all systems go.

Here's the payoff. The substitute study nurse did not know my
history, she brought up my PSA on the computer... 18, 11, 5.6, 3.6.

"Oh wow! You had a really good reaction to the Taxotere!"

This week is when I feel good enough to notice the nuisance side
effects. Hey, where has my hair gone? My feet and hands are very
slightly tingling.

Food begins to taste right. My weight is up to 182, some of that is
water retention, some is the Lupron gut.

Here's what came out of this session.

They're giving me a "heavy" hit of Taxotere.

Taxotere won't work "forever", it will fail to provide improvement at
some point. 7 to 10 infusions is about "average". I've had 3 plus
the run-in.

At that point, they will switch to something else. Likely some other
trial drug.

They think of advanced prostate cancer as non-curable but treatable,
kinda like diabetes. This is about paying attention, maintenance,
hammering it with different treatments.

The combination of Taxotere and CNTO(328) is experimental. No one
knows if there is a benefit to the combination.

Meanwhile, it's up to me to enjoy Week 3. I had to pass on the
invite to the party last week. Drat. Instead of a Dionysian-
Bacchanalian whooping it up, I spent the 4th and 5th sleeping.

There will be other chances to party. There will be many other
chances. Very roughly, days 8 through 16 after the infusion are black-
out days; on Cipro, avoid crowds, behave. The 4th fell a couple days
inside of the period when my ANC is low.

-kh Next year.

Another great report, kh. Thanks.


"kh" <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:e5dd21c3-c02a-45fd-892f-75ccde4cdb66@x41g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> ANC (white count neutrafils, neutrophenia, fights bacterial
> infections) was 250. This is below the "we like to see at least" 500
> but not as low as I've seen at 2 weeks post-taxotere.
>
> On the other cycles, my ANC is rocketing up from here but as a
> precaution, I just took another Cipro this morning.
>
> The cycle works like this:
>
> Week 1 - Tuesday morning, they pull some blood, get an overall sense
> of my health. I'm juiced on Decadron, having taken 4 tabs already
> with 2 more in my pocket. The doc makes the go/no go decision. If
> my ANC is above 1,500, it's a go, I pop the remaining Decadron and
> wander up to "Infusion" on the 2nd floor to wait for the Pharmacy to
> brew the potions.
>
> Eye of newt, toe of toad...
>
> The 4 or 5 days after the infusion are the worse for side effects.
>
> Week 2 - Tuesday afternoon. I swing by JHU, they pull some blood and
> an hour later, results in hand, I confer with the study nurse. This
> is usually brief as I send in reports via email every few days. Week
> 2, the 7th to 14th day, I'm climbing out of the chemo abyss. Still
> feel weak but each day, I have a little more stamina.
>
> Week 3 - Tuesday afternoon. Yesterday. Bloodwork at JHU, ANC 250.
> Talk to the substitute Trial Nurse. Feeling pretty good. Week 3, the
> 14 through the 20th day are the best. The side effects have faded to
> a dull buzz. It's all systems go.
>
> Here's the payoff. The substitute study nurse did not know my
> history, she brought up my PSA on the computer... 18, 11, 5.6, 3.6.
>
> "Oh wow! You had a really good reaction to the Taxotere!"
>
> This week is when I feel good enough to notice the nuisance side
> effects. Hey, where has my hair gone? My feet and hands are very
> slightly tingling.
>
> Food begins to taste right. My weight is up to 182, some of that is
> water retention, some is the Lupron gut.
>
> Here's what came out of this session.
>
> They're giving me a "heavy" hit of Taxotere.
>
> Taxotere won't work "forever", it will fail to provide improvement at
> some point. 7 to 10 infusions is about "average". I've had 3 plus
> the run-in.
>
> At that point, they will switch to something else. Likely some other
> trial drug.
>
> They think of advanced prostate cancer as non-curable but treatable,
> kinda like diabetes. This is about paying attention, maintenance,
> hammering it with different treatments.
>
> The combination of Taxotere and CNTO(328) is experimental. No one
> knows if there is a benefit to the combination.
>
> Meanwhile, it's up to me to enjoy Week 3. I had to pass on the
> invite to the party last week. Drat. Instead of a Dionysian-
> Bacchanalian whooping it up, I spent the 4th and 5th sleeping.
>
> There will be other chances to party. There will be many other
> chances. Very roughly, days 8 through 16 after the infusion are black-
> out days; on Cipro, avoid crowds, behave. The 4th fell a couple days
> inside of the period when my ANC is low.
>
> -kh Next year.
>

On Wed, 9 Jul 2008 04:49:00 -0700 (PDT), kh <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote:

kh paras quoted are between snips:
>
>This week is when I feel good enough to notice the nuisance side
>effects. Hey, where has my hair gone?

You're in the fashion kh. All the big sportsmen over here and guys in
the street shave it all off, to look tough. You don't even have to
work at it. And you are genuine tough. Shades an' all.

>
>Taxotere won't work "forever", it will fail to provide improvement at
>some point. 7 to 10 infusions is about "average". I've had 3 plus
>the run-in.
>
>At that point, they will switch to something else.

> Likely some other trial drug.

Stuff trialing now is getting a lot different from the toxic stuff.
Soon enough, mice won't be only ones getting all the benefit.

>They think of advanced prostate cancer as non-curable but treatable,
>kinda like diabetes. This is about paying attention, maintenance,
>hammering it with different treatments.

No better hammerer known to this ng.
>
>I had to pass on the invite to the party last week. Drat.
>Instead of a Dionysian-Bacchanalian whooping it up, I spent the 4th and 5th sleeping.

Dionysus won't have enjoyed the orgy with one of his best mates away
sleeping. You owe him.
>
>There will be other chances to party. There will be many other
>chances.

And how. Any addresses btw?

Keep it strong kh. We're way up the trail following the mice
reconnaissance. Soon it's our time for action.

Kind regards and great wishes


MikeHi
"Exponential lightspeed". Def: The discovery of the cure for Pca at a
speed which defies Einstein.

On Jul 10, 9:23*am, Mik...@anon.com wrote:

> Stuff trialing now is getting a lot different from the toxic stuff.
> Soon enough, mice won't be only ones getting all the benefit.

"We have developed a human-mouse chimeric antibody to human IL-6 ...
designated, CNTO 328 or cCLB8, that completely blocks IL-6 function"

<http://www.asco.org/ASCO/Abstracts+&...ing/Abstracts?
&vmview=abst_detail_view&confID=23&abstractID=1007 01>

Human-MOUSE!!! I wondered why I was craving cheese.

"This study has two parts. The purpose of this part 1 of the study is
to determine whether it is safe to administer CNTO 328 in combination
with mitoxantrone and prednisone in patients with metastatic hormone-
refractory prostate cancer (HRPC).The main purpose of the part 2 study
is to assess the effects (good and bad) of CNTO 328 when given in
combination with mitoxantrone and prednisone to patients with
metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer."

<http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00385827>

This sounds similar to my trial. I pretty sure that I'm in a
different one, Taxotere instead of mitoxantrone.

The study says "assess the effects (good and bad)."

I'm tolerating the CNTO(328) and this labrat's PSA is falling. If the
other guys in the trial are having similar results, this is good
news. This is good news for everyone.

Some real-world stuff. I have a technical (non-management)
scientific job. I've been able to work through the treatment and have
been effective at my job. This treatment has me slightly foggy. The
study nurse used the term "Chemo-brain" when I mentioned the
fogginess. This feeling is unpleasant but does not prevent me from
working.

If I can focus on one task at a time, I can get it done. What I
can't do is juggle 4 or 5 tasks at the same time. I've been coping
by carrying a pocket notebook and writing to-do lists. I think I
come across as concerned and professional, when my boss asks for
something, I write it down, date the task, and read it back to him,
"OK if I get it to you by tomorrow afternoon" and I'll write "Fri-
PM".

If I don't write it down, 50-50, I'll forget to do it.

Since this is the good part of the 3 week treatment cycle (my next
infusion is July 15th) it's time to have some fun. I might hit a
movie, there are several I haven't seen. Maybe get lunch at the
"Rockfish"

How does this sound? From the menu <http://www.rockfishmd.com/
lunch.html>

"Fried Oyster Po' Boy - Four crispy 'count' oysters with lemon-caper
remoulade on a fresh baked roll served with sweet potato chips and
pineapple slaw" $9

or

"Fresh Organic Scottish Salmon - Salmon grilled over mesquite
charcoal, topped with caper-lemon butter and served with choice of one
side" $19

with a glass of '05 Oxford Landing Chardonnay, Australia $6

The "Rockfish" is a Maryland capital, power-lunch restaurant
frequented by movers and shakers. For twenty bucks, you can have a
local catch, bay oyster sub-sandwich, a glass of wine, and leave a $4
tip like a high roller.

"Who was that guy with the stylish shaved head? He must be someone
important."

-kh

On Jul 10, 8:46*pm, kh <tch...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> ...
> If I can focus on one task at a time, I can get it done. * *What I
> can't do is juggle 4 or 5 tasks at the same time. * I've been coping
> by carrying a pocket notebook and writing to-do lists. * I think I
> come across as concerned and professional, when my boss asks for
> something, I write it down, date the task, and read it back to him,
> "OK if I get it to you by tomorrow afternoon" and I'll write "Fri-
> PM".
>
> If I don't write it down, 50-50, I'll forget to do it.
> ...

Sounds to me like in "chemo brain" state you're about where
I am in normal, walking around state. You must be terrific
when the side effects wear off.

I think if I get chemo I'll need a note-pad and someone to
follow me around and remind me where I put it.

Keep on truckin'

Alan

"kh" <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:c1350eb3-2979-4880-bfe1-cda4c8a95b81@k13g2000hse.googlegroups.com...


Since this is the good part of the 3 week treatment cycle (my next
infusion is July 15th) it's time to have some fun. I might hit a
movie, there are several I haven't seen. Maybe get lunch at the
"Rockfish"

How does this sound? From the menu <http://www.rockfishmd.com/
lunch.html>


I visit my Godfather in Potomac occasionally. I think I'll take him there
next time.

On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:46:22 -0700 (PDT), kh <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote:

>How does this sound? From the menu <http://www.rockfishmd.com/
>lunch.html>
>
>"Fried Oyster Po' Boy - Four crispy 'count' oysters with lemon-caper
>remoulade on a fresh baked roll served with sweet potato chips and
>pineapple slaw" $9

At last! I meet a real person who's eaten a 'Po' Boy' sandwich. Great.
The two hero characters and everybody else in the books of one of my
favourite authors, James Lee Burke, are always eating them in
Louisiana. What are they? Are they always oysters? And is it the
trimmings that makes it 'Po' Boy'?
>
>or
>
>"Fresh Organic Scottish Salmon - Salmon grilled over mesquite
>charcoal, topped with caper-lemon butter and served with choice of one
>side" $19

While writing, what's an 'organic' fish? I assume that makes it
dearer. Does it mean it's come out of a nice clean farm lake, and is
not one of the the long-distance swimmers from the mucky sea? (The
long-distance breeding champs taste much better. All that exercise.)
>
>with a glass of '05 Oxford Landing Chardonnay, Australia $6

Ahh, yes. No questions. A big glass I trust for $6?
(Note kh, re an earlier comment from you about what to give wine-snob
guests. You just like it soft and fruity (if my memory serves). For
what it's worth, my advice: Wine tasting is highly subjective. I had a
friend, alas, years ago, who used to arrive always with a highly
expensive 'fine wine'. But to my taste they were invariably like
plonk. So: For red wine. Buy a really nice crystal decanter. Find a
soft fruity wine that *you* like. Decant it before the meal. Place it
gleaming and sparkling with ruby red lights on the table. You murmur,
'Really good wines are better off decanted' (which is true if it's a
genuine oldie, watching out for any sediment). Pour it carefully,
swirl, sniff with raised eyebrows and a nod in quiet approval and
then, starting to pour, mutter modestly- "See what you think."
You're a food star! And they love the wine.

For what it's worth again, I've settled here on Lindemans Cawarra
Clasic Selection for 'smooth fruity'. I can get it for £5 - and it's
yet another of our heavily taxed items.

>"Who was that guy with the stylish shaved head? He must be someone
>important."

Not really. It was David Beckham, the fashion icon, who started it.
Soon all the football (soccer) teams over here followed. Then the
street. Re his football, most supporters here consider him way past
his best and had a good chuckle at all the money you guys are giving
him. These days, it's either bald, of if you're younger you get an
electric shock uo your backside which meakes the hair stand up on end.
Keep on your way kh, eating, smiling, exercising and bashing it good.

Kindest regards

Best wishes to all

MikeHi

On Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:47:32 +0100, MikeHi@anon.com wrote:

>On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:46:22 -0700 (PDT), kh <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>How does this sound? From the menu <http://www.rockfishmd.com/
>>lunch.html>
>>
>>"Fried Oyster Po' Boy - Four crispy 'count' oysters with lemon-caper
>>remoulade on a fresh baked roll served with sweet potato chips and
>>pineapple slaw" $9
>
>At last! I meet a real person who's eaten a 'Po' Boy' sandwich. Great.
>The two hero characters and everybody else in the books of one of my
>favourite authors, James Lee Burke, are always eating them in
>Louisiana. What are they? Are they always oysters? And is it the
>trimmings that makes it 'Po' Boy'?
>>
>>or
>>
>>"Fresh Organic Scottish Salmon - Salmon grilled over mesquite
>>charcoal, topped with caper-lemon butter and served with choice of one
>>side" $19
>
>While writing, what's an 'organic' fish? I assume that makes it
>dearer. Does it mean it's come out of a nice clean farm lake, and is
>not one of the the long-distance swimmers from the mucky sea? (The
>long-distance breeding champs taste much better. All that exercise.)
>>
>>with a glass of '05 Oxford Landing Chardonnay, Australia $6
>
>Ahh, yes. No questions. A big glass I trust for $6?
>(Note kh, re an earlier comment from you about what to give wine-snob
>guests. You just like it soft and fruity (if my memory serves). For
>what it's worth, my advice: Wine tasting is highly subjective. I had a
>friend, alas, years ago, who used to arrive always with a highly
>expensive 'fine wine'. But to my taste they were invariably like
>plonk. So: For red wine. Buy a really nice crystal decanter. Find a
>soft fruity wine that *you* like. Decant it before the meal. Place it
>gleaming and sparkling with ruby red lights on the table. You murmur,
>'Really good wines are better off decanted' (which is true if it's a
>genuine oldie, watching out for any sediment). Pour it carefully,
>swirl, sniff with raised eyebrows and a nod in quiet approval and
>then, starting to pour, mutter modestly- "See what you think."
>You're a food star! And they love the wine.

Love these foody threads - they're almost as good as kh's earlier
steamy sexual reveries. Here's an alternative on the mock-vintage
con. Knock up your own wine lees out of a few grape seeds and red wine
skins crushed and/or finely chopped - do a lot and freeze for later
use. Add these judiciously to your chosen plonk (no more than 1
teaspoon per bottle) and make sure your dinner guest sees at least a
little of this sediment, perhaps in the last glass. Mass produced
wine is unfailingly sediment-free so what's s/he going to think? Top
it off with e.g. "you'd think at $120 a bottle they could at least do
something about the sediment!" Of course this method must eschew the
decanter; buy just one bottle of very expensive wine and - once you've
enjoyed it - use the empty bottle ad-infinitum to decant the plonk
into. Naturally, the bottle will always have been opened to breathe
before the arrival of your guest.

>
>For what it's worth again, I've settled here on Lindemans Cawarra
>Clasic Selection for 'smooth fruity'. I can get it for £5 - and it's
>yet another of our heavily taxed items.
>
>>"Who was that guy with the stylish shaved head? He must be someone
>>important."
>
>Not really. It was David Beckham, the fashion icon, who started it.

Expect a letter soon from the Yul Brynner estate.

>Soon all the football (soccer) teams over here followed. Then the
>street. Re his football, most supporters here consider him way past
>his best and had a good chuckle at all the money you guys are giving
>him. These days, it's either bald, of if you're younger you get an
>electric shock uo your backside which meakes the hair stand up on end.
>Keep on your way kh, eating, smiling, exercising and bashing it good.
>
>Kindest regards
>
>Best wishes to all

ditto - r
>
>MikeHi
>
>
>
>
>

On Jul 12, 5:47 am, Mik...@anon.com wrote:

> ... What are they? Are they always oysters? And is it the
> trimmings that makes it 'Po' Boy'?

Best I can figure, a Po' Boy is how southerners pronounce poor boy.

I don't know why it's called that. Maybe poor people eat them.

A poor boy is a submarine sandwich. It's a large roll, sometimes
baked crusty firm on the outside but I've gotten them soft too.

They're called subs around here, just north of here they're called
hoagies.

Any torpedo shaped sandwich qualifies.

Near the water, like in Louisiana and on the Texas coast, the locals
want fresh seafood, shrimp, scallops, or fried oysters.

Out west, it might be beef or pork. The trick is to find a local
restaurant with a good chef and just enjoy.

I've had them filled with only vegetables, spouts, tomato, green
pepper.

-kh reminds me of a time 30 years ago, free love and the Age of
Aquarius.

On Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:39:03 +0100, rosbif wrote, commenting on my
suggestion to decanter wine:

> Here's an alternative on the mock-vintage
>con.

Ahem, cough, slight splutter. Did I call it a con? No, no. A way of
getting your guests to appreciate a good wine they might otherwise
never try.

> Knock up your own wine lees out of a few grape seeds and red wine
>skins crushed and/or finely chopped - do a lot and freeze for later
>use. Add these judiciously to your chosen plonk (no more than 1
>teaspoon per bottle) and make sure your dinner guest sees at least a
>little of this sediment, perhaps in the last glass. Mass produced
>wine is unfailingly sediment-free so what's s/he going to think? Top
>it off with e.g. "you'd think at $120 a bottle they could at least do
>something about the sediment!" Of course this method must eschew the
>decanter; buy just one bottle of very expensive wine and - once you've
>enjoyed it - use the empty bottle ad-infinitum to decant the plonk
>into. Naturally, the bottle will always have been opened to breathe
>before the arrival of your guest.

H'm, I might be tempted however to try this, shall we say, elegant
experiment. But not on a wine I enjoy!
It also reminds me however of many, many years ago when I was
wintering with my family on a boat in Malta. It was then a very poor
country. It is rocky, barren. We looked forward to some cheap plonk.
We found it undrinkable. We soon learned that all the 'local' wine was
made from wine skins from Italy, crushed again. It is where the
expression '..arrgghh' derived from. More..We (my family) were invited
to dinner by a leading light on the island. He served up the finest
Maltese vintage. It was hot with windows opened and I was glad to be
beside one.He kept pressing more wine on me. I dutifully obliged. But
finally he turned to me and muttered, "You've been pouring it out of
the window."
Reader of this ng will be surprised to learn that I could not find the
last word.
>
kh asked:
>>
>>>"Who was that guy with the stylish shaved head? He must be someone
>>>important."

I replied:
>>Not really. It was David Beckham, the fashion icon, who started it.

Rosbif responded:
>Expect a letter soon from the Yul Brynner estate.

Who? No no, he wasn't important, just a freaky film star. D.B. was
then at the height of his footballing and Spice Girl glamour. What is
today called, 'a role model'. The defining part of the role is to get
sponsors pouring money into your account.

Kindest regards

Best wishes to all
MikeHi

My current favorite Merlot is a Calfornia wine called:

"Fisheye".

About $5 a bottle...(less by the case)

It has a screw cap which just adds to it's "roody la pew" status.

It's really good AND...it says on the label:

"Watch Out! This wine jumps out of your glass!"


Before you dismiss this...you all should know...that I am the wine
expert for Mad magazine.


Best to all,

Ron B.

Chicago

On Jul 12, 12:37*pm, Gi...@webtv.net (Ron B) wrote:

> My current favorite Merlot is a Calfornia wine called:
>
> "Fisheye".
>
> About $5 a bottle...(less by the case)

How is it spashed on roasting beef? Does it go well with the
turnips, carrots, and onions in the pan?

Like I said, you pour yourself a glass, sip some, open the oven door,
and splash a little on the hot roast beef.

-kh

kh asked me...after I revealed the secret of my new favorite
Merlot...'Fisheye' the $5 screwcap (no joke...)

"How is it splashed on roasting beef? * Does it go well with the
turnips, carrots, and onions in the pan?

Like I said, you pour yourself a glass, sip some, open the oven door,
and splash a little on the hot roast beef."

It's very good for everything. Again, no joke. You can probably read
about it online.

However...what ya do is pour yourself a glass...gulp (not sip) it, open
the oven door, and pour the rest of the bottle on the roast beef...or
brisket.

MmmmmmMmm (said like Andy Griffith)...that's good eatin'.

Best to all,

Chef Ron B.

Chicago

week 12 - was waiting for the labs...

Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. The drive
was easy, I started early and enjoyed the Parkway, trees, saw a hawk.
I don't know my birds so anything big with an aggressive body is a
hawk to me.

You gotta get in before 9:00, before 8:00 is even better, to get a
space in the underground garage. If you don't get a space, the main
parking garage is 2 blocks away. That's not horrible I should park
there just to walk a bit.

I'm wearing black T-shirt, my designer label is Haynes. Got my sun
glasses on and walking straight and purposeful.

The drugs are buffering the back pain. I stuck my head into the
phlebotomy suite. They didn't have my "kit".

They make up a kit of vaccuum tubes and labels somewhere else. These
are prelabeled for you with name, test, and bar code for tracking.
They called around and my kit was delivered by the study nurse.

The plebotomists stuck me and drew the blood. 7 tubes! They followed
this with Vitals, 137/79 pulse 80, temp 36.8C.

Pretty normal. I'm giving them new names the tall one will be
"Fishhook", the short one "Mosquito", and the lady is "Harpoon".

Some other possible names, "Lamprey", "Arrowhead", "stickerbush".


Fishhook and Harpoon laughed. They sent my blood for testing. The
protocol is that they need this morning's numbers to make the go/nogo
decision on the infusion.

When the bloodwork came in, I met with the wizard's apprentices (his
Physician's Assistant and Study Nurse).

ANC 7,000. It's a GO! I clocked a 200+ blood sugar but between a bowl
of oatmeal, the chocolate donut from Royal Farms, and the steroids,
they weren't worried. I'm not either.

My 2 ANC's after the previous infusion were below 500 so they reduced
the Taxotere from 75 (sometings) to 60-something


There were the usual questions, are your nails darkening? Yes, my
left thumb but it's very slight so what?

Eyes tearing? Yes! When I check my 401(k) or pay my credit card
bills, I sob like a baby. (Taxotere has an effect on the tear ducts,
some guys require tubes inserted. They're check to make sure that I
don't need tubes in my eyes.)

Pain? Yes!! My lower back aches, it feels like the time in college
after that older blond grad student and I went to a hotel room. I was
still living at home with mom and dad, she lived in the dorm. She was
an old gal, 30!

The new development is a mild tingling of my hands and feet. This is
almost all the time. Feels like I smacked the wall with my palm.

After talking to them, they sent me up to "Infusion".

Here I am, I'm hooked up to the Taxotere drip, about half infused. I'm
trying the suck an ice cube trick that I learned here. I didn't get a
treatment station right away. It was crowded so they put me in a
regular chair, no side table, no TV, but hey, I got some juice, a cup
of ice, oreos, Lorna doon cookies. I also brought my own fried
chicken and a sack of peanuts from Holly Farms (Holly Farms is sorta
like Sheets or 7-11 but with better food.)

One of the nurses spotted me with the chicken breast in my mouth.
"Hey, Holly Farms! Where's mine!"


Funny thing the label on the IV reads Taxotere 119 mg, Dextrose 250
ml, total volume 261.9 ml. Where's the 60-something (somethings)?
Just asked, the 60 (somethings) are 60mg/meter-squared, then it's
multiplied out by my body mass for the infusion.

After a half hour, a bed freed up and I'm stretched out, shoes off,
feet up, view of the street from the 2nd floor.

Tube in my right hand feeding me the chemo.

Glancing around the treatment suite, it's about 1/3 people who look
really ill, wheelchairs, some with oxygen. Not too many who seem to be
in good health.

One problem with this place is, the TV's are running non-stop.
There's a guy next over who is watching Oprah and it's

cranked up. That can cause brain damage.


Couple days later - Don't know if it's the reduced infusion or that
I'm getting used to it but Weds, Thurs, and this morning have been
better than on the previous cycle. My heartburn is worse but
everything else feels better.

I just got "the word" by email. 2.2.

PSA 2.2


05/12/2008 11.0
06/02/2008 5.6
06/20/2008 3.6
07/15/2008 2.2


On my graph, the rate of fall appears to be slowing but, hey, 2.2

-kh I'll take it.

On Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:07:36 -0700 (PDT), kh <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote:

snipS....
>
>I'm wearing black T-shirt, my designer label is Haynes. Got my sun
>glasses on and walking straight and purposeful.

Eh? My computer's not working again. Subject was "Taxotere 12 week"
wasn't it?
Oh, hang on - ah -' kh' it adds. OK, read on...

Snip snip


>....Here I am, I'm hooked up to the Taxotere drip, about half infused. I'm
>trying the suck an ice cube trick that I learned here. I didn't get a
>treatment station right away. It was crowded so they put me in a
>regular chair, no side table, no TV........

What! Shabby treatment in USA for Tax vets-'our' Tax vet! Can't have
this. Get pen out and notepaper...

>but hey, I got some juice, a cup
>of ice, oreos, Lorna doon cookies.
>I also brought my own fried
>chicken and a sack of peanuts from Holly Farms
>
Stash notepaper. Feel hungry.

Big snips...
>
>...Couple days later - Don't know if it's the reduced infusion or that
>I'm getting used to it but Weds, Thurs, and this morning have been
>better than on the previous cycle. My heartburn is worse but
>everything else feels better.
>
>I just got "the word" by email. 2.2.

Wow - look at that PSA decline below. 'Heartburn' - proves it's your
menu that's doing it.
>
>PSA 2.2
>
>05/12/2008 11.0
>06/02/2008 5.6
>06/20/2008 3.6
>07/15/2008 2.2


>On my graph, the rate of fall appears to be slowing but, hey, 2.2

>-kh I'll take it.

Great stuff kh. Keep it going. My PSA's skyrocketing but if they want
me to on that taxotere stuff I ain't gonna take it without the kh
menu. AND I''ll buy shades and a black T shirt. I shall print on it:

Beat Pca
The kh Way

That'll do it.

Kind regards

Best wishes to all

MikeHi

"kh" <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:adca229b-273f-40e4-8d32-5e464c851694@a2g2000prm.googlegroups.com...

> week 12 - was waiting for the labs...
>

[Great narrative redacted]


> On my graph, the rate of fall appears to be slowing but, hey, 2.2
>
> -kh I'll take it.

What does your onc say? With radiation, the perfect drop is a ski slope
that nadirs at 0.1 to 0.15 or so. If the same thing can be said for chemo,
you are on a perfect slope.



--
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 Jul 18, 3:46 pm, "Steve Kramer" <skra...@cinci.rr.com> wrote:
....
> What does your onc say? With radiation, the perfect drop is a ski slope
> that nadirs at 0.1 to 0.15 or so. If the same thing can be said for chemo,
> you are on a perfect slope.
....

I haven't asked about it yet, got the numbers in email.

He has not said anything specific about what I can expect other than:

"Some guys take months (several infusion cycles) before they see any
results."

and

"Some guys have not had a good response."

He has been cautiously optimistic, encouraging, positive but not
specific.

I think part of the reason is this is "experimental". I'm a labrat
for this trial, CNTO(328) boosting Taxotere. No one knows how well
this will work.

My story "suggests" that for some of us, Taxotere boosted by CNTO(328)
will slam PCa a good one.


My sense of taste is improving over last week. Maybe I'm getting
used to it; maybe sucking the ice did the trick; maybe reducing the
Taxotere slightly made the difference.

The toe pain is much less. It's still there, a jab in the joint but I
can take it.

-kh Have hope, guys. It's getting better.

On Jul 18, 1:01 pm, Mik...@anon.com wrote:
....
> Great stuff kh. Keep it going. My PSA's skyrocketing but if they want
> me to on that taxotere stuff ...

Skyrocketing? Oh no, Mike.

I've got it bad but, not you.

I'm still on Lupron, about 18 months now. Even though it stopped
working last year, they're making me drop my pants and sticking me in
the butt. their theory is that it suppresses some of the PCa.

The Pregnisone supposed has an anti-cancer effect, so I get the side
effects from taking a steroid twice a day.

Taxotere is a "well tolerated" chemo. I've experienced all the
published side effects but so far, they've been mild. The Wizard's
apprentices challenged me once, "You ARE telling us everything. Don't
keep anything back!"

Well tolerated means fun, like helping a pal build a wall in the hot
summer sun, that kinda fun. Then after that, getting too much to
eat, like a 4th overcooked grilled hotdog, and a stomach ache,
followed by a week of back pain from lifting the 4x4 uprights. We're
guys so, yeah, we tolerate this treatment well.

I feel the treatment taking my strength away. It's hard to climb
stairs, walk more than a few blocks. I catch myself doing the "push
on the knees to get out of a chair". I'm not letting this beast
beat me. I climb my stairs, walk, stand up straight even if there is
an occasional jab in my back.

CNTO(328), the boost. Experimental. Who knows what it's doing. I went
for it because I wanted the planets lined up on my side of the solar
system. Whatever the wizard learns from this, will help someone, even
if it's "don't do this."

I'm doing the grocery store thing, tofu (made from soybeans), green
tea, blueberries, ginger, etc. Anything cheap that is rumored to give
an edge, sure, why not. I even made a tofu burger the other week.
That sounds weird but vegans eat stuff like that all the time.

I'm not counting on my green tea brew doing anything but maybe it
will. I gotta drink something and I make it as nice as I can. So
it's not two-buck-chuck.

I get pomegranate ice cream at the Giant Food. It's chocolate covered
and slightly fruity. I get some a couple times a month. Runs about
a buck-fifty a serving.

I didn't realize your PSA was skyrocketing. No-no. I had a PSADT of
less than 30 days ... on Lupron.

I guess that makes me a good labrat.

-kh they can make cheese out of soy. Tofu cheese!

On Jul 18, 1:01 pm, Mik...@anon.com wrote:
....
> Great stuff kh. Keep it going. My PSA's skyrocketing but if they want
> me to on that taxotere stuff ...

Skyrocketing? Oh no, Mike.

I've got it bad but, not you.

I'm still on Lupron, about 18 months now. Even though it stopped
working last year, they're making me drop my pants and sticking me in
the butt. their theory is that it suppresses some of the PCa.

The Pregnisone supposed has an anti-cancer effect, so I get the side
effects from taking a steroid twice a day.

Taxotere is a "well tolerated" chemo. I've experienced all the
published side effects but so far, they've been mild. The Wizard's
apprentices challenged me once, "You ARE telling us everything. Don't
keep anything back!"

Well tolerated means fun, like helping a pal build a wall in the hot
summer sun, that kinda fun. Then after that, getting too much to
eat, like a 4th overcooked grilled hotdog, and a stomach ache,
followed by a week of back pain from lifting the 4x4 uprights. We're
guys so, yeah, we tolerate this treatment well.

I feel the treatment taking my strength away. It's hard to climb
stairs, walk more than a few blocks. I catch myself doing the "push
on the knees to get out of a chair". I'm not letting this beast
beat me. I climb my stairs, walk, stand up straight even if there is
an occasional jab in my back.

CNTO(328), the boost. Experimental. Who knows what it's doing. I went
for it because I wanted the planets lined up on my side of the solar
system. Whatever the wizard learns from this, will help someone, even
if it's "don't do this."

I'm doing the grocery store thing, tofu (made from soybeans), green
tea, blueberries, ginger, etc. Anything cheap that is rumored to give
an edge, sure, why not. I even made a tofu burger the other week.
That sounds weird but vegans eat stuff like that all the time.

I'm not counting on my green tea brew doing anything but maybe it
will. I gotta drink something and I make it as nice as I can. So
it's not two-buck-chuck.

I get pomegranate ice cream at the Giant Food. It's chocolate covered
and slightly fruity. I get some a couple times a month. Runs about
a buck-fifty a serving.

I didn't realize your PSA was skyrocketing. No-no. I had a PSADT of
less than 30 days ... on Lupron.

I guess that makes me a good labrat.

-kh they can make cheese out of soy. Tofu cheese!

On Jul 18, 1:01 pm, Mik...@anon.com wrote:
....
> Great stuff kh. Keep it going. My PSA's skyrocketing but if they want
> me to on that taxotere stuff ...

Skyrocketing? Oh no, Mike.

I've got it bad but, not you.

I'm still on Lupron, about 18 months now. Even though it stopped
working last year, they're making me drop my pants and sticking me in
the butt. their theory is that it suppresses some of the PCa.

The Pregnisone supposed has an anti-cancer effect, so I get the side
effects from taking a steroid twice a day.

Taxotere is a "well tolerated" chemo. I've experienced all the
published side effects but so far, they've been mild. The Wizard's
apprentices challenged me once, "You ARE telling us everything. Don't
keep anything back!"

Well tolerated means fun, like helping a pal build a wall in the hot
summer sun, that kinda fun. Then after that, getting too much to
eat, like a 4th overcooked grilled hotdog, and a stomach ache,
followed by a week of back pain from lifting the 4x4 uprights. We're
guys so, yeah, we tolerate this treatment well.

I feel the treatment taking my strength away. It's hard to climb
stairs, walk more than a few blocks. I catch myself doing the "push
on the knees to get out of a chair". I'm not letting this beast
beat me. I climb my stairs, walk, stand up straight even if there is
an occasional jab in my back.

CNTO(328), the boost. Experimental. Who knows what it's doing. I went
for it because I wanted the planets lined up on my side of the solar
system. Whatever the wizard learns from this, will help someone, even
if it's "don't do this."

I'm doing the grocery store thing, tofu (made from soybeans), green
tea, blueberries, ginger, etc. Anything cheap that is rumored to give
an edge, sure, why not. I even made a tofu burger the other week.
That sounds weird but vegans eat stuff like that all the time.

I'm not counting on my green tea brew doing anything but maybe it
will. I gotta drink something and I make it as nice as I can. So
it's not two-buck-chuck.

I get pomegranate ice cream at the Giant Food. It's chocolate covered
and slightly fruity. I get some a couple times a month. Runs about
a buck-fifty a serving.

I didn't realize your PSA was skyrocketing. No-no. I had a PSADT of
less than 30 days ... on Lupron.

I guess that makes me a good labrat.

-kh they can make cheese out of soy. Tofu cheese!

"kh" <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:e197f575-073b-4f50-9504-32614ba7a137@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...

> I'm still on Lupron, about 18 months now. Even though it stopped
> working last year, they're making me drop my pants and sticking me in
> the butt. their theory is that it suppresses some of the PCa.

I don't get that. Taxotere targets quickly replicating cells. Why would
thy not allow all your cancer cells to quickly replicate and thus get
targeted?




--
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

"kh" <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:586d853f-9ec8-4193-8432-4f2aa3d3963b@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com...

> My sense of taste is improving over last week. Maybe I'm getting
> used to it; maybe sucking the ice did the trick; maybe reducing the
> Taxotere slightly made the difference.
>
> The toe pain is much less. It's still there, a jab in the joint but I
> can take it.
>
> -kh Have hope, guys. It's getting better.

I'm almost looking forward to it ;-)



--
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

Steve Kramer wrote:

> "kh" <tchtic@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:e197f575-073b-4f50-9504-32614ba7a137@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>
> > I'm still on Lupron, about 18 months now. Even though it stopped
> > working last year, they're making me drop my pants and sticking me in
> > the butt. their theory is that it suppresses some of the PCa.
>
> I don't get that. Taxotere targets quickly replicating cells. Why would
> thy not allow all your cancer cells to quickly replicate and thus get
> targeted?

Not all cancer cells have a blood source (to supply the chemo) at any given
time.
One of the reasons metastatic cancer cannot be cured (with chemo).
Limited mets can sometimes be cured with a combo of RT and chemo or surgery
and RT.
J

"J" <xnswex@nalid;"no> wrote in message
news:4881E1FA.6592F73A@execulink.com...

> Not all cancer cells have a blood source (to supply the chemo) at any
> given
> time.
> One of the reasons metastatic cancer cannot be cured (with chemo).
> Limited mets can sometimes be cured with a combo of RT and chemo or
> surgery
> and RT.

I understand that and those. But Lupron with metastatic and apparent
refractive PCa combined with chemo? I'm not saying it's wrong or even that
I think it might be. I'm just curious as to how the combination works.




--
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