Starting Chemo Taxotere/docetaxel, what to expect?

I’m so sorry for your loss. Do you mind if I ask what are CRP and procalcitonin? My husband may potentially be going on docetaxal for treatment. Also, how old was your dad when he started chemo and did he have any other underlying medical conditions? Thank you for sharing your experience.

Thank you. CRP is short for C-Reactive Protein and it is elevated if there is an inflammation (which can be viral, bacterial, fungal), but procalcitonin goes up only when there is a bacterial infection (this is an explanation i got from the infectiologist who was called for a consult. These are inexpensive tests and it's a shame no one told me about them because i would've paid out of my own pocket to test him. The oncologist told us that if chemo doesn't lower his WBC we don't have to worry about infection (clearly not true). My dad was 76, very active, still working full time (as he stated-architects never retire!), no diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, nothing! This is why i can't understand how this could've happened...

Completed 5 months of Taxotere 1/10/25 and stopped Orgovyx and Prednisone (iADT) on 1/23/25 . PSA dropped from 15.5 to 0.07 on 2/20 but rose to 0.17 on 3/20, then 1.39 on 4/10 and 6.14 on 5/8/25. Back on Orgovyx 4/19. MO thought that would reduce PSA. WRONG. PET Scan scheduled for 6/24/25
Taxotere side effects were OK until last 2 months of treatment. Balance and strength are pretty terrible now. Going to Balance and Strength classes 6 times a week but not noting significant improvement.
Also watering eyes are constant issue. Should have had attention in Nov. Bad on MO. Now I need Docryocystohinostomy (DCR) Surgery scheduled 6/25/25. BE AWARE OF BALANCE, STRENGTH AND WATERING EYE ISSUE,

If Orgovyx alone doesn’t work you need an ARSI as well like Zytiga or One of the lutamides. That should bring your PSA down. You don’t mention being on abiraterone, were you using it?

My husband is about to get his 2nd dose of docetaxel on thursday. Here's what's happened so far:
The night before the first dosage he took two strong steroids and didn't sleep well that night, took two more in the morning plus I think more in the IV..... the chemo was slowed to 25% for 15 min then 50% for another 15min and then full speed for the next 2 hrs or 2.5hrs (We did buy and bring those chemo gloves and booties and used those, but they got warm after an hour or so, so really just ice cubes in a ziploc and him sticking his hands in there, worked just as well.).... he felt fine driving us home from the hospital, got a bit queasy that afternoon but he had hardly eaten anything all day. Once he ate something he felt fine, that night he hardly slept 2 hours and the next morning he was like the energizer bunny, we went shopping, did did stuff around the house, he might even have gone to the gym in the morning too. That night though he finally crashed, still waking up to pee every few hours. Then it was 2 days of being achy, he said like a fever ache without the fever.... after 36hrs of that he was fine he said.
At exactly the 2 week mark he showered and got hair in his face and hands..... the next day it was a good hand full of hair after a shower, so he decided to shave it off to maybe 1/4" and I can see more bald spots, but he looks like he just has a summer hairdo! Though we expect more to fall out soon, he said a bit of leg hair and pubic hair too have fallen out.
So he doesn't look SICK yet..... he looks just fine and feels ok.

My husband had six rounds of docetaxel in 2016, and this sounds just like his experience. He also got nauseated after the first infusion, but it turned out that he had let his stomach get too empty, and he felt fine after eating a small meal. Make sure that your husband always has something in his stomach. Also keep an eye on his white cell counts, because docetaxel can cause febrile neutropenia. Good luck to you both. FYI, my husband is still alive and kicking in 2025. 🙂