My husband had six cycles of docetaxel some years ago when his metastases increased too quickly and in too great a quantity to keep chasing them with spot radiation. The first thing to know is that your husband's side effects and quality of life will likely fall into a predictable pattern, so that you can plan which days and weeks he won't feel well and when he will start feeling pretty good until the next infusion comes around.

For us, the first day after the chemo infusion he felt pretty good and energetic, due to the dexamethasone he received with the docetaxel to tamp down side effects and allergic reactions. But the rest of that first week, he felt exhausted, and food and drink and even water didn't taste right, and some of it tasted like metal or chemicals. **NOTE An important warning: at the end of the first week after the first infusion, my husband's white blood count plummeted, and he spiked a fever. We had been told to go to the ER immediately if this happened, which we did. He had developed febrile neutropenia from the chemo, which is somewhat common. Injections of Neulasta fixed him right up, and after that episode, he got a Neulasta OnPro put on his upper arm after each infusion. It injected the medication 27 hours after the chemo infusion and kept his white blood count stable. Our insurance didn't pay for the Neulasta until after my husband had the febrile neutropenia crisis--Grr! So be alert for this development in case your husband doesn't get the medication automatically starting after his first infusion.

The second week after the infusion, my husband felt a bit better every day, and the third week after the infusion, he felt good and we were even able to take day trips in addition to his regular chores at home. Then the next infusion came at the end of the third week, starting the whole cycle over again. This pattern let us know what to expect when and how to schedule his and our activities. I would say that the side effects didn't increase over the course of the infusions, except for hair loss. He lost all of his hair on his head and also chest and pubic area. Most hair has grown back but his curly hair is less curly than before the chemo.

All in all, the docetaxel experience was quite bearable and predictable--and it made my husband's cancer go into complete remission for quite a while! So it was definitely worth it. I hope this helps....