All about Xeloda

ditto on the depression which came first chicken or egg? i really belive my hip pain is from the taxol didn't have it again till today. start my third round tommrow ct and mri next week. hot hot hot today so stay cool ladies and blessings

Back from onc. Blood tests had the usual red flags, just a bit low here and there. She was not concerned. Scans are in a month.



I showed her my hands which are definitely taking a beating, slathered or not. So we are going to drop back one pill each dose. So I'll be 1500mg a.m and p.m. I've managed to maintain the 25lbs I lost over the last 6 months. Phew! Love to lose more. Not so hard when the appetite flattens out but I tend to enjoy my week off when the taste buds wake up.



She had no input on B6 but offered to check into it.

Was talking to my breast nurse today about a few bits and pieces.

I asked about the Vitamin B for hand/foot and while she said there is no evidence to support it, it wouldn't do any harm. So just wondering if anyone is taking it and if so, how much?

I also told her I had developed some foot problems with a couple of blisters (healing now on my week off) and generally red and sore feet. She asked me what day they had developed on and I said around day 11. She said that the most important thing is that if it is working, I can continue to have it so that if it happens again around the same time, I should just stop taking it and have more time off because I would have had a good dose by then. Gulp - no chemo for extra days but she's really experienced and the onc says the same so guess it's ok to do!

Found this study. They didn't find any benefit regarding b6 and HFS. Phooey.



http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/28/24/3824.full

The study mentioned the HFS tended to show up after the 3rd round. It took several more before it started for me. It's not awful. I picked up something from Home Depot called o'Keefes Working Hands. It seems pretty nice so far. Not greasy. Expensive though. 6.98 for a 3.4oz tub. However it doesn't take much to smooth things out, so hoping it lasts awhile.

I read a German study on Xeloda and HFS in colon cancer patients, saying that in people who developed HFS the Xeloda was effective.  Probably the same for breast cancer patients, I would imagine.

 Chickadee:  I also have been paying 6.99 for O'Keefes until my husband found it at a Farmer's Coop for 4.99.  Maybe you have a Coop in your area.

Chickadee- I think I will still try the B6 if there's evidence of harm and some studies that do show benefit.  I still have HFS on Day 6 of my "off" week.  Developed a blister on the tip of one of my toes. I wonder if I'm going to need my dosage reduced.  Kind of scary.  I'll have one more week on before I see my onc so I'll have a good idea by then what my side effects are.

I will see if I can find the Working Hands lotion, but I wonder if I'm just wearing the wrong shoes.  Should I be wearing shoes without toes?  I like slip ons like clogs, but maybe I'm getting too much friction.  I don't leave the house a lot, but my feet don't like to walk barefoot on the carpet and tile and socks irritate them after awhile, too.  I can't just sit around with my feet up all the time.

luvRVing -glad your labs were good.  Yeah!!!

Laurie - thanks so much for the info.  I will try the insoles and I like the idea of having cold ones on hand, too.  I like to wear mules, also, and I thought they were comfy enough to be safe for my feet.  I didn't consider the friction part. 

1st day of week off of 2nd round and my finger tips are sore and feet feel tender.  Looks like I might be having my week off just in time.  :-)

Doormouse, I notice a difference within the first 5 days.  My onc started me on the maximum dose.  If you are responding to the lower dose then I would be happy with that if it were me.  Expecially if it meant no se's.  I'm pretty lucky in that I am not having any se's worth worrying about. The se's seem to be scattered and come and go from day to day.  I hade a golf ball size lump in my breast that was gone after the first round.  I still have 2 more to go but things are definately softening.  I hope you have a long and worthwhile run on the X.

Just wondering if every one is getting a scan every 3 months on xeloda? I'm in my 2nd cycle, day 11. My feet are not super red but sure are starting to burn. Doing pretty much everything recommended here. Sure hope it works after all this. Wishing all of you good results.

My scan schedule is the same as always (bone scan every 6 months).  My CEA is reliable so that's how my onc will know if this is working and I have that checked monthly before I get my Aredia.

I'm pretty sure it is working because before I started it I could barely walk, and now I feel much better and the improvement lasts longer each cycle.  So, I start my 3rd round tomorrow and I'm just noticing some stiffness and discomfort with walking, but it took walking around a store to do that.

I bought myself some gel insoles for my shoes, and some soft/comfy opened toed slippers.  I also got some Airplus Aloe Infused socks and slipper socks.  They feel so awesome on my feet, so I hope they help.  I'm going to put my feet up now.

Cynthia, how about a CT Scan to ensure there is no progression to soft tissue? Regular blood tests? I'd be nervous with only a bone scan and tumor markers. But that's just me.

Chickadee - My regular blood work also includes a CBC and metabolic panel.  My onc also gives me a quick physical each time to check for signs of liver involvement and we discuss any new pains I may be having.  If my CEA goes up on a particular tx, he does a bone scan to see where the progression is.  I imagine that if there isn't new progression in the bones or I have new pain that doesn't seem bone pain, then he will order the appropriate tests. 

Swannay - For many years, I got both the CEA and the CA-15 tests, but in the last year or so, my onc dropped the CA-15.  I'm not sure why, but they were both reliable for me so it was probably redundant to do both.  

My onc does the CA 27.29 test - it's the one that has been reliable for me.  My next one will be on 7/11.  Like Cynthia, my "checkup" is the CBC and CMP labwork along with a quick exam, "are you in any pain?" and "how are you doing?" conversation.