All about Xeloda

Oh, I meant to add, regarding chills, hot flashes, sweats ... I went through natural menopause before this diagnosis with night sweats only.  Not 1 hot flash ever.  Since being on femara, then faslodex, I have all three!!  I go from frozen to flashes or hot sweats.  Defin. hormonal for me.  When I went for teaching on the Xeloda, they emphasized any violent chills to report immed. as it could be due to drop in white blood count & infection.

I had horrible chills and nightsweats with Gemzar - especially with Gemzar/Carboplatin. My white counts were "dangerously" low, so I had to do the self-injections of Neupogen ("Neupogen Hell"), go on antibiotics, and eventually give up Gemzar/Carbo, and then Gemzar. No more chills and nightsweats, yet...

That's great, Karen. I just started my 2nd week of first round - doing well - just absolutely have to tap a nap before school bus arrives each afternoon with grandchildren.

svetik - so sorry - on my 2nd week of first round - just tired, with an occassionally dizzy spell, but no blisters on hands or feet. I do have a couple of sore spots in back of throat. I had the same thing with AC

Svetik - I'm sorry to hear about your blister. What did your MO say?



Sherry - I hear you. I nap too.

What about seeing a periodontist since it seems to be deep in the gums. Maybe a different way to look at it.

Gigi:  Thanks for the tip on trying the lemon juice.  3 and 1/2 years is a long time!  Have you been on the same dose the entire time?

Joy E

JoyE1947

I was on 1,500 mils twice a day for two years.  Then because of HF syndrome the onc lowered the dose to 1,000 mils twice a day.  That lasted a year.  Then my TM's were rising so for the past 6 months I am back to 1,500 twice a day.  I see my onc in July.  Not sure how long this Xeloda is going to last.

Chele

I had a painful loose tooth.  Saw an endodontist and had a root canal to get me out of pain.  I still get pain once in a while but it is doable.  Nothing else I can do.

Gigi

Chele - oral pain is the worst! I hope they find an answer for you soon.

Chele,

Till the pain gets sorted out, numb the area with ice packs. I've had two cracked and infected molars, and - sadly - opiates dull the pain but don't really make it go away. 20 minutes with an ice pack should buy you about three hours of blissful numbness. Plus, long term, it will reduce inflammation.

I was trying my best just now to make a floating joke, evoking horse teeth, but have nothing. Just wanted you to know that I tried.

Jennifer

Chele ... when I have had severe pain in my mouth (before breast cancer) it was usually a cracked tooth that doesn't alway show up on X-ray.  Would require a crown and sometimes a root canal.  Also, I'm a huge grinder at night - busted through 3 night guards before they found one I can't break.  Although annoying, it helps alot, also helps to reduce headaches.

Keepingfaith ... Liver swollen?  Not too familar, but I now have liver mets and am also being checked for the liver swelling.  So far it has not swollen.  Not sure how many mets you have to have before it swells.  The liver does break down Xeloda, so maybe related to that.  I'd get some answeres ASAP so you know what's going on.

Thinking of you, SyrMom. This is day 12 for me. I am also having dull headaches - ibuproben has been helping. A nap or just lying down throughout the day is a neccessity in order for me to meet gchildren at school bus and care for them until 8:00 pm, Mon-Thurs. Today is my day without my gchildren. The rest is nice, but I miss them and have too much time to think about me when they are not here. They only live 2 miles from me, so I can get them if I need too, thank goodness! I do have nausea if I do not eat, so I eat small meals throughout the day. I also read that lemon drops help - they help me. This is my 3rd chemo. So far it has not been bad at all, but like you said, I have heard that the se's creep in. I noticed a small blister on my right palm yesterday. I wrote it off to yard work, house work, etc...but now there is another one and two suddenly appeared on my left palm within the past hour. I immediately jumped on this thread as I feel better surrounded by all here. I do not share most of my symptoms with my family, unless I occassionally cannot help them with whatever they need me for.  Thank goodness for this thread, and many other supportive threads.

P.S. Reality ... you are lotioning hands/feet, correct?  If outside work, must now where gloves, etc. 

Not sure about the swollen liver. I have a lot of pain with an enlarged bile duct. It keeps showing up as "an area of concern" on CT scan. Radiologist - not a man I admire at all - he did a really botched job on my lung bx. - it was awful - Onc nurses are surprised I even talk to him. I feel that I need to keep a civil relationship with him as he is the only one for miles and miles. He believes the swollen bile duct is due to my gall bladder removal. Funny thing is that it never bothered me before BC. I had my gb removed in 1983! Anyway, another "area of concern" is a recent spot they discovered on my spleen. In addition, there is an "area of concern" in my liver. Next CT scan is two months away. Hope Xeloda works - for all of us!

Chris, sorry to hear you have sores around your mouth. I keep fearing that happening , when I take a sip of hot coffee in the morning.