My Chemo/Radiation notes

[DME123]

Hi,
I'm new to this forum and read all your notes on the radiation and chemo you finished. I am halfway through the same treatment (radiation and Xeloda). I was wondering if you knew what kind of radiation machine you were using. Mine is IMRT. Also, if you're comfortable sharing, have you noticed trouble with painful intercourse or the shrinkage that others describe? Lastly, what kind of pain med were you given for pain? I'm working and trying to use OTC pain relievers, but think I may need some bring stronger. Thanks for any info you can share. I hope you are well.

[AppleTree]

Pyro...sorry for the late reply...I was in the hospital having surgery. I really tried to include all my notes and can not think of anything else to add. The radiation I had was short and targeted several points/angles at once. I did not have skin issues until the later weeks and certainly 1-2 weeks after. And I was very tired! Just be sure to talk with your doctor's about ANY issues you run into - they are there to help you get to the finish line! By now you might even be about 1/2 way through.

[Pyro]

Thanks AT, 8 sessions left, cannot wait. Certain parts of my anatomy feel sunburned, though just a small bit. Xeloda seems to be really kicking in, my head feels in the clouds. Have some time off before surgery, thank the good Lord.

[Big Jay]

Thanks for the excellent diary. Tomorrow I'm off to meet w/ the Rad Oncologist for the first time. It's been a good read to help me get prepared for the first step on getting rid of these traitorous cells.

We're y'all on Xeloda for the entire 5.5 weeks or was there a break in the treatment?

[Soccermom2boys]

Big Jay--not that I wrote this thread, but had rectal cancer so I wanted to answer your question for you. You take the Xeloda pills only on the days you have radiation treatments which is typically Mon-Fri. You take them after food in the morning and then again after food in th evening. I believe this is a common procedure, but after my five full weeks (25 rounds) I then had a round that did not include any radiation, but they took images (totally same equipment and was about the same amount of time as a regular round) so that the last three rounds were honed in directly on the tumor itself, not just the general pelvic area. Since that day did not have any actual radiation I did not take the xeloda on that day either. Just a tidbit of information to keep in mind for when you meet with radiologist. Good luck at your appointment! Between chemoradiation, surgery, and chemotherapy treatments I found radiation to be the "easiest" to deal with and bounce back from. Also, the dosage for xeloda is based on your body surface area which they use your weight and height to calculate. I had 1300mg twice a day (4 pills: two 500 mg and two 150 mg) and my onc considered that a low dose. As a non pill taker, that was more pills than I have probably taken in at least the last ten years combined! LOL Good luck with your appointment tomorrow, it will help you mentally to know what the overall plan is for your treatments.

[NHMike]

I went out for a walk while reading this on my phone and it was hard to read because it was sunny. Then I realized that I could get hit by a car doing this so I converted the text to an iTunes track and will listen to it on my next walk.