BP 180/110 - xeloda/radiation

[jep]

Hey everyone . . . so, my husband was sent home from work today with high blood pressure (180/110) . . . did anyone else experience this as a side effect of xeloda (or maybe the stress of radiation; although my husband is outwardly very calm and optimistic about everything ) . . . His PC doc didn't seem too concerned . . . His onc did start him on BP meds yesterday, so this 180/110 is concerning (to me) . . . maybe we need to give the BP meds more time to work?
Thank you,
jep

[juliej]

Hmmm... Xeloda doesn't usually raise blood pressure except in rare instances. This could be one of them. Or it could be the stress of starting radiation, taking oral chemo, and continuing to work. It's a lot on someone's plate at once.

I worked through chemo too. At first it's kind of weird being out in the "normal world" with chemo inside you and having all these awful side-effects. I remember hiding my red and swollen hands so my co-workers wouldn't comment on my Xeloda-induced HFS.

I also took Avastin and it did raise my blood pressure, but that's a common side-effect of it. I had to take BP meds while I was on it.

The BP meds should start working fairly quickly so I wouldn't be too worried. If you have a home BP monitor, you might check his numbers every day to reassure you it's coming down. And make sure he's hydrating (something with electrolytes is best) because that really helps with Xeloda's side effects!

Hope this helps!
Juliej