Husband is working !!! and starting Xeloda.....

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Monimom
Posts: 49
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2020 6:15 pm

Husband is working !!! and starting Xeloda.....

Postby Monimom » Mon Aug 03, 2020 2:15 pm

Hi all great news !!

my hub has started working !! hes feeling great, and is switching from the pump to taking Xeloda and getting Avastin infusions... the Dr. prescribed 1900 mg daily ... is that alot ?? are the side effects as bad as she said...?? mouth sores?? GI irritation?? how common is the hand foot issue ? what do you take to help with any of that I I asked his Dr. and she said theres nothing..
shouldnt he take an antacid or something??? she said rinse his mouth with baking soda water... (I am still not thrilled by this Dr.) but my husband working again is so good , for multitudes of reasons !! thank you for your replies
Moni
Oct 2019 56 yo Husband DX'd
Stage 4 MCC
Colon thickening w/ apple core 3.9 cm area
Liver mets both lobes 10.4 x 7.6 cm & 9.3 x 7.7cm
innumerable small lesions
Oct 2019 Liver Biopsy
CEA Dec '19 . 3,028
Dec 2019-present 5FU, Avastin & Oxaliplatin
Jan '20. CEA 1861.8
Feb '20 CT mets 9.4cm x 6.5 & 8.0 x 6.7 cm
April '20 CEA 411.1
May '20 CT mets 8.6cm x 6.3 & 5.7 x 6.1 cm
Colon unchanged

camicom
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:39 pm
Facebook Username: david galloway

Re: Husband is working !!! and starting Xeloda.....

Postby camicom » Mon Aug 03, 2020 2:43 pm

Hello, havent updated my profile in a while, but started taking Xeloda about 2.5 months ago for maintenance after Folfox caused 40% shrinkage in my multiple liver tumors and a MRI showed them inactive or dead. I started taking 4000mg per day, Im 5'11 230lbs, I had no nausea whatsoever, developed one mouth sore(it hurt like hell) that went away after a couple or weeks, and suffered foot and hand syndrome. Minor pain, numbness, and tingling in my feet and hands, and they lowered the dose to 3000mg per day( 2 weeks on 1 week off). I have also had quite a bit of foot skin peeling, but it almost like a pedicure, zero pain and only old skin in coming off. All in all its very tolerable in my opinion, I hope your husband responds well to it.
6/17 Colonoscopy 5cm Malignant Neoplasm in Transverse Colon
CEA 1.2
Stage 3A
BRAF Neg
11/23 CT scan showed multiple Liver Mets
12/03 MRI showed 35 Liver mets largest being 2cm many very small Not resectable
12/10 CEA 4.5nl
12/11 Port Placement
12/12 Liver Biopsy confirming tumor same type as before
12/17 Started FolFox with Avastin
3/21 MRI Showed average 40% shrinkage and tumor inactive or dead
4/15 Started 4000mg daily of Xeloda as Maintenance
6/24 CT scan showed no growth, everything stable

User avatar
beach sunrise
Posts: 1034
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2020 7:14 pm

Re: Husband is working !!! and starting Xeloda.....

Postby beach sunrise » Mon Aug 03, 2020 4:02 pm

Hi Moni, is that 1900 b.i.d?
I take 1500 b.i.d, I am 5'3/100lbs.
Happy he is getting to work. I know you all have to be excited about that.
I have had no mouth sores and just a little skin peeling on the sides of my index finger and thumb.
8/19 RC CEA 82.6 T3N0M0
5FU/rad 6 wk
IVC 75g 1 1/2 wks before surgery. Continue 2x a week
Surg 1/20 -margins T4bN1a IIIC G2 MSI- 1/20 LN+ LVI+ PNI-
pre cea 24 post 5.9
FOLFOX
7 rds 6-10 CEA 11.4 No more
CEA
7/20 11.1 8.8
8/20 7.8
9/20 8.8, 9, 8.6
10/20 8.1
11/20 8s
12/20 8s-9s
ADAPT++++ chrono
CEA
10/23/22 26.x
12/23/22 22.x
2023
1/5 17.1
1/20 15.9
3/30 14.9
6/12 13.3
8/1 2.1
Nodule RML SUV 1.3 5mm
Rolles 3 of 4 lung nodules cancer
KRAS
Chem-sens test failed Not enough ca cells to test

Monimom
Posts: 49
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2020 6:15 pm

Re: Husband is working !!! and starting Xeloda.....

Postby Monimom » Mon Aug 03, 2020 6:23 pm

Hi Thanks for the replies...this is how the script has been written..

* capecitabine 150 MG tablet
Commonly known as: XELODA
Take 6 tablets (900 mg total) by mouth 2 (two) times a day after meals with 1 other capecitabine prescription for 1,900 mg total

* capecitabine 500 MG tablet
Commonly known as: XELODA
Take 2 tablets (1,000 mg total) by mouth 2 (two) times a day after meals with 1 other capecitabine prescription for 1,900 mg total

He is on "maintenance" chemo.. at the moment... she's deemed him "palliative" his liver mets have responded to the oxali avastin 5fu but minimally (IMO) he has neuropathy so no more oxali...he has atleast 10 cycles with it!!

WE requested Xeloda... she obliged .. he feels good and needs to work (we need insurance) ... I asked if he's on maintenance can't he have lower doses... she said no??
I will say once again... I am not a fan of this Dr. nor her office... it is where we started... but likely NOT where this will end...
thank you again !!
Oct 2019 56 yo Husband DX'd
Stage 4 MCC
Colon thickening w/ apple core 3.9 cm area
Liver mets both lobes 10.4 x 7.6 cm & 9.3 x 7.7cm
innumerable small lesions
Oct 2019 Liver Biopsy
CEA Dec '19 . 3,028
Dec 2019-present 5FU, Avastin & Oxaliplatin
Jan '20. CEA 1861.8
Feb '20 CT mets 9.4cm x 6.5 & 8.0 x 6.7 cm
April '20 CEA 411.1
May '20 CT mets 8.6cm x 6.3 & 5.7 x 6.1 cm
Colon unchanged

Rikimaroo
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 8:48 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Husband is working !!! and starting Xeloda.....

Postby Rikimaroo » Tue Aug 04, 2020 1:56 pm

I am starting Xeloda/Avastin maintenance and from what I understand, it is alot easier to deal with and side effects are minimal to none. My Xeloda maintenance 7 days on, 7 days off, 1500 mg by mouth twice a day. Avastin infusion every 3 weeks. Some people have eventually switched to just Avastin and stopped Xeloda, but that might take some time.
RC T3N1M0 12/16
MSS - NRAS Mutation
Chemo Rad, CCR - W&W 5/2017
Recurrence 11/2017
CT Scan 11/2017 Liver Met 5.5cm Stable, Stage IV
LAR/Liver Resect 4/2018
Reversal 10/18
CEA highest 500, lowest .8 throughout process, waiting for latest
Recurrence left vesical/pelvic sidewall - 10/7/2019 resect perm bag,
CEA rise Feb/May 3.7, 8.8, 30, Recurrence in Pelvic
CEA 40 right now, but was 57, so folfiri to beat it back down.
Lots of chemo for the past 4 years.

Siti
Posts: 269
Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2019 10:58 am

Re: Husband is working !!! and starting Xeloda.....

Postby Siti » Tue Aug 04, 2020 7:24 pm

It’s great that your husband started working again :)

My husband was on CAPOX and then went on maintenance by dropping Ox and had a 30% dose reduction of capecitabine (he was previously taking 4300mg, but later taking 3000mg daily — 2 weeks on, 1 week off). Avastin every 3 weeks.

His biggest side effects on capecitabine is hand and foot syndrome (peeling both hands and feet, and burning). Also occasional diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

For the hands and feet, the applies moisturisers 3x a day (Udderly Smooth with Urea before going to bed, and during the day morning and evening, Weleda Skin Food Butter or Burts Bees Salve). He wears soft cotton gloves and socks after applying to protect his skin and also prevents leaving oily stains on everything he touches!

For diarrhoea — psyllium husk + loperamide combo works best. And if it doesn’t stop, then he takes a break only eats low residue, easy to digest food for a day or two.

I hope you’ll find this useful.
DH (54) DX on 5/7/19
Sigmoid|G3|LN:30/31|MSS|WT KRAS, NRAS, BRAF
7/19 PET distant LN para-aorta neck hip (0.5-1.5cm)
7/19 Lap resection
26/8 to 20/12/19 CAPEOX+Bev 7x
6/11/19 CT 3 cycle LN shrunk
1/20 Cap+Bev
4/20 TS-1+Bev due to bad HFS
NED 4 years
8/23 PET recurrence chest LN growing since Feb. CEA May(4.5>5.1>5.9)
9/23 Stopped Bev, CEA Sept(8.7) Radio 17x
11/23 PET 1+ supraclavicular LN, CEA (3.4>2.5)
12/23 Lymphadenectomy
1/24 Narrow margins, 1/5 +LN, 1.4cm +tissue, TMB (19)

Tristen7171
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2020 11:20 pm

Re: Husband is working !!! and starting Xeloda.....

Postby Tristen7171 » Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:00 pm

I am currently on the same maintenance therapy. 1000mg a day, 2 pills morning 2 pills night with food. 2 weeks on 1 week off. Avastin infusion every 21 days. The side effects are minimal and definitely tolerable. I am currently working full time as well.


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