Postby ASTEPHENS33 » Wed Sep 27, 2006 7:23 am
I completed 6 months of Xeloda about 4 months ago. When I started, the oncology nurse said one of the side effects that they don't tell you about is that you get tired of taking pills all the time. It was a joke, of course, but probably explemifies that the challenges I had during my treatment were all in a range that I felt was manageable.
Towards the end of treatment I got more tired than at the beginning (weary is probably a better word) and also I had a weight gain. I had stayed the same weight for the first 4 months and then put on about a pound a week. My calories were the same, but I ate a great deal more sugar. I didn't like the taste of chocolate, but really craved cake. Its about all I ate. I did exercise during the 6 months, but had to adjust what I did - primarily bike riding. My feet and hands got really bad during the second cycle and my dosage was lowered down. But even with the lower dosage, my feet and hands got very red and blistery and although I used lotions, I still had problems. Often wore light cotton work gloves and extra padding in my shoes.
The most difficult sympton to deal with, was that my CEA pre-chemo was 1.2 and climbed to 6.4. I had the oncologist measure it during most of my treatment and it climbed a bit each cycle. I am waiting now for the latest post-chemo test to see if its gone down. (My CT scan was clean.)