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Xeloda

Cate64
Cate64 Member Posts: 446
Morning Girls :)

Any of you willing to share your experience with Xeloda??

Cate

Comments

  • wendy55
    wendy55 Member Posts: 774
    hi cate64,
    you dont mention if you are on xeloda or if your oncologist is mentioning that it may be an option for you, i have mets to my liver and my spine and bones, i have been on xeloda for a year, it is an excellent drug in that it does the job, my tumour markers have been as low as 12!! and at the moment are at 17, im due for scans in 3 weeks to see whats happening on the inside, BUT i dont have to have a whole of body bone scan for the first time in three years!
    a good site to go to for a lot of information is Chemocare.com xeloda.
    There are side effects which of course not everyone gets however it does pay to ask a lot of questions,if your oncologist does decide that this is for you, the one thing i would mention is because of the possibility of hand and foot syndrome - you can look this up - its a very good idea to purchase a skin cream with at least 10% urea and use this cream on your hands and feet for at least a week prior to starting  xeloda,also avoid exposing your hands and feet to heat and avoid putting pressure on your hands and feet for up to a week after starting the tablets, I know you love running and this may be a problem for you, but as we are all different it may not happen to you, the next side effect is diarrorea, gastrostop is what i use, there are different methods of duration its usually 14 days on then 7 days off, but for me I take the drug for 12 days and have a nine day break, there is a lot of information about xeloda and i wont go into it all, do you have a mcgrath nurse? if so she will be the go to person for info, read up as much as you can, im happy to answer any questions you may have -you can private message me if you like, also just quickly xeloda is a drug that is very sun sensitive, you will have to cover up and use a lot of sunscreen, i wear cotton gloves and a long sleeve shirt outside plus a hat, also socks are a must - its not all doom and gloom - im still plugging away, in fact i have just had a three week break off the drug, and one of the good things about it is its a tablet, 
  • angg66
    angg66 Member Posts: 188
    Hi Cate,

    I was put on Xeloda last year. I only took one course (which for me was over 2 weeks) & ended up in hospital with chronic diarrhea. I was in hospital for three weeks. So my experience was awful!. But everyone is different. Good luck with it.

    Ange
  • Cate64
    Cate64 Member Posts: 446
    @angg66 how long after starting it did you suffer the side effects???
  • wendy_h67
    wendy_h67 Member, Dragonfly Posts: 466
    Hi Cate , I was talking to another lady in the waiting room  at the pathology department yesterday . She said she has been on Xeloda now for 2 year for lungs mets after breast cancer . She seems to be going okay.  She found that Vaseline rubbed into the feet at night and to put on cotton socks worked well for her feet problems.  I was Xeloda over two years ago but had to come off the drug after 18 months due to sore feet.  I wish I had know about the Vaseline,  I might have coped better.  It is still a drug that I can go back on, after a break. It is a good drug and seems to bring the tumor markers down. Remember every one is different and the treatment effect people differently. Stop worrying! 
  • wendy_h67
    wendy_h67 Member, Dragonfly Posts: 466
    Today I had I.V Abraxane and just before I left to go to the hospital my oncologist rang. I went into panic mode at first thinking what could be wrong now. She rang to tell me my tumor markers are finally taking a tumble , which makes it all worth it. Also I now have a 2 week break so once I have recovered a bit I hope to get away for a few days with my husband.
  • angg66
    angg66 Member Posts: 188
    I was on Xeloda for 2 weeks. I started having diarrhea on day 10 but it was manageable. But the day after I stopped taking the drug (for my one week break) I started getting worse. The next day I was admitted to hospital. But that doesn't mean this will happen to you. We are all different & respond to medications in different ways. There are a few women on this site who have been taking Xeloda for years & it works for them. 
  • YvonneM
    YvonneM Member Posts: 16
    I was on Xeloda too and hand and foot syndrome was severe on my feet.  They split open pretty badly and I had difficulty walking.  I used lots of different creams and most provided some relief but not healing.  One of the things I found most helpful to put on the splits was the clear very thin dressing that is used to cover the canula when you are having chemo.  Think it might be called Opsite (not sure), its available in pharmacies for about $2 a piece.  It worked by holding the skin together so that it didn't split more when walking.  Not a cure but very helpful.  Have just come off it as my TMs started to trend, ever so slowly, upwards.
  • wendy55
    wendy55 Member Posts: 774
    Hi,
    thanks, for the info re the dressings, i will try them, it is my hands which have suffered the most, initially it was both hands and feet, but my feet settled down leaving my hands with the worst of it, my skin splits at the base of my fingers palm side up and the joints of my thumbs - very - sore I use savlon on the areas with the splits and will now get some of the dressings you mentioned,do you have a new treatment plan now the xeloda is not so helpful, I have been on xeloda for a year but am very conscious of the fact that like you, it too will stop working, then where to? thats why getting Ibrance on the pbs is crucial for women like us, apart from the nasty side effects that we have to put up with,it seems to give a better quality of life which is what we are all after. 


  • Cate64
    Cate64 Member Posts: 446
    Afternoon Girls, so I finished my first 2 weeks of Xeloda on Friday & so far so good, no handy footy thing & no runs.... we will see what the next cycle brings... Cate