Capecitabine side effects are really tough: What helps?

I just finished my second cycle of Capecitabine earlier this week. For most of the second cycle I was fine physically until it came down to the last three days and then I felt awful physically and tired. I know part of the way I felt was due to vomiting almost on a daily basis. I am still a little weak but started to notice yesterday evening I was getting better. The Doctors have been trying to get my vomiting under control so we will see what happens going forward. I know I’ve lost almost 15 pounds in the past two weeks.

During the first cycle I felt much more fatigued after the first week on the medication. I was vomiting but not as much as I have recently the past couple weeks. During the second cycle I felt stronger over all and thought my body got used to the medication and then all of a sudden towards the end of the cycle I hit a brick wall. I currently don’t have much of an appetite however, prior to hitting the brick wall my appetite was fine but I just ate smaller portions.

I guess each cycle will I will feel different but I will enjoy the next week and a half of not having to take it.

@pizmo Has the doctor mentioned DPD testing for your mother before recommending a dosage? I had this testing done and it showed that I was a intermediate metabolizer, meaning my body breaks down Xeloda at a slower rate. My doctor has me on a low dosage, 1000mg daily, 500mg in the morning, and 500mg in the evening. There are three categories of how well a body metabolizes Xeloda, normal, intermediate and poor. I would ask the doctor about this testing. Below is information about this testing.
DPD (dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase) testing is a genetic test that checks for variants in the DPYD gene prior to starting Xeloda (capecitabine) chemotherapy. It is a critical safety measure, as individuals with DPD deficiency cannot efficiently break down the drug, which can lead to severe or fatal toxic side effects.