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← Return to Xeloda for colon cancer - Scared about side effects and need support
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Xeloda for colon cancer - Scared about side effects and need support
Colorectal Cancer | Last Active: Nov 19, 2023 | Replies (84)Comment receiving replies
Hi again, I wanted to wish you a very Happy New Year, and hope going forward you will feel much better and soon have good news that your treatment is working. I meant to tell you that drinking a lot of water or other fluids will most likely help with the constipation. I am also going to talk with my doctor next Friday about my going back on probiotics. I used to take them and it always was helpful in regulating the system. I read articles about clinical studies where cancer/chemo patients do very well with probiotics, and it is a great help. Check with your doctor first and ask what type he or she recommends. I will do the same. I eat mostly gluten free and dairy free foods, and had gotten into a habit of eating vegan cheese before all this started, and realize now that to help avoid the constipation I cannot eat it as much or even my gluten free bread and other food items that contain rice flour. As we know, rice is a binder, so maybe in moderation with vegetables and fruit is okay, but not as a steady diet. It's a whole new learning process. Hope you enjoy the rest of the holidays and are feeling better.
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Happy New Year! Thanks for your good wishes. I hope it turns out to be a good one for all of us currently undergoing chemo or surgery.
Since ending my first 2 week cycle last Thursday I have been a lot more comfortable - more energy and a taste for champagne and red wine reappeared yesterday evening during New Year's Eve celebrations with friends! And today I have done 6,800 steps so far with my wife which is a record since starting chemo.
I agree that drinking lots of fluids, particularly water, is so important. If I start to flag, a drink of water soon perks me up. Fortunately, I've been free of constipation for around 10 days now and so I hope the balanced diet I'm trying to achieve will work better once the next cycle of chemo starts in a few day's time. I tend to avoid supplements and focus instead on fresh or frozen produce from our garden, particularly greens, beetroot, carrots and potatoes. I like natural unsweetened yoghurt too. But I did experiment with a Chinese takeaway two days ago - the ginger with the prawns (shrimps) and spring onions was delicious but overall it was a bit too spicy for my system and so probably won't be repeated for a while.
I hope you're tolerating Xeloda well and that you avoid any significant side effects. Best wishes. Martin