1. < Colorectal Cancer

Xeloda for colon cancer - Scared about side effects and need support

Posted by leed2022 @leed2022, Dec 8, 2022

Hello, I was diagnosed with stage 3A colon cancer after surgery because 1 lymph node out of 35 came back with cancer. I am supposed to start Xeloda in a couple of weeks for 6 months, and worry about how I will function working from home, taking care of my two little dogs, and living with the side effects. I am all alone and very scared, and would appreciate knowing how others dealt with taking Xeloda and how they managed through the process. Thank you.

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martin77 | @martin77 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @leed2022 "Hello, I'm sorry you are having issues with the second cycle. I do hope things get..." + (show)
@leed2022

Hello, I'm sorry you are having issues with the second cycle. I do hope things get better as you continue the process. I had a miserable several days during my second week, so the doctor recommended using a stool softener (as opposed to a laxative), and I added about 1/4 cup of prune juice (warmed). A neighbor who is a retired nurse told me how she dealt with patients in the hospital who had constipation, and the doctors used Colace gentle stool softener and a little warmed prune juice as I mentioned above. Just once a day, but it also takes a couple of days to get things moving. That did provide much needed relief. She also told me it is better to warm up your water and fluids before drinking because it helps warm up the colon. I've been doing that too. I started my week off as of today, and am so glad constipation problem has been resolved for the moment. I spoke with my oncology nurse this morning who said when I start the next cycle, I can take a stool softener daily to prevent the constipation, so I may do that after the first day and see how my system reacts. I just don't want to cause the opposite problem. I may check with the chemo nurse on this. Let me know how things are going as you continue this cycle, and I will let you know how I am doing when I start again next Monday. All the Best!

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Sorry to hear of your not dissimilar experience but it sounds as if things are improving. The pattern could well be a difficult first few days and then gradual improvement until a new cycle starts. Yes, keeping everything warm helps a great deal. I'm feeling better today and so I hope tomorrow continues this trend. Hope you're still able to get out with your dogs. Best wishes. Martin

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1 reply
leed2022 | @leed2022 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @martin77 "Hello. I hope you're still tolerating your treatment ok and that your back is better. I've..." + (show)
@martin77

Hello. I hope you're still tolerating your treatment ok and that your back is better. I've updated my 'journey' elsewhere on the forum which details the difficult start to my second cycle. No constipation yet, and no sickness / nausea, but managing bowel movements seems to be the main issue for the first 3 days. Otherwise, tingly /cold hands again but I can live with that. Hopefully feel better tomorrow.

Jump to this post

Hello, I'm sorry you are having issues with the second cycle. I do hope things get better as you continue the process. I had a miserable several days during my second week, so the doctor recommended using a stool softener (as opposed to a laxative), and I added about 1/4 cup of prune juice (warmed). A neighbor who is a retired nurse told me how she dealt with patients in the hospital who had constipation, and the doctors used Colace gentle stool softener and a little warmed prune juice as I mentioned above. Just once a day, but it also takes a couple of days to get things moving. That did provide much needed relief. She also told me it is better to warm up your water and fluids before drinking because it helps warm up the colon. I've been doing that too. I started my week off as of today, and am so glad constipation problem has been resolved for the moment. I spoke with my oncology nurse this morning who said when I start the next cycle, I can take a stool softener daily to prevent the constipation, so I may do that after the first day and see how my system reacts. I just don't want to cause the opposite problem. I may check with the chemo nurse on this. Let me know how things are going as you continue this cycle, and I will let you know how I am doing when I start again next Monday. All the Best!

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1 reply
cnso | @cnso | Jan 9, 2023

Checking in with you to see how you are doing on your treatment.

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1 reply
martin77 | @martin77 | Jan 8, 2023

Hello. I hope you're still tolerating your treatment ok and that your back is better. I've updated my 'journey' elsewhere on the forum which details the difficult start to my second cycle. No constipation yet, and no sickness / nausea, but managing bowel movements seems to be the main issue for the first 3 days. Otherwise, tingly /cold hands again but I can live with that. Hopefully feel better tomorrow.

REPLY
1 reply
martin77 | @martin77 | Jan 5, 2023
In reply to @leed2022 "Hello, I am so pleased that you are feeling much better and enjoyed your holiday celebration...." + (show)
@leed2022

Hello, I am so pleased that you are feeling much better and enjoyed your holiday celebration. I totally agree that eating fresh fruit and vegetables is the best way to keep a balanced diet. I have started to add more of those foods to my daily routine, but still need to do more. Walking is a great way to get exercise and reduce stress, and I'm so glad it is helping with your energy level. Due to my sciatica flare ups, I have to limit my walking and standing for the time being until I get my next steroid injection in my back, which is scheduled for early February. It is always something. That's interesting about the Chinese food being a bit too spicy. A few weeks after my colon surgery I was craving my favorite eastern Indian food, so I ordered takeout. Even though I ordered it mildly spicy, I ate a third of it and realized my system is just not ready. Hopefully, that will improve over time. I am tolerating the Xeloda for the most part, but still do get that constipation, but it is slowly improving. I will know more this coming Friday when I see my oncologist. Until then, I hope your next cycle goes well, and that you continue feeling better. I will be in touch again soon. Stay warm and safe.

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I'm glad to hear you're tolerating Xeloda quite well and I hope that continues, but sorry to hear about your sciatica at times. That must be very painful. I've suffered from a bad back for many years but it improved once I gave up playing tennis and real tennis (known as court tennis in the US, a wonderful game played indoors with walls surrounding a tennis court).
I had a very pleasant week off and have now just started my second cycle, sitting here as I write connected to a pipeline of Oxaliplatin for 2 hours! Looking forward to lunch and hopefully not a repeat of the constipation experienced last time! Take care. Martin

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dwarren69 | @dwarren69 | Jan 4, 2023
In reply to @dwarren69 "Yes , 6cm mid rectum.. finished both radiation and chemo with Xylodo Jun 30th. See what..." + (show)
@dwarren69

Yes , 6cm mid rectum.. finished both radiation and chemo with Xylodo Jun 30th. See what 190 days look like for my Rectum. Mostly two bowel movements early each day and that’s amazing for a ulcerative colitis guy since I was 28 ( very little flare ups ) during that time. I am now 59.

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No surgery but surgeons like to be sure and I would prefer CCR and Watch and Wait

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dwarren69 | @dwarren69 | Jan 4, 2023
In reply to @colleenyoung "Welcome @dwarren69. You mention your big day is Jan 18. Is that when you’ll be having..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

Welcome @dwarren69. You mention your big day is Jan 18. Is that when you’ll be having surgery? Do you have rectal cancer?

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Yes , 6cm mid rectum.. finished both radiation and chemo with Xylodo Jun 30th. See what 190 days look like for my Rectum. Mostly two bowel movements early each day and that’s amazing for a ulcerative colitis guy since I was 28 ( very little flare ups ) during that time. I am now 59.

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1 reply
dwarren69 | @dwarren69 | Jan 4, 2023
In reply to @martin77 "Happy New Year! Thanks for your good wishes. I hope it turns out to be a..." + (show)
@martin77

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

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Best of luck and your cycles being finished soon.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jan 4, 2023
In reply to @dwarren69 "I took that chemo for 6 weeks five days a week. I was fatigued, but getting..." + (show)
@dwarren69

I took that chemo for 6 weeks five days a week. I was fatigued, but getting around doing the basic basics not so bad.. I was also taking the radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks. If no radiation I would expect it to be manageable but weak weak for sure.. best of recovery! My big day comes on the 18th of Jan. Hope and pray for a healthier rectum. Was at 6cm. Maybe much smaller if at all ?

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Welcome @dwarren69. You mention your big day is Jan 18. Is that when you’ll be having surgery? Do you have rectal cancer?

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1 reply
dwarren69 | @dwarren69 | Jan 4, 2023

I took that chemo for 6 weeks five days a week. I was fatigued, but getting around doing the basic basics not so bad.. I was also taking the radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks. If no radiation I would expect it to be manageable but weak weak for sure.. best of recovery! My big day comes on the 18th of Jan. Hope and pray for a healthier rectum. Was at 6cm. Maybe much smaller if at all ?

REPLY
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