I’m looking for advice and information. I have just been told that they want to do more chemo on me as the first lot did not have much effect on the tumour before my mastectomy. They want to give me Capecitabine (Xeloda), they have told me the side effects aren’t as harsh. Has anyone else had this chemo? What have your experiences been?
Hi Net74
Sorry to hear that you are going to have to have more chemo. I had 6 months on Capecetibine just under 3 years ago when I was diagnosed with bowel cancer. I had an op and then the chemo tablets afterwards just as a precautionary measure. I am now on FEC-T chemo for breast cancer (un-connected) so can compare the two. What I would say with the tablets is that the side effects are not as extreme and don’t come on so quickly but they do build up over the months you take them. The main side effects I had were soreness on my finger tips and soles of my feet, losing my sense of taste and I also got out of breath easily and just generally felt a bit sluggish. I certainly didn’t get the extreme tiredness and nausea that I got from my first round of FEC and there was no hair loss at all on my head although my eyebrows thinned dramatically. I managed to keep working through my treatment just at a slower pace. Happy to answer any more questions if I can be of help. All the best x
Hi Ruth, thank you for responding. I’m so sorry to hear that you have been struck twice with this, that must be incredibly hard for you.
Thank you for the advice and information that’s really helpful. I’m sat in the waiting room now waiting to see the oncologist to see if I will be receiving the chemo or not.