Waffles
Good girl …keep up with the retail therapy don’t let us down …it has to be done.
Glad u feeling ok on the new chemo too.
Hugs xx
Hi Waffles
Well done you for all the retail therapy; it does make you feel good. I am loving my new jumpers. Let us know how the new chemo goes, pleased it is working well so far.
Off to see Blood Brothers in Birmingham on Wednesday- one of my ‘feel good’ therapies. I went to a medication class today which was wonderful, so relaxing.
Have a good week everyone
George x
Hi George and Carolyn,
Nothing like spending a bit of money to make you feel better. I now have lovely mew coat and jumper.
Meditation sounds lovely George. Not sure I’d be able to lie on yoga mat due to bones though. xxx
Hi ladies thanks very much for the tips. I’m still struggling with nausea but managing to eat little and often. Off to see my onc on fri so fingers crossed he will have a plan for me!
Love hinchy x x
Hi Hinchy
glad things have settled down; it is always an anxious time when you have a change of treatment. I don’t have problems with nausea, but I do suffer from a dodgy tummy so never leave the house without my Loperamide. Sticking to bland food too which is not always that appetising. Have also discovered Flexitol,which I have been using on my feet- it was recommended by someone on this site and I have found it to be very effective. Good luck for Friday. Sure onc will be able to help with side effects
George x
Well here goes, I take my first dose of Cape this evening 1800mgs to try to dry up pleural effusions which are being managed with PleurX catheters, I had inserted in March this year. I have ordered the Udderley cream from Amazon recommended by members on the forum, which I have found so informative. I have always had a very sensitive digestive problem bordering on IBS so I am not looking forward to the possible se that may occur with Cape. I have also heeded some of the advice posted on the forum in relation to the big D and have prepared by stocking up on wet tissues !!! Just hoping now that Cape will be effective by reducing the amount of fluid currently draining between 300-600 mls each side every 5-6 days, so that I can have the catheters removed. Ann
Hi Anniemay, sure you will find lots good advice on this thread, I certainly have. Regarding big D, it doesn’t affect everyone and Loperamide is very effective. I always have it to hand, just in case. Flexitol is also good if you get cracked heels. Otheriwse, I have to say, once you get used to it, Cape is very doable.
Barton, sorry to hear you have sore fingers. Hope they settle down soon. How long have you been on Cape?
Have a good weekend all
George x
Can I just clarify that when the Cape instructions say “take with a meal” they mean a proper meal and not just a snack like a piece of toast etc. as we normally eat our main evening meal between 6-7pm so if I need to space the doses 12hourly I need to be eating breakfast between 6-7 am. which to be truthful I don’t fancy eating that early. I am not generally a person to go back to bed once I am up and at the moment my sleep pattern is not very good. Any suggestions gratefully received. Ann xx
Hi Anniemay, just seen my oncologist and asked her that question for you. She said eating little and often is the best thing to do while on chemo and it was fine to take Cape with a light meal such as a sandwich. Hope that helps. Might want to check with your own oncologist, but it sounded like good advice to me. I had some good news in that tumour
Markers are continuing to fall while I have been on Cape; they are the lowest they have ever been. ?Fingers crossed it keeps doing its job.
Have a good weekend all
George x
Hi Barton, you have had a really good run with Cape which is really encouraging. Good news it is being so effective for you despite sore fingers. Knowing treatment is working makes SEs easier to tolerate. If you don’t mind me asking, where are your mets? I have bone and liver.
Have a good weekend
George x
Hi Barton
Sorry to hear about your sore fingers as you remember mine got quite bad and while i was in France I was useing a hand cream a retired nurse gave me. It is like going back to your old remedy vaseline although it was petroleum jelly it is called Creamy petroleum jelly with vitamin E by Cotton Tree it did wonders for my hands so I have bought more off Amazon. I tried Udderley Eucerin Boots number 7 and other expensive hand creams all didn’t help this was not expensive.
I am glad you are still doing well and i hope the reduction will help you.
Love and ((((hugs)))) xxx
Hi Annemay, yes, re tumour markers…its wierd because mine does test for them and did whilst I was on cape, I have bone mets and liver mets. Not sure why other oncs dont se thrm!
My guess is that oncs being doctors have their own little preferences…the tms take a while to do, so they. May be expensive!
when i read that a few ladies were told that te onc doesnt use them for bone mets…I asked MY onc…he said 'well, we know ‘your’ cancer growth/activity Does get reflected in the tms. Maybe its the type of cancer? Mine is lobular and Oestrogen positive.
Moijanxx
My oncologist said he doesn’t use TMS with all of his patients as they can be unreliable. However, mine have been reliable so far in showing whether chemo is working or not. To be honest, they just add to my stress levels as every 3 weeks I start worrying about whether the TMs have gone up and then every 3 months it is scan anxiety. I am also changing hospitals next month, should have been this month but there was some confusion and I didn’t get an appointment. All sorted now and will be staying with same Onc although journey will be much further.
Enjoy the weekend all ?
George
Hi Barton,thanks for replying. Yes, small is always good. Cape has shrunk my biggest liver met to 6mm so I am hoping it continues. It is good that your bone mets are barely visible. In this roller coaster of cancer, always good to cling to the positive.
Hi I’ve been told I need further chemo following taxotere and a mastectomy as my tumour was grade 3, aggressive and triple negative. I don’t know for sure but I’ve been told chemo will be in tablet form so I’m guessing it will be Xeloda.
I am undecided as to whether to accept this treatment. I have no lymph node involvement and no evidence that it has spread so I am reluctant to go through further chemo to mop up cells that may not even be there.
I am am wondering what side effects I can expect. I didn’t suffer too much on tax so am hoping this might indicate I would be the same on Xeloda.
To to be honest, my main concern is hair loss. I found this extremely difficult to deal with and now my hair is starting to grow back, I am reluctant to lose it again, or even slow its growth. For me, this would be reason enough not to go ahead. I know this is stupid and I wish I was strong enough to deal with it but I don’t think I am.
Hi Milly, I’m not medical but have had lots of different treatments both for primary and secondary BC. My experience of Xeloda was really good, it worked for me for 2 1/2 years and all I got was the hand/foot syndrome. No hair loss at all. Every patient gets a dose of tablets based on your weight and this can be adjusted if your side effects are too severe. My hospital had a regime of 1 week on/1 off so SEs were very manageable.
If you read through this post everyone’s symptoms vary but for me it was SO much easier than IV chemo!! I was gutted to come off it! Good luck whatever you decide xx
Hi Milly,
yes, as George says, no hair loss in my case. i was also gutted to have to come off it…it gave me freedom which I havent got now that im on I/v. I had no idea that there were sofew oral chemos about.
my first month I got nausea and diarrhoea, but this ll settled when my dose was reduced and then taken one week on one week off…which they were happy for me to do.
Moijanxx
I haven’t heard of anyone needing those “extras”, I had a good moisturiser with urea and some anti nausea meds because of a sensitive tum. xx
The only take home medication I am given by the hospital is Loperadime. I was given steroids and anti sickness when on Taxol. I have bought moisturiser for.my feet and am currently using Flexitol which is very good.
George
Snap, Barton!, my dvt was in my right calf whilst on Cape, and my lifestyle was not very energetic either!
Well we live and learn and at least it wasnt in the lung!
i agree with you…good to kerp active
xxx
Moijan