Exercising on Tykerb/Xeloda
 

Greetings gals-
Relatively minor issue compared to most of the posts on here, but I was curious if any of you on Tykerb/Xeloda experience chest pains with exercise.

So I'm terribly out of shape, and trying to get into biking, but have this intense chest heaviness with exertion when I'm really working hard. It maybe totally normal, I'm just really scared with all the heart effects that Tykerb has. The pain totally goes away when I rest. Its been so long since I've worked out, that I don't actually remember the "normal" pain associated with a hard workout.

I haven't told my doc yet, as I had a normal EKG early on in my Tykerb therapy. He told me I could bike, run, do whatever I want, so I don't think he's too concerned about my heart. I think I'm really dehydrated on top of this, and maybe even alittle anemic yet, so those could easily be making me fatigue easily. I have this silly superstition that I'm going to collapse and go into cardiac failure when I'm out biking with my son in the trailer. Probably nothing- but I want to know if anyone else out there experiences this and what their doctor's did about it. Thanks!!!!!
XOXOX

Re: Exercising on Tykerb/Xeloda
 

Side effect or not, you probably need to inform your doctor and have it checked out.

My husband experienced chest pain 8 years ago during his routine daily 30-minute walk prescribed by his cardiologist - he's been taking high blood pressure medicine since his early 20's. The chest discomfort only occured when he was exercising. A visit to his doctor confirmed our suspecion that he was experiencing 'angina', a technical term for chest pain.

He was given a stress test and then an angiogram which led to an angioplasty that installed two stents in his heart vessels. That's 8 1/3 years ago and he's been living a normal life with daily medication.

Re: Exercising on Tykerb/Xeloda
 

I haven't been on the same meds as you but being a cyclist and working in the health field I can offer a bit of advice. You may want to purchase a heart rate monitor. It will give you a better idea of just how hard you are working. The fact that you are just getting back into things and with the other factors, staying within you target heart rate range is important. Even if you don't have a heart condition your heart is a muscle and requires the same fuel to operate. So if you are dehydrated and anemic it will not be receiving the fuel it needs to function at a high level, and it will tell you in the form of chest pain.

You can get HR monitor at any sporting store. I use Polar brand they have a range of prices, the more you pay the more stuff it tracts, ie calories and such. I would still mention it to your Dr. of course, but it may just be that you are working at to high an intensity especially if you are pulling your child in the trailer that doubles your workload.

If you don't know how to figure your target heart rate just google it there are a coulpe of ways to do it, just simple math.

Re: Exercising on Tykerb/Xeloda
 

Thanks Jackie and snolan, Those are both good suggestions. I will talk to my oncologist next week about it, and I will probably try to find a heart rate monitor. :)