[hutchibk]

Holly - Are you taking it with taxotere? or any other cancer meds? or any other types of meds? Could be a reaction. Call your doctor (even if it is the weekend!), because these sound like severe side effects.

the most important things to know about Xeloda:

(these are in my literature about Xeloda)
*take it within 30 minutes of eating a meal
*tell you doc if you have kidney or liver problems
*Xeloda increases the effects of Coumadin (warfarin) blood thinner!! Beware!
*don't take Vitamins with Folic Acid
*drink lots of water

side effects can be:
*diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, throat and mouth sores, abdominal pain, upset stomach, constipation, loss of appetite, too much water loss (dehydration),hand/foot syndrome, fatigue and weakness, dizziness, headache, fever, pain in chest, back, joints and muscles, trouble sleeping, taste problems.

Stop taking it immediately and contact your doctor right away if:
*Diarrhea at night or 4 additional bowel movements beyond what is normal for you.
*you vomit more than once in 24 hours.
*you are nauseaus and lose your appetite, eating a lot less food than normal.
*you have pain or swelling in your mouth.
*you show severe signs of hand/foot syndrome
*you have a fever of 100.5 or greater or show signs of infection.

I think the most important thing to make sure of is that you are taking it with food, (within 30 min of eating) and drinking LOTS of water all day. Your dosage can be adjusted, so please tell your oncologist. It might be that you just need a smaller dose. Chemo drugs can dry out the normal tissues in our body, which can cause the stomach linings and intestinal linings, etc to become much more sensitive. If you have had diarrhea and/or constipation, that can irritate the linings along the way and cause bleeding, I think. I am not a doctor. Just one person's take on things. You really need to call your doc. Someone will be on call over the weekend and will tell you what to do.

Best of luck!

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