Update on Hope-anyone on Xeloda?

[hope]

Well it has been a crazy 3 weeks. About 3 weeks ago I got the results of my routine chest CT scan and unfortunately my lung tumors on my right lung are growing again and this time they are growing very fast largest one now is 8.6cm. My left lung has some tumors but they are very small and appear to be stable so I am basically living off my left lung. I has been having lot of shortness of breath, coughing, and general lousy feeling. I also had to get fluid drained from my right lung twice. I feel better the day after the procedure but then I get all those symptoms again. These past two Saturday's I have gone to the emergency room and last Sat. they admitted me into the hospital. They did a bunch of tests and found out that all I needed is oxygen. So now I'm out of the hospital and carry an oxygen tank with me and I feel better. I don't need oxygen all the time only when I'm walking.



Previously I was on Abraxane and yesterday I started Xeloda to try to shrink those lung tumors and possibly get off the oxygen and will probably get a procedure done to either put a catheter in to drain lung fluid as it builds up or get a procedure done called a plurodesis in which they seal off the pockets of fluid so it can't build up again. The Pulmonary doctor and I still have to decide on this. My doctors and I agree that the fluid build up is caused by tumor progression. I will still continue to take weekly infusions of Herceptin

I had tried Xeloda about a year ago but was hospitalized for infection and low electrolytes when I got out of the hospital Abraxane was just approved so I went on that not really failing Xeloda. I was on too high of a dose 4000mg/day so now I'm taking 500mg in morning and 500mg at night for a total of 1000mg/day. Just started this yesterday so no side effects yet. I do have some questions though. If you are on Xeloda currently, what is your dosage? How are you tolerating it? Is is working? Also I know the perscribing information says you shouldn't take any folic acid with Xeloda including mulitvitamins. My multivitamin has 400mcg of folic acid, should I stop taking this? or do you take multivitamins without folic acid?

I'm hanging in there but it has been rough. I hope Lapatinib is approved soon because I have failed now 8 chemos and I'm running out of options. Keep me in your prayers. Hope