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hutchibk · 04-29-2007, 11:53 AM

Flori - a similar question was asked on a thread on the main board, just yesterday... I think it might be your dosage of Xeloda that is causing the problem. It can be adjusted. Talk to your doctor.

Here's the other post:

Q:
my mom just had her first cycle of xeloda 3 500mg in the morning and 4 500mg at night. She is feeling terrible, so much that she is thinking of stopping any treatment and trying microbiotics only. She has terrible headaches that won't let her sleep at night, she is exhausted all the time. Very minor nausea and some numbness in her fingers and her toes. On May 4th she is going to see
her doctor and I was suggesting she talks about reducing her dosage. They wanted her to take navelbine with it but they don't have it on approved list of meds so mom needed it to find it herself. I am not sure what to think of that. Mom has lung mets and now liver mets too, after taxol and carboplatin treatment. She did get few herceptin treatments but after 2 months of fighting to get it and after my brother and I said we would pay for it. Now they won't give it to her any more, they said it wasn't working.
Anyone has headaches like that? I would appreciate any help.
-DAUGHTER

A:
It sounds like your Mom may need the dosage reduced and then the headaches will go away. It seems she is on 3500mg a day, and I am on 2500mg a day and don't get headaches, nausea or any of that/ is she taking right after eating and drinking plenty of water?
__________________
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Hugs & Blessings
Sheila

04-29-2007, 11:53 AM	#9
hutchibk Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 3,519	Flori - a similar question was asked on a thread on the main board, just yesterday... I think it might be your dosage of Xeloda that is causing the problem. It can be adjusted. Talk to your doctor. Here's the other post: Q: my mom just had her first cycle of xeloda 3 500mg in the morning and 4 500mg at night. She is feeling terrible, so much that she is thinking of stopping any treatment and trying microbiotics only. She has terrible headaches that won't let her sleep at night, she is exhausted all the time. Very minor nausea and some numbness in her fingers and her toes. On May 4th she is going to see her doctor and I was suggesting she talks about reducing her dosage. They wanted her to take navelbine with it but they don't have it on approved list of meds so mom needed it to find it herself. I am not sure what to think of that. Mom has lung mets and now liver mets too, after taxol and carboplatin treatment. She did get few herceptin treatments but after 2 months of fighting to get it and after my brother and I said we would pay for it. Now they won't give it to her any more, they said it wasn't working. Anyone has headaches like that? I would appreciate any help. -DAUGHTER A: It sounds like your Mom may need the dosage reduced and then the headaches will go away. It seems she is on 3500mg a day, and I am on 2500mg a day and don't get headaches, nausea or any of that/ is she taking right after eating and drinking plenty of water? __________________ "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Hugs & Blessings Sheila __________________ Brenda NOV 2012 - 9 yr anniversary JULY 2012 - 7 yr anniversary stage IV (of 50...) Nov'03~ dX stage 2B Dec'03~ Rt side mastectomy, Her2+, ER/PR+, 10 nodes out, one node positive Jan'04~ Taxotere/Adria/Cytoxan x 6, NED, no Rads, Tamox. 1 year, Arimadex 3 mo., NED 14 mo. Sept'05~ micro mets lungs/chest nodes/underarm node, Switched to Aromasin, T/C/H x 7, NED 6 months - Herceptin only Aug'06~ micro mets chest nodes, & bone spot @ C3 neck, Added Taxol to Herceptin Feb'07~ Genetic testing, BRCA 1&2 neg Apr'07~ MRI - two 9mm brain mets & 5 punctates, new left chest met, & small increase of bone spot C3 neck, Stopped Aromasin May'07~ Started Tykerb/Xeloda, no WBR for now June'07~ MRI - stable brain mets, no new mets, 9mm spots less enhanced, CA15.3 down 45.5 to 9.3 in 10 wks, Ty/Xel working magic! Aug'07~ MRI - brain mets shrunk half, NO NEW BRAIN METS!!, TMs stable @ 9.2 Oct'07~ PET/CT & MRI show NED Apr'08~ scans still show NED in the head, small bone spot on right iliac crest (rear pelvic bone) Sept'08~ MRI shows activity in brain mets, completed 5 fractions/5 consecutive days of IMRT to zap the pesky buggers Oct'08~ dropped Xeloda, switched to tri-weekly Herceptin in combo with Tykerb, extend to tri-monthly Zometa infusion Dec'08~ Brain MRI- 4 spots reduced to punctate size, large spot shrunk by 3mm, CT of torso clear/pelvis spot stable June'09~ new 3-4mm left cerrebellar spot zapped with IMRT targeted rads Sept'09~ new 6mm & 1 cm spots in pituitary/optic chiasm area. Rx= 25 days of 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the tumors. Oct'09~ 25 days of low dose 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the bone mets spot on rt. iliac crest that have been watching for 2 years. Added daily Aromasin back into treatment regimen. Apr'10~ Brain MRI clear! But, see new small spot on adrenal gland. Change from Aromasin back to Tamoxifen. June'10~ Tumor markers (CA15.3) dropped from 37 to 23 after one month on Tamoxifen. Continue to monitor adrenal gland spot. Remain on Tykerb/Herceptin/Tamoxifen. Nov'10~ Radiate positive mediastinal node that was pressing on recurrent laryngeal nerve, causing paralyzed larynx and a funny voice. Jan'11~ MRI shows possible activity or perhaps just scar tissue/necrotic increase on 3 previously treated brain spots and a pituitary spot. 5 days of IMRT on 4 spots. Feb'11~ Enrolled in T-DM1 EAP in Denver, first treatment March 25, 2011. Mar'11~ Finally started T-DM1 EAP in Denver at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center/Rose on Mar. 25... hallelujah. "I would rather be anecdotally alive than statistically dead."