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hutchibk · 06-02-2007, 01:00 AM

Lala, we are keeping you busy with the private messages! You rock!

Bailey - Hang on! You can do it. If you need, your Onc can lower your Xeloda dose and it should really help. I too had headaches during my first 2 weeks on Xeloda. I am on my second round and I don't have anymore headaches... Also on this second round, I am not having diarrhea anymore either. But I am really thinking out what I eat to help with that. And, I only had the rash for the first 10 days, it manifested as rosy, dry cheeks - making me look like Raggedy Anne. I use Dr Weil's planidote mega mushroom lotion and cream... it works great (but it's not cheap!) Today I started to get some of the earliest indications of hand/foot... with stinging and redness in the crooks of my toes. I am taking B6 (50 mg 2 x day) and am looking into getting some topical urea/lactic acid from the dermo to try and prevent it. I highly suggest googling "hand/foot syndrome prevention" - I learned a lot about it that I didn't know.

As far as bulking foods, think the BRAT diet. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast and Tea. I cook a big pot of brown rice about twice a week and put it in the fridge. I usually eat a BRAT breakfast, almost every morning. I believe that really helps me keep the diarrhea at bay. I only had to use immodium 3 times in the first 3 weeks...

If you are having a lot of diarrhea, then you are probably dehydrated as Lala mentioned... and dehydration can be a primary cause of headaches. Make sure you are drinking 80 - 100 oz of water a day. VERY IMPORTANT!
Don't take any multi-vits or supplements with folic acid in them as it makes the side-effects of this combination worse.

Don't give up!! You can do this. Talk to your Onc and let them know that it is beating you up and they can lower your dose.

06-02-2007, 01:00 AM	#27
hutchibk Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 3,519	Lala, we are keeping you busy with the private messages! You rock! Bailey - Hang on! You can do it. If you need, your Onc can lower your Xeloda dose and it should really help. I too had headaches during my first 2 weeks on Xeloda. I am on my second round and I don't have anymore headaches... Also on this second round, I am not having diarrhea anymore either. But I am really thinking out what I eat to help with that. And, I only had the rash for the first 10 days, it manifested as rosy, dry cheeks - making me look like Raggedy Anne. I use Dr Weil's planidote mega mushroom lotion and cream... it works great (but it's not cheap!) Today I started to get some of the earliest indications of hand/foot... with stinging and redness in the crooks of my toes. I am taking B6 (50 mg 2 x day) and am looking into getting some topical urea/lactic acid from the dermo to try and prevent it. I highly suggest googling "hand/foot syndrome prevention" - I learned a lot about it that I didn't know. As far as bulking foods, think the BRAT diet. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast and Tea. I cook a big pot of brown rice about twice a week and put it in the fridge. I usually eat a BRAT breakfast, almost every morning. I believe that really helps me keep the diarrhea at bay. I only had to use immodium 3 times in the first 3 weeks... If you are having a lot of diarrhea, then you are probably dehydrated as Lala mentioned... and dehydration can be a primary cause of headaches. Make sure you are drinking 80 - 100 oz of water a day. VERY IMPORTANT! Don't take any multi-vits or supplements with folic acid in them as it makes the side-effects of this combination worse. Don't give up!! You can do this. Talk to your Onc and let them know that it is beating you up and they can lower your dose. __________________ 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."