Hi David

thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I guess I'm just not used to seeing my husband so exhausted and sleeping all the time. There's no way he'd be able to go to work at the moment. It's just all new and scary. I'm so pleased that you are fully recovered, it shows me it can happen. Thanks again

Hello again,

                  he will probably find his appetite wanders off out the door too,but its important to keep eating,so little and often,graze rather than feast.one trick is to leave little bowels or plastic boxes spread around with little treats and goodies to tempt,just a small amount of many things.Small high sugar fruits, grapes,berries, cherries,ect,boiled sweets ect.Keep fluid intake up,one thing that seems to avoid sickness from drinking is ginger beer.l discovered it and have heard from others over the years that this was what helped them..Again decant from large bottle into smaller containers placed around is a good trick..After my op l was encouraged to eat jelly babies,l am guessing the gelatine helped bind the bowel contents and the sugar boosted energy available to a bowel that was functioning well below par.Dieting goes out the window for a while and high energy is in,full hit .Coca cola is another Hope some of this proves to be a help,

                                                                                                                                                             David

Pardon my French but I have often heard this drug described as Cr**pysh**abine.

The side effects can be horrible but, at least in my case, it is effective! They are listed in full at www.cancerresearchuk.org/.../capecitabine Apart from mouth ulcers, I experienced all the common ones and the damage it did to my tastebuds was awful. Luckily, the side effects cleared about a month after I came off chemo - apart from neuropathy in my feet which took a little longer to clear. 
Best wishes 
Dave

Thank you for sharing David! Is this chemo for colorectal cancer! I believe i saw it on the list of possible chemos for it. My husband will start hopefully next week. Also with chemo and radiation the surgery and then more chemo i guess. 

I really appreciate you sharing from first hand...

Thanks again David. You're right, his appetite has flown the nest. He used to be a sugar fiend but really doesn't fancy any of it at the moment. There's no way he'll drink ginger beer. He loved coke but turns his nose up at it now. Jelly babies might be a good shout, I'll try those He really is just sleeping all the time but then getting up every 20 mins during the night for a wee. I don't know what's normal and what's not!

thanks again for your time

Thanks for replying Dave. We're at the start of this journey and it seems a long tough hill to climb! I know we'll get there but it's hard watching him go through this!

lloHe,

           l think you will find the jelly babies come in play further along your journey after surgery.The palate gets a good hammering and ginger beer will cut through cleanly and leave it refreshed,with the added bonus that l believe that ginger is good for bowel digestion.Your taste buds will crave something that gives them a clean flavour,and coke just becomes cloying.Little sips to cleanse the palate is the way to go.You will find that tastes change as you travel through your journey,something to bear in mind.Hope the side effects of the chemo ease back a little in the coming weeks,

                                                                                                              David

Hi again David

He had surgery first, one dodgy node was found during the resection so all this is a precaution. He has said that his taste buds have changed. At the moment it's just warm water that seems to be going down well

Hello lucullan,e

                          yes this is a treatment for colorectal cancer.In my case it was 6 weeks of 8 tabs capicetabine day,5 days of the week alongside 5 days a week of radiotherapy, pre surgery to shrink tumour.Post surgery l took up again with my old friend Capicetabine 8 tabs a day,combined with an infusion of Oxipilatin,the combination is referred to as Xelox or capox.This was two weeks on,one week off, for six courses over 18 weeks.This was the real bruiser and a big step up from the pre surgery treatment.l live on an offshore island,for my first treatment l was housed at the hospital on the mainland,but my second was on island with access to the consultant on the mainland via second parties,added to which the consultant was a newly installed locum halfway through my treatment, and the last two courses were the real killers..For very obvious reasons no change was given in the strength of my infusions which resulted in permanant nerve damage in my feet.Something to watch out for in the future since the effects are cumalative so the dose can be adjusted back down.l should point out that in 95% of patients the effects are only temporary,and the saying what does not kill you makes you stronger is relevant.l always imagined with a very grim satisfaction that if l felt like this,the cancer was getting one hell of a kicking it had not expected,wrong place,wrong time.

Hope that your journey gets you to the destination you hope for in your minds,its worth the battle and life becomes so much sweeter,

                                                      take care,

                                                                       David