Well done for getting through the first cycle and starting the 2nd cycle of XELOX - we have information on our website on oxaliplatin and capecitabine (XELOX) which includes a list of common and occasional side effects and the pins and needles you are experiencing in your hands, feet and legs are listed in there as a common occurrence. Our page on XELOX also specifies that "depending on your needs, you may have between 4 and 8 cycles" but your medical team will be able to tell you exactly how many cycles have been planned for you.
There may be other members of our community who have followed a similar treatment plan and I hope that they will be along shortly to share their experience with you. wff posted a couple of weeks ago this thread asking how many cycles of XELOX are enough so they could be a good person for you to connect with and exchange treatment experiences.
Best of luck with your preventative chemotherapy treatment. I hope that it works well for you and that the side effects will be minimal.
I am in the second week of my fourth 3-week cycle of Xelox. The pattern has been similar for each cycle: infusion day and the next few days generally are the worst. Fatigue, pain in the forearm and the veins nearest the infusion site, cold sensitivity and tingling fingertips. Infusion day is when diarrhea is likeliest. For the rest of week one, mood swings, loss of balance, tinnitus, blurred vision, metallic taste and smell. Even though I didnt lose my appetite certain things tasted weird and cold drinks hurt to swallow (like a strep throat).
Week 2 is a bit better, still quick to fatigue, calf muscles ache on exertion but that could be because I try to do more activities. I am able to work part-time from mid-second week until the next infusion.
Week 3 Once the capecitabane finishes, its recovery time for 6 days. That week I can socialise and while the symptoms are still there, they are reduced in intensity and easier to live with.
What I have found is that each cycle has an additive effect, the symptoms strengthen and persist longer. My main worry is the vascular damage and the increased potential for injury to other body systems.
This is what prompted my original question "how many cycles is enough?".
