Colon Cancer & Chemo: Capecitabine worries...

Hi there

I'm 37 & have colon cancer, I had surgery to remove the tumour and my whole colon, (now have a stoma bag) 5 weeks ago. I found out last week that I do need chemo despite the surgery. I've been told I may be put on oral chemo, Capecitabine.

I'd love to know people's experiences of Capecitabine and if it is as good as IV. I'm a little worried that it's not. 

Thanks heaps

  • Hi akr 

    I'm 42 and have bowel cancer. I'm not on capecitabine but I've read lots of people's experiences of it on the "Beating bowel cancer forum " 

    Have a read and ask the very knowledgeable people on there they will be glad to answer and give you lots of advice 

    Xx

  • Hi there x last summer I had bowel removal not all I add since sep I have been on capebicitine oral tabs !And iomust say apart from pain in my hands and pins and needles thank God I'm getting through fine xjust make sure you have. Eaten b4 you take them !!Good luck !Btw I take them for 2wks then a wk off !In that week I have my bloods done !Xxx

     

     

     

  • Thank you heaps, will take a look at that forum.

    I hope you're doing ok

    Ax 

  • Hi nanna 456

    Thanks for your message, good to hear you're doing ok with capecitabine, it's reassuring!

    Ax

     

  • Hi AKR,

    I have a different cancer but Capecitabine is one of the reasons I'm still alive :-)

    Good luck!
    Dave

  • I was diagnosed with colon cancer September 2014, I had a large tumour and 21 lymph nodes removed by keyhole surgery. I was given the choice of treatment in regards to the chemo I had and I was told  it was due to the size of the tumour that I needed the chemo. By the way I didn't need or get a stoma.

    i decided on Oxyplatin and Capicitabine. The Oxyplatin (not sure if I spelt that correctly) was given intravenously before I took the capecitabine which I took for 2 weeks, a week off and then started again. I suffered with the Oxyplatin i.e., couldn't put my hands in/or touch anything cold, had to put a cover on the toilet seat etc as I got terrible tingling in fingers and legs. I had my treatment during the winter months this and it was terrible going out in the cold. Really bad tingling, but I survived it, I had only 5 treatments of this.

    anyway you want to know about the capecitabine. i didn't really suffer any bad side effects from the tablets and I took them morning and evening for 6 months. You will given everything you need to get through the treatment especially if you do get side effects. The nurses are brilliant and nothing us too much bother, you are able to phone them if you need to. I have still a bit of nerve damage caused by the chemo, but it's a small price to pay. After the chemo is finished you will probably go to a nurse led clinic for blood tests and see the nurses who go through a number of questions to see how you are, I  have now passed the 2 year point and had the scan, colonoscopy and blood tests and now I only need to have 2 blood tests and see the nurse once a year till the 5 year point, then I have another colonoscopy. 

    I do wish you well in your treatment. I have to say I have never let this diagnosis get to me, I never felt I was ill, I lived my life like I always have, I have always been positive from the day I found out. I hope you can be as well.

    take care 

    ps I forgot I sort of lost my taste for food and drink,  it's amazing what you remember, I love my cup of tea, but it tasted shocking. I had plenty of different things in to eat in the house, lots of sweet and savoury stuff lots of different textures as well. I drank lots of hot orange instead of tea. I only had a couple of glasses of wine the weekend when I didn't have any tablets,  it comes back after you finish the tablets and sometimes the week off. I also put half a stone on.