Bad Day

Friday 27th.December
For some reason in the evening I had a very sore stomach, well I assume it was my stomach but it could have been the tumour, they are both in the same area. Did not have a very good night's sleep so decided on Saturday that I was not taking any more capecitabine tablets. Had quite an uncomfortable day and in the afternoon I was sick for the first time. So with any sickness event I was told to phone up the emergency help line , which I did but not a lot of help. I was told to drink plenty of water which I knew anyway and  keep taking the metoclopramide. I was also told to get some lapormide over the counter for the sickness but these turned out to be diarrhoea tablets so I didn't bother with that. Took a metoclopramide in the evening and threw that up very quickly. Had a bit of a temperature but not up to 38degC. Hardly ate anything all day but had a reasonable night's sleep. Feeling better today but still have stomach ache.

Oncologist

Tuesday 24th.December
Went to see my oncologist for a general appointment prior to he next chemo session. Mentioned to him that I had a lot of discomfort in the stomach area so now I have a pile of Buscopan pills to take if I need them. Not sure if they work very well though. Mentioned that I was finding it a bit easier to eat now after the first chemo and was told that is quite normal after the first session.....hope it continues. Gradually working my way through the side effects of this treatment.

Day 12

Well this is interesting, the fog seems to be lifting and I feel a lot better, even though I am still taking the full dose of Capecitabine. Been out for a long walk today and also had my first cup of coffee since starting the treatment.

Effects of Capecitabine

As of the 17th.December I am back on Capecitabine (Xeloda) after laying off for a few days to allow my stomach pains to subside. Found that the only way to take this stuff was to take a nausea pill before eating and then the  Capecitabine half an hour after the food.  Capecitabine is a type of chemotherapy called an anti-metabolite. The body changes  Capecitabine into a common chemotherapy drug called fluorouracil. It stops cells making and repairing DNA. Cancer cells need to make and repair DNA so they can grow and multiply. It is actually used for breast and colon cancer, neither of which I have? The dosage is calculated on body surface area so because of my height I get a generous deal.
As with any prescription medication you always get a list of possible side effects but with this stuff the list is ENORMOUS. Any thing is possible. The ones I get are nausea, stomach upsets, tiredness, weakness, back and chest pain, headache, skin darkening, slight tingling in my hands, a little cold at times, a cough, a little weight loss, loads of wind, a gurgling stomach, burning urination and decreased urine volumes.....only 7 weeks to go!

First Chemo Session

Clocked into the oncology suite at 10.15 on the 9th.December and finally got out at 4.30pm, quite a long day. A canula was inserted in the middle of my forearm and lots of sticky tape to hold it in place. Didn't expect that since when it was taken out it pulled all the hairs on my arm, an arm wax if you like and it was excruciating....next visit I will be shaving my arms.
Firstly I got red epirubicin injected ( I was peeing red for a while afterwards) then a big bag of oxiliplatin was infused over the next few hours. Felt a bit tired and disorientated after the treatment and came away with a bag load of pills as follows:-
capecitabine, 1300mg twice a day
Sickness/nausea pills
Blood thinners injection
Diarrhoea pills
Steroids
That night I took the first dose of capecitabine, trouble was my stomach area felt quite sore and painful, very uncomfortable and not much sleep that night. Had to take the nausea pills. Some evidence if numbed lips when drinking or eating anything cold. No tingling in the fingers.
Next day still had the very uncomfortable stomach ache, quite unpleasant. Tried some breakfast but taste was quite odd, metallic. Didn't fancy much food at all which is not surprising given all the stomach pain. After a couple of days of this stomach area pain, I stopped taking the capecitabine and told the hospital. They advised to lay off a few days. It is a lot better now but not perfect, I am very tired. Waiting for the hospital to give further directions.

Demystifying

On the 28th.November had a session at the McMillan Centre entitled 'Demystifying Chemotherapy'. This was given by a couple of oncology nurses and was an overview of what to expect during the chemotherapy treatment. This was very general, advise on what not to eat,  contamination precautions etc. It did not cover my type of cancer or the torrid side effects  as I found out later. On the 5th.December I had my last session with the oncologist who conducted a fitness test on me. Seeing as I was lopping trees the day before that was not a problem. I was passed 'fit' for chemo.