xeloda, hand and foot syndrome, tips?

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iowasignterp
iowasignterp Member Posts: 55
edited June 2023 in Breast Cancer #1
I am taking Xeloda pills (14 days on, 7 days off) as my chemo for recurrent breast cancer. One of the side effects is hand and foot syndrome. My feet become very red and tend to blister by the end of the 14 days. It becomes painful to walk the last day or two. My feet are starting to itch. Yeah, i do put on lotion every single day. Wondering if anyone out there has any tips/resources to deal with this? Would appreciate any input.

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  • Jean 0609
    Jean 0609 Member Posts: 2,462
    #2
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    What kind of lotion do you use?
    Make sure that your lotion doesn't contain alcohol. A lot of lotions, especially the ones that smell good have alcohol, which could dry out the skin. I learned this from my chemo training class.
  • meena1
    meena1 Member Posts: 1,003
    #3
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    Jean 0609 said:

    What kind of lotion do you use?
    Make sure that your lotion doesn't contain alcohol. A lot of lotions, especially the ones that smell good have alcohol, which could dry out the skin. I learned this from my chemo training class.

    I have this, i have been
    I have this, i have been using lubiderm and i also use this foot creme called Udder foot creme, it has a cow on it. My nurse agreed that the udder creme is very good to use for this. You may be able to find it at walmart. It seems to help with the dryness. I know that this is painful
  • iowasignterp
    iowasignterp Member Posts: 55
    #4
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    meena1 said:

    I have this, i have been
    I have this, i have been using lubiderm and i also use this foot creme called Udder foot creme, it has a cow on it. My nurse agreed that the udder creme is very good to use for this. You may be able to find it at walmart. It seems to help with the dryness. I know that this is painful

    lotion
    I have been using aquaphilic which is what my oncologist recommended (created by the University of Iowa), and sometimes lubriderm. I was hoping for some off the wall tips as well becauses my feet are just itching as well as the blisters. No fun. Sometimes only another survivor can know some home remedy that is also helpful. Thanks for responding! Other people have mentioned the udder creme as well. I will look into that.

    I actually think what made it worse this time is that I went and had a massage recently and she put heat on my feet and I didn't think about how that could affect my feet issues. Won't do that again, smile. The massage was good and I will probably go back again but not letting her touch my feet with heat again!
  • pinkflutterby
    pinkflutterby Member Posts: 615 Member
    #5
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    iowasignterp said:

    lotion
    I have been using aquaphilic which is what my oncologist recommended (created by the University of Iowa), and sometimes lubriderm. I was hoping for some off the wall tips as well becauses my feet are just itching as well as the blisters. No fun. Sometimes only another survivor can know some home remedy that is also helpful. Thanks for responding! Other people have mentioned the udder creme as well. I will look into that.

    I actually think what made it worse this time is that I went and had a massage recently and she put heat on my feet and I didn't think about how that could affect my feet issues. Won't do that again, smile. The massage was good and I will probably go back again but not letting her touch my feet with heat again!

    My onc said aquaphor - its
    My onc said aquaphor - its really thick and greasy I used it until I got the foot cream from Aveda and I like that much better. My feet and hands got really bad and peeled thick layers of skin off my feet, my onc reduced my pills from 8 a day to 6 and that has helped ALOT!!!

    Good luck :)
  • jeanne777
    jeanne777 Member Posts: 1 *
    #6
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    Hi, I am new to CSN. I am on my 2nd cycle of Xeloda and just started experiencing the pain in my feet. I have been puting on both the udder cream and cetaphil. Two questions...should I avoid walking ( I usually walk every day) and will it feel better on my off week. I currently take 6 pills a day.

  • Widdershins3
    Widdershins3 Member Posts: 8 Member
    #7
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    I'm about to begin my second 2 weeks on/1 week off full dose Xeloda cycle and the soles of my feet were redder every day. And worse, my heels thought it was the depths of winter and cracked so deeply that they bled. I'd ordered a 40% urea cream after reading about how it helped other Xeloda patients, so I began using it immediately.

    Within a week, most of the redness is gone and, to my disbelief, not only did all the nasty heel cracks vanish, but the skin on my feet looks incredible--smooth, baby soft and nothing like my chronically dry feet/hands normally look. I'm amazed. I'm walking again and there's no pain, unlike last week.

    My hands did something similar--looked like a sunburn, but deep cracks showed up on the ends of my thumbs and forefingers, right at the top of the nails. They were really painful and normally I only see them in the winter. Bandaging them did nothing but drive me nuts and the cracks didn't heal the way they usually do.

    Plus, my nails began to soften and literally peel away in layers at the tips. So I used the 40% urea cream and put a nail strengthener on the nails. The deep cracks are healing and my hands are incredibly soft. And my nails are reinforced by the OPI Natural Nail Strengthener. And I just got a big tube of 1% diclofenac cream that's been tested on chemo patients to try if needed. Be prepared...

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