Hand/Foot with Xeloda

meemaa

We are on the 11th day of our 1st round of Xeloda after a re-occurance of colon cancer in my husband. So far diarrhea, fatigue and this morning hand/foot symdrome. He is taking B6 and we have been putting Alveeno cream on his hand and feet. They are swollen and tender. Any ideas?

claud1951

Hi there. I'm sorry your husband is having these effects. I had the hand/feet syndrome. As far as fatigue, unfortunatley that's an effect from all Chemo.

Another excellent cream is Eucerin cream in the jar(not lotion). You can find this in the drug store or Mary Kay makes an Emollient night cream that works well, too. Some like Udder Cream (I have never tried that).

Use cotton gloves and socks at night. (I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond).

Just put it on thick all the time.

He needs to drink lots of water (to replenish what you lose with the diarrhea). Eat small amounts of food throughout the day.
Try to eat foods with sodium and potassium.
Like bouillon or fat-free broth and bananas, peach and apricot nectar, and boiled or mashed potatoes. Also Sports drinks.

yogurt, cottage cheese, cream of wheat, smooth peanut butter, canned and well cooked veggies (not raw).

Hope this helps.

Ask your doctor if they can lower the dose.

My best to you both. Tell your husband to keep fighting and use his energy for moving forward

Claudia

rmap59

Hi,
Well, Claudia gave you some good information. I had hand foot syndrome toward the end of my rounds of xeloda so I felt lucky but still suffered some. The only thing I would add is my oncologist gave me some insoles that have gel in the bottom that you can put in the freezer because my feet felt like they were on fire, they helped and in fact I still use them because they feel good without being cold too. My dose was 3000mg daily, lowering the dose usually helps and thats better than getting in so much pain you have to quit all together. I cant stress enough to be sure and report all problems to your oncologist or the nurses. Mine were great and always had answers.

God Bless, Robin

dn220

I used udderly smooth, apllied it all during the day and then at night I really gooped it on and put socks on my feet and white gloves on my hands on kept them on all night. Mine was not real bad, sounds like your hubbys is already worse than mine was. They may have to decrease his dose. How much is he taking?
Deb

meemaa

claud1951 said:

Hi there. I'm sorry your husband is having these effects. I had the hand/feet syndrome. As far as fatigue, unfortunatley that's an effect from all Chemo.

Another excellent cream is Eucerin cream in the jar(not lotion). You can find this in the drug store or Mary Kay makes an Emollient night cream that works well, too. Some like Udder Cream (I have never tried that).

Use cotton gloves and socks at night. (I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond).

Just put it on thick all the time.

He needs to drink lots of water (to replenish what you lose with the diarrhea). Eat small amounts of food throughout the day.
Try to eat foods with sodium and potassium.
Like bouillon or fat-free broth and bananas, peach and apricot nectar, and boiled or mashed potatoes. Also Sports drinks.

yogurt, cottage cheese, cream of wheat, smooth peanut butter, canned and well cooked veggies (not raw).

Hope this helps.

Ask your doctor if they can lower the dose.

My best to you both. Tell your husband to keep fighting and use his energy for moving forward

Claudia

Thanks Claudia, we are doing almost all you told about.

meemaa

rmap59 said:

Hi,
Well, Claudia gave you some good information. I had hand foot syndrome toward the end of my rounds of xeloda so I felt lucky but still suffered some. The only thing I would add is my oncologist gave me some insoles that have gel in the bottom that you can put in the freezer because my feet felt like they were on fire, they helped and in fact I still use them because they feel good without being cold too. My dose was 3000mg daily, lowering the dose usually helps and thats better than getting in so much pain you have to quit all together. I cant stress enough to be sure and report all problems to your oncologist or the nurses. Mine were great and always had answers.

God Bless, Robin

Thanks Robin, what a neat idea about the insoles. Right now he is resting his feet on a cold pack. He says it helps. Will report all our problems to our Care Manager on Monday

Mary B.

meemaa

dn220 said:

I used udderly smooth, apllied it all during the day and then at night I really gooped it on and put socks on my feet and white gloves on my hands on kept them on all night. Mine was not real bad, sounds like your hubbys is already worse than mine was. They may have to decrease his dose. How much is he taking?
Deb

Thanks Deb. Right now he is taking 4 (2000mg) twice a day. Maybe they will lower his dose when we go back

Mary B.

chewbacca

we want to invite you to the new colon chat room March 5 at 7 pm EST in room 2

meemaa

chewbacca said:

we want to invite you to the new colon chat room March 5 at 7 pm EST in room 2

Never done a chat room, but I will be there if it will help my husband

Thanks

Mary B.

jams67

Great advise about creams for hands and feet. Does he have any problems with a sore mouth? If so, try the Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash. Great products!
Jo Ann