Days 2 to 15 are Capecitabine tablets to be taken twice a day. They also sent me home with anti sickness tablets and Loperamide (for diarrhoea) as well as a few days of steroids. Today is day thirteen and I feel I have been fairly lucky with the side effects so far, considering the massive list I was given of possible side effects. The two main side effects for me have been severe fatigue and hypersensitivity to cold things (I can’t hold things that have been in the fridge!). There has been some diarrhoea, nausea, thrush and numbness/tingling in my hands and feet, but otherwise I’ve been ok.
Due to the drugs, my immune system is not functioning properly, so I have to avoid possible sources of infection. We’ve had to become an ultra clean house, so antibacterial soaps and sprays and paper towels rather than hand towels. I’m not allowed near ill people and have been advised to avoid crowded places. There’s also a big list of stuff I can’t eat, which sadly includes blue cheese, undercooked steak, shellfish and Mr Whippy ice cream!
Days 15 to 21 are drug free, so I’ll have to wait and see if the side effects subside before beginning the whole cycle again.
Also, my oncologist received a response from Basingstoke Hospital a couple of weeks ago. They’ve asked for further tests to be done, but they did also say they had looked at my pre and post op scans and noted a ‘solitary omental nodule’ (a spot on my peritoneum) on my post op scan that wasn’t there in the pre op scan. The oncologist says we will just be keeping an eye on it for now. They are planning to do the next CT scan three months into chemo.
