Breast Cancer & Oral Chemo

[BreathingSpace]

Hello Lovely People: It might be a long shot but I'm hoping anyone who's been through something similar can offer me some insight. I postponed my Camino last year because of a TNBC diagnosis. Now I've finished 6 months of IV Chemo and have had a mastectomy. I am currently going through radiation but then will have 6 months of oral chemo (xeloda/capecitabine). The oral chemo apparently gives blisters on your feet and hands. I'm trying to plan for when I can walk the Camino. Has anyone walked the Camino after oral chemo? How long did you wait? Were you able to tolerate it?

 

[davejsy]

I have no idea on this, but I wish you the best, and I hope you get to walk your Camino blister-free and that the path and energy speeds up your healing and fills your heart

 

[SabsP]

Hello Lovely People: It might be a long shot but I'm hoping anyone who's been through something similar can offer me some insight. I postponed my Camino last year because of a TNBC diagnosis. Now I've finished 6 months of IV Chemo and have had a mastectomy. I am currently going through radiation but then will have 6 months of oral chemo (xeloda/capecitabine). The oral chemo apparently gives blisters on your feet and hands. I'm trying to plan for when I can walk the Camino. Has anyone walked the Camino after oral chemo? How long did you wait? Were you able to tolerate it?

Hi and welcome here on this forum.

This thread might be of help.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/to-the-breast-cancer-survivors.71966/

All the best with your preparations and wishing you well healing!

 

[VNwalking]

I can't help, since I only had to take anastrazole. But wishing you a buen camino from the bottom of my heart, @BreathingSpace !
As @SabsP said, maybe check that other thread, and know you can send private messages to individual members if you'd like to chat in more private space.

 

[Michelle Menhennet]

Hello Lovely People: It might be a long shot but I'm hoping anyone who's been through something similar can offer me some insight. I postponed my Camino last year because of a TNBC diagnosis. Now I've finished 6 months of IV Chemo and have had a mastectomy. I am currently going through radiation but then will have 6 months of oral chemo (xeloda/capecitabine). The oral chemo apparently gives blisters on your feet and hands. I'm trying to plan for when I can walk the Camino. Has anyone walked the Camino after oral chemo? How long did you wait? Were you able to tolerate it?

It wasn’t breast cancer for me it was lymphoma. Did six months chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant. I haven’t walked the Camino yet, a badly broken ankle and then cancer both got in the way, but I’d still like to someday.

I think the only way you will know if you are ready is if you do some training at home. It’s not just the blisters, it’s also the crushing fatigue that comes and goes. Be gentle with yourself for a while and really give yourself time to heal.

Congratulations on getting through it! It’s tough stuff, yes?

 

[Walkerooni]

I am a recently retired oncology pharmacist. I can certainly help. I will send you a private note.

 

[Jarrad]

It sounds like you are on your way and I pray you make a full recovery! Several close relatives have gone through it and all while surprisingly young. Recovery times for them varied widely. Thank God, all are survivors.

This is a pretty obvious answer, but I would strongly recommend having a conversation with your doctor. You've been through an incredibly demanding ordeal, and not just physically. Advice from the internet is nice, but it is not a remote substitute for the conversation with the medical professionals entrusted with your recovery.

 

[sp01326]

Hello Lovely People: It might be a long shot but I'm hoping anyone who's been through something similar can offer me some insight. I postponed my Camino last year because of a TNBC diagnosis. Now I've finished 6 months of IV Chemo and have had a mastectomy. I am currently going through radiation but then will have 6 months of oral chemo (xeloda/capecitabine). The oral chemo apparently gives blisters on your feet and hands. I'm trying to plan for when I can walk the Camino. Has anyone walked the Camino after oral chemo? How long did you wait? Were you able to tolerate it?

Dear friend, I worked for many decades as medical oncologist engaged in breast cancer treatment and I walked on Spanish ways to SdC for eight times. As you wrote capecitabine could give you the so-called handfoot syndrome. Walking the Camino while receiving xeloda could significantly improve the risk and the relevance of this syndrome. Skin toxicity (if you will experience that) will fully recover in some weeks. So I believe that you could reasonably plan to walk your Camino 3 months after capecitabine stop. Apologize if my English is not correct.

 

[SilentNight]

When my well under 30 year old vegan, super fit daughter had stage III breast cancer/double mastectomy/chemo/radiation, and she was treated by the “dream team” at a top tier medical center. I learned a lot about the different chemo drugs and their possible short and longterm side effects. Keep in mind that everyone is different, and reacts to drugs differently. BTW, you are fortunate that none of your lymph nodes were removed, so you avoided lymphedema.

Not everyone experiences the more serious side effects of Xeloda, which includes Hand Foot Syndrome (HFS), which indeed is blistering of the hands and feet.

Are you in the 1-2% of patients that experience the more serious, rare side effects from other medications? If not, it’s possible that you may not experience HFS, and may instead get the common side effects.

Keep in mind that a common side effect is anemia. In the longterm, Xeloda may cause serious hematological problems, WBC, RBC, bleeding from abrasions, which will affect your energy on the camino.

My daughter felt well enough by the 2-year mark to rebuild her strength and stamina. She had been a longtime athlete, and knew her body well. She had trouble for a while in regaining her muscles and cardio. She said that eschewing her decade-old vegan diet, and instead eating meat(!), helped tremendously for her to recapture her strength and stamina. She is a breast cancer survivor. She still loves eating meat. (Her words.) Hope this helps.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Hello,
I had a double mastectomy in 2020 and have walked each year since.
I will PM you if it's ok.
Sending you the best energy in the world and lots of hugs!
Annie

 

[Drifter]

It's not so much of when you have no further blistering.
It's more of when will your immune system recover enough to be in a foreign country, inside crowed cafes and albergues.
This is a better question for your Oncologist.

 

[WildPlace]

Sorry to hear that you have had to postpone your camino and the reason - i had to postpone my own last year for the same reason (kidney cancer for me). I have been on oral chemo since last August and one of the side-effects listed was blistering on the hands and feet - so far i’m thankful to not have had that and the other many and varied side-effects that i have had have been tolerable. I think until you’ve been on the tablets a while you won’t know how they may affect you. Some of the side-effects i had at the beginning settled down as my body got used to the drug.

Buen camino, you will get there! The thoughts of going on camino again keep me going through my darkest moments

 

[artsschmidt]

I have bone mets from ductal BC. I am walking in April with my doctor's blessings. I take Ibrance, Xgeva and Fulvestrant. I won't be taking the Ibrance for over three weeks on my trip from Pamplona. Get trip insurance and work with your doctor. Buen Camino and we are brave and strong! Not so much strong but a little brave. Haha.