fatigue

[JudithAllison]

I have finished 6 months chemotherapy and am preparing to undergo radiotherapy in a couple of weeks. However, I feel more physically and emotionaly fatigued now than I have throughout the whole process. I cannot even do normal household chores and just want to sleep ... a walk of 600m up a gentle slope and a shower leave me needing to sit down ... is this the effect of the chemicals? Do the chemicals 'buld up' in the system? I cannot face food and eat little. Would vitamins help to restore a balance?

[samex]

Hi Judith, At the end of my 6 months of chemo I could hardly stabd up for longer than 10 minutes. I remember finishing the groceries one day and looked across the car park to the fruit shop and just couldn't do it. When I got home I put the cold stuff away, sat down for 2-3 hours and then did the rest. Unfortunately it seems to be perfectly normal and my onc explained how the chemo has a cumulative effect and that the last few rounds were the worst. He was right. I didn't have to face radiation and so I did slowly rcover the energy. A friend who has been in similar circumstamces to yours with breast cancer, felt that the radiation was "a walk in the park" compared to chemo. But as we know, everyone is different. Keep up the nanna naps and don't worry about the housework. Take care, Samex

[Zen-moment]

Hi JudithAllison Like Samex, and you, I found that by the end of chemo I was so fatigued, I could barely walk up and down the stairs in my house! I found it quite frightening and wondered how I had gone from a woman who could walk 10km a day to a woman who couldn't walk 10 steps. I remember getting out of the car one morning, parked down at the beach that I used to walk on for 2 hours at a time, and realising that I couldn't walk down to the sea and back as it was just too far. Sitting was all I could manage! I did find radiotherapy "easier" than chemo but more because it was a half hour each day rather than long session of chemo and feeling sick. It was exhausting but a different kind of exhausting. The only thing I can say is that it passes... hang in there - you will be through it eventually and the fatigue will pass! I am now 18 months out of the radiotherapy, and I can walk and swim and have energy again, but I still get very fatigued, and there are some days where I just can't do much at all. I get frustrated with that as I feel like treatment was so long ago - I should be feeling better. But the reality is that it's going to take a long time to recover and I need to allow my body that time (and my spirit!) The oncologist told me at my last appt that I need to give the fatigue 5 years before it will pass!! I'm just glad to think she thinks I'll be here in 5 years time!! It will come right JudithAllison - just rest whenever you can,and all the best for the next step. Lots of deep breaths for radiotherapy - and good skin cream! Zen

[Vicki_Anne]

Hi Judith, I am going through Chemo at the moment, and have leg problems, got about 5 weeks to go now,(which will make 5 months) and am having the same problems. hope yours gets better as well. Thanks Samex and Zen for the comments, Its good to hear from others that it does get better. Samex, I am trying the feet elevated bit too. Have to do this lying in bed as I would never get off the floor otherwise. LOL. and trying not to cross legs, which is a really bad habit of mine. I figure nothing is too small to try. Cheers Vicki Anne