Cancer Survivors Network

Yes feeling tired is very normal. I understand what you mean. I was very tired during chemo and am very tired now that I am doing RADS. I can't say how long it will last, I don't remember it ending between chemo and RADS. Do wat you feel up to doing, drink water and rest! Some days are better than others. Hang in there!

Kat, I am sorry that you're feeling so tired. But you won't end up in a coma. It's normal to feel so tired.

I felt--and still feel-so frustrated when I'm too tired to do even the things I love, like shopping. For months, I did not have enough energy to visit my favorite store, Target. I kept telling Joe how much money we were saving, with me too tired for retail therapy!

Napping and taking very short trips with plenty of rest breaks will help. If you notice you have more energy at a certain time of day or night, try to get out then. Take someone with you who will help you and remind you to take breaks and who will notice when your energy begins to go lower and encourage you to head home before you hit bottom. Even today, my friends and Joe will warn me not to overdo and insist on taking a break or heading back home.

I will be honest and tell you rads makes you tired, too. But at least you are not sick, as with chemo. You should be able to get out and about, again just not as often or for as long a time.

It sucks, doesn't it, to be lying or sitting on your sofa at home instead of enjoying everyday pleasures like driving yourself around and popping into your favorite stores. But, I promise, the tiredness will lift significantly. You are over the worst, Kat, truly. Hang in there, and you'll be Christmas shopping before you know it. Just plan on taking your time!

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Ah, Kat. The "tireds" are normal. Thank goodness you are over the chemo hump. As hard as it is, especially with the holiday season ALREADY upon us, it's important to rest to keep up your immune system. I took up Internet shopping big time, and although not as much fun as the real thing and definitely not as much fun as thrift stores, it did help fill the void ; ) ... My family's big snicker is that "Mom can't even make it through a movie" anymore. I have to be quick to "call couch" or I find myself waking up to some very uncomfortable positions. Try not to fight it and give yourself some slack. This chemo/rad job is exhausting and the pay sucks. xoxoxox Lynn

Hi Kat,

No matter what we are doing--chemo or rads--fatigue is a constant companion. I have always had a lot of energy (some say an annoying lot of energy :)). Now, like yesterday, I lose my voice halfway through my day. Yesterday, working from home, I was on the phone a few times and mostly on the computer, as usual. By 11 am my voice was so hoarse I could barely talk. That seems to be my current obvious signal that I'm tired. The rest of the day I pushed to get through the day and then fell asleep for a couple of hours in the evening.

I am also on Taxol currently but on a two-week break so I could get my seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines. Even with the break, the side effects are still nagging me for attention :). Most of them have eased a tiny bit, but they're still there along with my, seemingly, BFF fatigue.

Hang in there and take 30-minute naps :). It helps get me through the day when I do it. Otherwise, I crash in the evening.

Hugs,
donna peach

I hope this posts--I've written two others that just vanished after I clicked POST COMMENT--aargh.