Still So Tired 3 Weeks Post Chemo

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emamei
emamei Member Posts: 146
in Breast Cancer #1
Hi everyone.

I finished chemo three weeks ago and I find I'm still fatigued. It doesn't take much and I get so tired, I am so tired. Just going out to run normal errands leaves me spent for energy.

Has anyone else experienced this? How long does it last?

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  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #2
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    I think it's important to remember that, while your brain knows you've finished chemo, your body doesn't really know it yet.

    If, for example, you were getting chemo every 3 weeks, and it's been 3 weeks since your last one, your body is only just now figuring out -- hey, wait a minute, this is when I would normally get another hit, but one doesn't seem to be coming.

    I know how hard it is, but please be as patient and gentle with yourself as you can.

    Traci
  • cindycflynn
    cindycflynn Member Posts: 1,132 Member
    #3
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    I know the feeling
    As to how long it lasts, everyone is different (where have I heard that before?), but I did start to feel more energy a few weeks after my last chemo. I was afraid I wasn't going to since so many ladies had talked about how tired radiation made them, and I started radiation about 4 weeks after my last chemo. I was lucky, however, and did feel less tired at the end of my rads than I did at the beginning.

    Now, about a year later, I do still have some lingering fatigue, which is frustrating, but my doc said that some women feel "normal" in 6 months or less, and others take over a year (that would be me). I'm sure I haven't helped matters by not exercising regularly. I would recommend being as active as you can stand being, and getting LOTS of sleep. I do feel better when I can sleep about 10 hours a night, but that rarely happens.

    (((HUGS)))
    Cindy
  • faith618
    faith618 Member Posts: 4
    #4
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    post chemo
    I'm not sure if this is of interest to you. But, I myself have been looking into biological medicine. I have talked with several people who have recently completed chemo one is actually still having chemo treatments. They said that the nutritional ivs received really help boost their enery levels and are a great benefit to the immune system as a whole(we all know that chemo is not the best thing for the body).
    I know that the good clinics are few and far between and I am lucky to have one close by my home. Depending on where you live I think these IV treatments are a good way to go.
  • skipper54
    skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
    #5
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    I know you've heard it
    I know you've heard it before, everyone is different. I'm still tired but I had my mastectomy 4 weeks after I finished chemo then started rads 4 weeks after that. When I look back on what all my body has been through since July 12, 2010 it's no wonder I'm tired. First there was all the testing and the port placement, then the treatment and surgery and finally more treatment. My hair is back but my energy isn't. My best advice - listen to your body and rest when it tells you to. Exercise when you can and that seems to help me recoup at least for a little while. I'm sure we'll all get there, it's just hard to be patient. Hang in there pink sister!
  • Hippiechick58
    Hippiechick58 Member Posts: 320
    #6
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    skipper54 said:

    I know you've heard it
    I know you've heard it before, everyone is different. I'm still tired but I had my mastectomy 4 weeks after I finished chemo then started rads 4 weeks after that. When I look back on what all my body has been through since July 12, 2010 it's no wonder I'm tired. First there was all the testing and the port placement, then the treatment and surgery and finally more treatment. My hair is back but my energy isn't. My best advice - listen to your body and rest when it tells you to. Exercise when you can and that seems to help me recoup at least for a little while. I'm sure we'll all get there, it's just hard to be patient. Hang in there pink sister!

    I'm five weeks post-chemo
    I'm five weeks post-chemo and I still feel like a Mac truck hit me. I have had 6 rad sessions and am hoping I won't get the extreme fatigue that some people get. I also started Arimidex on Monday (but that's a whole new can of worms! ) I say rest when you need to (if you can) and do things when you feel up to it. I'm learning, slowly to listen to my body. When I don't, I pay the price. I hope you will feel better soon. I'll be thinking of you...
    Dianne
  • BMS
    BMS Member Posts: 127
    #7
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    Hippiechick58 said:

    I'm five weeks post-chemo
    I'm five weeks post-chemo and I still feel like a Mac truck hit me. I have had 6 rad sessions and am hoping I won't get the extreme fatigue that some people get. I also started Arimidex on Monday (but that's a whole new can of worms! ) I say rest when you need to (if you can) and do things when you feel up to it. I'm learning, slowly to listen to my body. When I don't, I pay the price. I hope you will feel better soon. I'll be thinking of you...
    Dianne

    4 weeks
    I am 4 weeks post-chemo and getting ready to start 6 weeks of rads soon. I am still fatigued easily. Like others have said, listen to your body and rest when you can. I think each day of what I HAVE to accomplish and rest for those things. You have to prioritize. And going to bed by 9:30pm (same bedtime as my 12 year old's) helps a lot.

    Bonnie
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #8
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    I'm 4+ months
    post chemo but had 28 rads after and I still could sleep for hours. I tire very easily. Don't know how long it lasts but I've heard up to a year.
    Char

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