Freakishly Tired

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r2424243
r2424243 Member Posts: 51
My dad has stage 4 inoperable colon cancer with mets to liver. He skipped his chemo this week because I suggested he take a break. he is still freakishly tired. He is sleeping constantly and when he is awake he is not quite with it cuz he is so tired. His chemo is Fu5 and Levorcin or something like that. They stopped the oxyplatin. Anyone know if this is normal. He has been doing chemo for 6 months.

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  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
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    hi
    Sorry to hear your dad's having such a hard time. It sounds like the chemo has just caught up after so much of it and he's worn out. Could be due to being anemic also with a low red blood count. One thing that helped me gain some energy (hard to sleep all day when you have 3 kids needing me to drive them around, etc) is taking spirulina (a blue green algae- supposedly good for building red blood cells back up again- can be found in capsule form)- also drinking any of the following juices: noni, acai, gogi berry, mangosteen (I found a beverage at a health food store that has all four of those in it).
    They are considered "superfruits" and are good for energy. They are antioxidants which your dad probably needs, but my onc advised me to hold off on those 24 hrs before chemo and don't start up again until 24 hrs after chemo. All oncs are different on their opinions on those kinds of things, so check w/ his dr. I would think (but still check) that with the spirulina/blue-green algae capsules that it wouldn't matter about taking them during chemo as they help with the red blood counts. Please don't consider this as me giving medical instructions, as that's being monitored on this site, but as something to look into- they certainly helped me with my energy and fatigue!

    Lisa
  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
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    My thoughts and prayers are
    My thoughts and prayers are with your dad.

    It is not uncommon to be exhausted during chemo. I just could not sleep well. My abdomen was churning so hard that I could not sleep well. Probiotics did help calm my abdomen. (For me Liquid Probiotics worked better because I did not keep anything in my system long enough to dissolve a pill.)


    Best Always, mike
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
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    So sorry
    I don't really have any practical advice for you. Just wanted to say that I'm praying for you and your dad.

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • SisterSledge
    SisterSledge Member Posts: 332 Member
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    I've got energy again - supplements helped me
    After five chemo treatments, I became a tad anemic and got very tired...couldn't walk across my yard without feeling like my muscles had worked overtime and my heart would race scarily :(

    I'm taking a Bcomplex and Iron supplement now and I can say that I felt improvement in my energy levels after only two days using them...and my heart stopped its crazy dance.
  • Patteee
    Patteee Member Posts: 945
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    is your Dad still on some
    is your Dad still on some heavy duty meds for pain? Cause that will zonk a person out. I hope they can continue to work with him on pain management where he can function more on a day to day basis.