Chemo and fatigue

JanJan63
JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member

I know it's part of chemo but is there anything at all that can improve it? I have my fourth chemo on Monday and four more after that and I'm already lying in bed half the day and having naps or just lying there like I'm in a coma. I'm not sleeping, I'm aware of everything but I don't care and haven't got the enrgy to even read or watch TV. I take a multi vitamin and additonal vitamin D and potassium. I'm not eating properly because my husband works late and I have to come up with my own dinner and I have no appetite and feel like I've sprayed Pam in my mouth so everything tastes like crap. I'm dehydrated as well but try to drink lots and take anti-diarrhea pills to reduce how fast fluid goes through me.

Thank you!

Jan

Comments

  • fatbob2010
    fatbob2010 Member Posts: 467 Member
    Part of it?

    Jan,

    So sorry to hear of this side effect hitting you so hard.  I had fatigue that was debilitating on FOLFIRI.  There are different experiences and yes it seems that some have extreme fatigue.

    Don't have a good answer as far as help...confident there will be others who will chime im soon.  Take care not to get too dehyddrated.  Perhaps microwave dinners may be a good way to go for you at this moment anyway.

    Best wishes, Art

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    Been there, done that and don't have an answer...

    Sorry!

    I personally did not stay in bed, but I did veg out on the couch. I tired my best to get dressed, as I found that it did help, even if it was psychologically. 

    Regardless of what your mouth tells you, drink, drink, drink your water. 

    I too didn't have the energy to watch the TV, read a book or basically concentrate on anything. If someone came to visit (didn't happen for the most part) I found that REALLY helped. If I went through it again, I would ask people from my church to come visit, or if someone I know goes through this, I will make sure I visit if they need me as I really felt abandoned. Sorry, thats another issue completely. 

    I never did suppliments, so can't help you with that.  Keep posting here, and we'll try our best to help. 

    Sue - Trubrit

  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    I was on Folfox and oxy. I

    I was on Folfox and oxy. I could ear lightly fried potatoes in a flour tortilla. Probably because they are bland.  I had chicken soup with carrotts, potatoes, green beans, zuchinni.   I drank warm temp lemonaide until I gave up the sugar. 

     

    I didn't star in bed. I got up. Got dressed.  Did my 2 hour commute out I. My 10 hours and went to my chemo. How I did it I don't know. I only wish I had gone vegan when In Remission not when it came back. 

     

    Good luck. And please try to eat something.  My supplements are /were Tumeric with pepper, 2x vitamin d3, b12, digestive enzymes

     

    I juice now and it mainly veggies.  I'm not doing chemo anymore 

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    Nana b said:

    I was on Folfox and oxy. I

    I was on Folfox and oxy. I could ear lightly fried potatoes in a flour tortilla. Probably because they are bland.  I had chicken soup with carrotts, potatoes, green beans, zuchinni.   I drank warm temp lemonaide until I gave up the sugar. 

     

    I didn't star in bed. I got up. Got dressed.  Did my 2 hour commute out I. My 10 hours and went to my chemo. How I did it I don't know. I only wish I had gone vegan when In Remission not when it came back. 

     

    Good luck. And please try to eat something.  My supplements are /were Tumeric with pepper, 2x vitamin d3, b12, digestive enzymes

     

    I juice now and it mainly veggies.  I'm not doing chemo anymore 

    The only reason I'm in bed

    The only reason I'm in bed during the day is because of our dogs. If I lie on the couch they all have to be on it, too, and they can make it pretty unpleasant. In the mornings I'm pretty good but just after lunch I start to get weary and have to lie down. It's so cold here and the cold sensitivity is so bad that I don't want to go out. We've been at minus 15 C for a week. I can't even walk on our kitchen tiles without getting a reaction in my feet.

    I eat things like soup, oatmeal, toast with peanut butter, perogies, mostly bland, easy to make things. My husband has been really good about all of this but there are some things that he's letting me down with such as making sure I have something to eat. He'll get things at the store but once he's gone I'm on my own. He works ten hour shifts so he's gone most of the day and evening.

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    Welcome to Treatment

    It's not unusal for you to have these side affects.  It's terrible to go through and every treatment from now on will get worse so don't be disappointed if you feel bad and don't know why.  Your body gets more toxic with every infusion.  Try to drink some Boost or Ensure daily for your added vitamins and nutrients.  Let your doctor know your symtoms as well because if you don't, they might just continue with the treatment the way it is without adjusting it.  Also, the steroids they give you during treatment (if you are on them) has a lot to do with you not sleeping.  It kept me up for three days and then I'd crash - it's typical.  I've been there feeling so terrible you couldn't move, but remember, you need to eat to help you through this.  Don't be afraid to ask for help as well.  You are going through something so horrendous that people should help you with.  Please talk to your doctor about your eating habits as that can slow down healing.  Keeps us informed.

    Kim

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member

    Welcome to Treatment

    It's not unusal for you to have these side affects.  It's terrible to go through and every treatment from now on will get worse so don't be disappointed if you feel bad and don't know why.  Your body gets more toxic with every infusion.  Try to drink some Boost or Ensure daily for your added vitamins and nutrients.  Let your doctor know your symtoms as well because if you don't, they might just continue with the treatment the way it is without adjusting it.  Also, the steroids they give you during treatment (if you are on them) has a lot to do with you not sleeping.  It kept me up for three days and then I'd crash - it's typical.  I've been there feeling so terrible you couldn't move, but remember, you need to eat to help you through this.  Don't be afraid to ask for help as well.  You are going through something so horrendous that people should help you with.  Please talk to your doctor about your eating habits as that can slow down healing.  Keeps us informed.

    Kim

    I'm not eating badly but I'm

    I'm not eating badly but I'm not eating as well or with as much variety as I would if someone cooked for me. But my appetite is going downhill so I don't really care, either. I'll have oatmeal for dinner or a sandwich or soup. I'm not having problems sleeping, if anything its the other way. I sleep 8 to 9 hours a night and then have a nap in the day. I don't have steroids so maybe that's why.  

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    JanJan63 said:

    The only reason I'm in bed

    The only reason I'm in bed during the day is because of our dogs. If I lie on the couch they all have to be on it, too, and they can make it pretty unpleasant. In the mornings I'm pretty good but just after lunch I start to get weary and have to lie down. It's so cold here and the cold sensitivity is so bad that I don't want to go out. We've been at minus 15 C for a week. I can't even walk on our kitchen tiles without getting a reaction in my feet.

    I eat things like soup, oatmeal, toast with peanut butter, perogies, mostly bland, easy to make things. My husband has been really good about all of this but there are some things that he's letting me down with such as making sure I have something to eat. He'll get things at the store but once he's gone I'm on my own. He works ten hour shifts so he's gone most of the day and evening.

    Walking the same path

    My hub works ten hour shift with an hour commute each way, so it was long days alone for me too. I feel your pain!

    I remember eating nothing but Cheerios for a couple of days. I would pop one in my mouth every so often, and it would go down quick so that I didn't have that lump feeling or yukkie metalic taste.  I lost weight but gained half of it back - Silly me! -

    Trubrit - Sue

  • kmygil
    kmygil Member Posts: 876 Member
    Water and Food

    Hi Jan,

    I found out (after the fact) that a lot of my absolute lack of energy was due to dehydration and malnourishment.  No, you don't want to drink or eat when everything tastes precisely how raw sewage smells, but hydration and nutrition, along with a great attitude are the best things to combat chemo effects.  A small walk, even a teeny one, will help prevent blood clots which we are prone to when we don't move.  Yes, again I speak from experience.  So the basics.  Water (lots of it to help flush the residual chemicals, too).  Real food.  Small walks.  It'll make a huge difference.

     

  • lp1964
    lp1964 Member Posts: 1,239 Member
    Dear Jan,

    At least for me a cup of coffee in the morning and after lunch did wonders. Coffe tends to dehydrate you, so if you condsider it drink even more.

    Pickled ginger and ginger candy was the best to take that aweful taste out of my mouth.

    Hang in there, hard to believe, but it will be over soon.

    Laz

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    lp1964 said:

    Dear Jan,

    At least for me a cup of coffee in the morning and after lunch did wonders. Coffe tends to dehydrate you, so if you condsider it drink even more.

    Pickled ginger and ginger candy was the best to take that aweful taste out of my mouth.

    Hang in there, hard to believe, but it will be over soon.

    Laz

    Well, I've now completed four

    Well, I've now completed four of the eight I'm lined up for. I'm miserable but I keep reminding myself that it could be worse, which doesn't help much. I'm tired, nauseous, have another new blood clot, the oily taste in my mouth is bad, and the cold reaction is driving me nuts. I want a nice, cold drink desperately. I have until later January before this is over. I know I'm being a whiner and I could be going though so much worse but I still hate it.

    I don't get the blood clots. Yes, I'm in bed for several hours during the day but I also move around a lot and take care of the house and am as active as I can be considering it's winter here so I can't get out of the house unless it's not too cold of a day and it's a big production to get ready. One doctor said the chemo doesn't cause the blood clots, they're already there but the chemo irritates them so they swell up. I'm on clot number five because they're all in different spots. So I'm walking around with blood clots that I wasn't aware of all this time? I'm supposedly healthy as far as my cardiovascular system goes but now I'm starting to wonder.

    Laz, I started drinking coffee. I've never been a coffee drinker because the IBS made that impossible but I've always loved the smell. Now with the ostomy I can drink it! Sometimes I wonder if I really want it to be reversed. I hate having the bag but living the way I did with the IBS was terrible in it's own way. It totally controlled my life.

    Thanks everyone for the support and help!!

    Jan

  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    JanJan63 said:

    Well, I've now completed four

    Well, I've now completed four of the eight I'm lined up for. I'm miserable but I keep reminding myself that it could be worse, which doesn't help much. I'm tired, nauseous, have another new blood clot, the oily taste in my mouth is bad, and the cold reaction is driving me nuts. I want a nice, cold drink desperately. I have until later January before this is over. I know I'm being a whiner and I could be going though so much worse but I still hate it.

    I don't get the blood clots. Yes, I'm in bed for several hours during the day but I also move around a lot and take care of the house and am as active as I can be considering it's winter here so I can't get out of the house unless it's not too cold of a day and it's a big production to get ready. One doctor said the chemo doesn't cause the blood clots, they're already there but the chemo irritates them so they swell up. I'm on clot number five because they're all in different spots. So I'm walking around with blood clots that I wasn't aware of all this time? I'm supposedly healthy as far as my cardiovascular system goes but now I'm starting to wonder.

    Laz, I started drinking coffee. I've never been a coffee drinker because the IBS made that impossible but I've always loved the smell. Now with the ostomy I can drink it! Sometimes I wonder if I really want it to be reversed. I hate having the bag but living the way I did with the IBS was terrible in it's own way. It totally controlled my life.

    Thanks everyone for the support and help!!

    Jan

    Your not a whiner. We have

    Your not a whiner. We have earned the right to whine/complain especially here where people get it. I have had a few blood clots. One around a PICC line, one around a port line which makes some sense to me since there is a catheter in my vien which interrupts some of the blood flow, but my third clot was in my lower leg. Several doctors said colon cancer can cause blood clots which the internet confirmed thier opinions. I think it is the treatments, ports, surgeries etc, and the disease. Our bodies have been abused.

    To answer your initial question. I can sleep 16 hours a day easily when I am on chemo but as soon as I start to feel slightly better I am exercising and packing in the calories again which helps me bouce back faster.

  • vangbi
    vangbi Member Posts: 62
      You need to eat what you

      You need to eat what you can and drink lots fluids my favorite is tomato and V8 also cranberry I also eat lots tomatos and salads as far as the weakness I walk our dog and also walk down street to visit a neighbor and my wife keeps me as active as she can but I do get grouchy and upset.

    Also protein drinks and ice cream floats and shakes help a lot I also use biotene mouth wash two to three times a day and cinnamon candy to help with taste the cinnamon helps override the bad taste try other strong flavors also.

    I hope this helps and our prayers are with you.