fatigue post- Christmas exhaustion

I don't have anywhere near the stamina I had before cancer. I try to remember that I've been assaulted by surgeries and chemo for the last 3 years and that this has changed me. I try to be kind to myself when I can't do things I used to do and , most importantly, I try to be grateful for what I can do....I can still do so many things I enjoy and the fact that I'm still on the planet is a good thing too!

All the best, Susan...hang in there and have a happy New Year!

xoxo Susan 

Happy New Year Susan,

I think a lot of people feel post-Christmas fatigue.  A LOT.  And that is even without having been through grueling treatment (not to mention running around to appointments and that fatiguing stress that zaps us). 

I do have a distinct memory of my first experience of chemo.  Six rounds of carbo/taxol.  I finished at the beginning of June.  And it was 9 months later that I lifted my head off the pillow after my daily afternoon nap and said, ok I think I am done now.  Feeling better, ready to get back to work.  So I will still feeling tired and dragged out for many months after treatment.  Eight months easily.

kikz said:

Yeah, fatigue is part of the

Yeah, fatigue is part of the deal.  I would question myself when I felt tired for no reason, was I really that tired, am I being lazy, am I feeling down?  Some days I would get up and attempt to start my day and lay back down.  Other times the exhaustion came with activity.  I would go shopping and when I got home I would say, I'm so tired, I can't move my lips.  Right now going through chemo again, I have little energy and get shortness of breath with minimal activity.  I actually can't wait to get back to exhaustion.

Karen 

Susan P , you are not alone in how you feel. I was in great physical shape before I received 6 rounds of carbo / taxol which ended last March, 2013. I am a long-distance swimmer- no, not like Diana Nyad- I don 't swim in shark-infested waters! Swimming a mile plus in the past served to invigorate me. I had more energy than I knew what to do with. Although long-distance swimming is still easy and makes me feel great afterwards, I now experience a restricted and finite energy level. I am not the person I was before chemo poisoned me. Don't be hard on yourself as I think this terrible level of fatigue is a normal reaction to the ghastly treatment. I am rooting for you Susan P! I get as much sleep as I can: 9 hours at least during weekdays. Not sure I could handle full-time work otherwise.

Warm Wishes,

Cathy

Hi susan like everyone else I'm feeling so exhausted , I finished first line chemo in sept now avastin every 3 weeks add that to the effects of debulking surgery, menopause ect no wonder we are all so tired we all live such busy lives and probably try to go on as before our diagnosis but sometimes that's just not possible, I sleep more and try to get out walking despite the awful uk weather,  lots of love susan and take rest time when you need it . Jue

pandagypsy said:

I am too impatient to be so tired!

Well, it's good to hear that I am not alone in this......impatient, yes, but I now see it takes time to get all of that POISON out of your system.  My last treatment was Oct. 20, and I am just now begining to have a few "good days"....I am still totally wasted after too   much walking, shopping, anything.......all I can do is collapse in bed for a while........I could never before imagine being TOO TIRED TO EAT!!! All I am told is that it took 5 months of weekly chemo to get me to this state; it will take at least that long to feel more "normal" Good Luck, and rest when your body tells you to!

Hi Susan

I am 2 1/2 years out of chemo and I still get exhausted.  Especially around the holidays.  It seems like I am on auto pilot from Thanksgiving to New Years and crash New Years day.  It took me almost a week to bounce back.  I should have taken a couple days off just to chill...  I think easy exhaustion is a part or our new norm....