Fatigue
Comments
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No, you're not a wimp! I
No, you're not a wimp! I had my fifth round of chemo 9 days ago (TAC) and I have yet to do anything really constructive. I tried to do a couple of errands the other day and had to come home after an hour. I was so tired that I was huffing and puffing. I was in pretty good shape before my diagnosis on Nov. 17th, 2009 of Grade 3, Stage 3 invasive ductal ca with 10 positive lymph nodes. Had my surgeries in Dec. and started chemo in Jan. I also think part of the fatigue is mental as well. We're dealing with alot here, my sweet friend, so listen to your body, and try to rest as much as you can. And, if you can, don't feel a bit guilty about napping or lounging. Best of luck and hugs to you. Keep me posted.0 -
Big old wimp here, too!
One of the most mysterious parts of chemo is how people doing the exact same cocktail can react SO differently to it. Yes, there are women on this board who did Taxotere/Cytoxan and were lucky enough to have minimal side effects from it. I'm not sure whether I'm really happy for them or really jealous of them.... :-)
I did 4 rounds of T/C from August to October of last year, also with Neulasta the next day, and my experience was very similar to yours: I was flat on my back for days 3 and 4. I just had to learn to plan for it. And I also found I recovered less of my energy between rounds with each round -- so yes, by about the 3rd round, I was basically tired all the time.
I work full-time, and ended up taking about 3-4 days off (plus weekends) after each round. But, there are also women at the other end of the spectrum who can't work at all during chemo, so I tried to keep telling myself that it could be worse.
How many rounds are you doing? Will you be doing radiation afterwards? Unfortunately, radiation can often just add to the fatigue.
Traci0 -
I had to ask the sameTraciInLA said:Big old wimp here, too!
One of the most mysterious parts of chemo is how people doing the exact same cocktail can react SO differently to it. Yes, there are women on this board who did Taxotere/Cytoxan and were lucky enough to have minimal side effects from it. I'm not sure whether I'm really happy for them or really jealous of them.... :-)
I did 4 rounds of T/C from August to October of last year, also with Neulasta the next day, and my experience was very similar to yours: I was flat on my back for days 3 and 4. I just had to learn to plan for it. And I also found I recovered less of my energy between rounds with each round -- so yes, by about the 3rd round, I was basically tired all the time.
I work full-time, and ended up taking about 3-4 days off (plus weekends) after each round. But, there are also women at the other end of the spectrum who can't work at all during chemo, so I tried to keep telling myself that it could be worse.
How many rounds are you doing? Will you be doing radiation afterwards? Unfortunately, radiation can often just add to the fatigue.
Traci
I had to ask the same question sometime back. I didn't feel fatigued until after my third round of T/C. Everyone pretty much assured me that it is to be expected. I totally finished chemo on Apr. 6 and returned to my regular work schedule about a week later and I'm really feeling beat today. Traci, does it get better ? I still have radiation ahead of me and know that is very tiring too.0 -
I was there!
Also had T/C (4 rounds from mid December to mid February) and some time around the middle of it felt exactly like you're describing. I would walk from the living room to the kitchen and my legs would feel like I'd just walked a mile. I felt pretty normal (except for the yucky mouth taste) most of the time as long as I was just sitting and doing nothing, but as soon as I tried to move around I just felt exhausted.
The good news is that it DOES go away eventually. I started to feel that tiredness lift about halfway through my rads a couple of weeks ago. The rads did not make me tired in the same way. They actually didn't make me tired at all until just the past few days (I've finished 28 of my 30) and this tired is just sleepiness. I slept for about 11 hours last night and still feel like I could use a nap. My doctor did OK me to take vitamin B supplements during rads, and I think that may have helped me not suffer too much from the fatigue.
Like Traci, I also worked pretty much all the way through, just taking 3 days off for each chemo.
Hang in there, it WILL get better.
Hugs,
Cindy0 -
I did not work, I am a nursecindycflynn said:I was there!
Also had T/C (4 rounds from mid December to mid February) and some time around the middle of it felt exactly like you're describing. I would walk from the living room to the kitchen and my legs would feel like I'd just walked a mile. I felt pretty normal (except for the yucky mouth taste) most of the time as long as I was just sitting and doing nothing, but as soon as I tried to move around I just felt exhausted.
The good news is that it DOES go away eventually. I started to feel that tiredness lift about halfway through my rads a couple of weeks ago. The rads did not make me tired in the same way. They actually didn't make me tired at all until just the past few days (I've finished 28 of my 30) and this tired is just sleepiness. I slept for about 11 hours last night and still feel like I could use a nap. My doctor did OK me to take vitamin B supplements during rads, and I think that may have helped me not suffer too much from the fatigue.
Like Traci, I also worked pretty much all the way through, just taking 3 days off for each chemo.
Hang in there, it WILL get better.
Hugs,
Cindy
I did not work, I am a nurse and never could have done it. So you are ahead of me in that. I was very debilitated, in PT to gain strength. I am noticing 1/2 through the rads feeling more stamina. It does improve, but tiredness during chemo is normal. It is slowly getting better and I was so sick, My onc said I was his worst one this year, with GI issues, pain, lost 70 pounds. So without that you may recover quicker. I am feeling more encouraged, but I remember feeling like I would never be ok. and although I have a way to go it is definately better. Hang in there.0 -
There were times I was socarkris said:I did not work, I am a nurse
I did not work, I am a nurse and never could have done it. So you are ahead of me in that. I was very debilitated, in PT to gain strength. I am noticing 1/2 through the rads feeling more stamina. It does improve, but tiredness during chemo is normal. It is slowly getting better and I was so sick, My onc said I was his worst one this year, with GI issues, pain, lost 70 pounds. So without that you may recover quicker. I am feeling more encouraged, but I remember feeling like I would never be ok. and although I have a way to go it is definately better. Hang in there.
There were times I was so tired I couldn't talk, it just took to much energy to talk. Moving my arm felt like I was lifting weights. When I could get thru a whole day without a nap that was a big accomplishment for me. That's just part of it, it sucks, but it will get better. Hang in there, and don't be so hard on yourself. You can't compare yourself to others.0 -
Fatigue!
I now have a whole new respect for the word 'fatigued'! I didn't have a clue what it meant until undergoing chemo(TAC). I had six treatments and never fully recovered after my 4th. I can relate to Cindy's post in that my legs felts like jello after just walking to the bathroom. As long as I was plopped on the couch, I felt ok, but when I got up to walk, I felt like I was 90 years old! It does get better... much better! My last treatment was Feb. 4th. Right before I started rads, which was 4 weeks later, I shed most of that 'fatigued' feeling. I started my exercise routine back up about 2 weeks into radiation and continued to feel better & better. About the last week of rads, I started to get sleepy earlier in the evening but that was much easier to deal with than the utter exhaustion I felt from chemo. I'm done with radiation now for a little over a week and just had a terrific weekend in Boston with my daughter. Boston is a whole lot of walking and I did it all with much enthusiasm! I'm a little tired and lazy today, but that's to be expected. I'd feel this way even before all this started. There is light at the end of the tunnel even though I'm sure you doubt it right now... I sure did! Just go with it and rest when you can. If you fight it, it just seems to get worse.
Hugs, Mar0 -
You are not a wimp!
I am an athlete and I got winded just walking from my bedroom to the kitchen. You need to be kind to yourself and not so demanding. This is a new experience and you just have to take it one day at a time. Eat well, drink lots of water, and try to go out for a small walk each day (IF YOU CAN) and above all else, forgive yourself if you cannot!!! You will complete your treatment and be on the road to recovery before you know it! Hang in there! Pitt0 -
i get so impatient and angry
i get so impatient and angry with myself. i couldn't go to work again today. my job is overwhelming phycially and mentally. i sleep 12 hours sometimes. i feel like i'm sleeping my days away. i finished raidiation treatment 3 weeks ago after 30 daily treatments. my oncologist told me that even 6 weeks after finishing the raidiation it is still working in your body and even chemo has lasting effects. i can't help much. i am very much struggling with this also.0 -
I'm With You!
I am also on the CT therapy followed by the Neulasta. I am a nurse also but no longer in the clinical setting so I have a pretty sedentary job which has helped me get through this. I get my chemo on Friday and Neulasta on Sunday. Usually by Sunday afternoon, I am very tired and foggy and it stays that way on Monday. Although I have been able to work, I am going to start taking Monday after chemo off just because it will be so much easier to be able to sleep when I want to sleep and not have to worry about sounding semi-intelligent on the phone. I usually am much better starting on Tuesday. I have noticed that around day 10 and 11, I lose some of my energy, my legs get tired but then it picks back up again.
3 more rounds to go - I'll be happy if it doesn't get any worse because at least I know this is doable!0 -
Fatigue
Like so many others here I didn't really know what the word meant until treatment. I'm now 6 mos done with chemo (4 A/C and 12 taxol) and 3 mos done with rads (33) and I can say that while I had a relatively easy time compared to so many women here, it's just been in the last week or two that I realized just how much better I'm now feeling. The improvement is suddenly very obviously and I now believe there just may be "normal" life after all of this.
Don't be hard on yourself. Everyone is different and every heals and recovers differently.0
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