Strength

Lawchick618

Hello everyone

I am 15 days post treatment (yes counting every day).  maybe it is too early but I can't seem to get my strength back.  Did anyone seek in home physical therapy to help?  I spent the majority of my treatment in bed.  The fatigue was brutal and the pain agonizing.

As always, thank you for your insight.

 

eihtak

Lawchick618.....

Congrats on the first 15 days!! We all recover at a different pace. I was hospitalized at that point with some ostomy complications so not a great comparison, but it seems that most are still pretty wiped out at 2 weeks. Your poor body has been through **** and is now slowly finding its way back. I remember one day after a nap about 3-4 weeks post treatment waking up and feeling like "wow" I'm human again!! Others have expressed suddenly turning that corner as well. Rest, eat protien like greek yogurt, lots of fluids, and maybe some light exercise like stretching and short walks......you'll get that strength back!!

Keep us posted as you continue to move forward in health!

Katheryn

judyv3

Lawchick618

So funny you posted this today, as last night I asked my son if I would ever feel better.  I'm 11 days post treatment.  I do feel a tiny bit better every day.  I am trying to be patient.  Since I still have difficulty getting dressed, I walked around the house a bit last night.  And those brutal battles with the toilet are exhausting as well.  

That said, I have been up since 6:30 a.m. this morning - it is 2:00 p.m. and I am ready for a nap.  I am not a fan of napping because I feel yukky afterwards.  And trying to get those fluids in is such a battle.  

One day at a time!

mp327

judyv3 said:

Lawchick618

So funny you posted this today, as last night I asked my son if I would ever feel better.  I'm 11 days post treatment.  I do feel a tiny bit better every day.  I am trying to be patient.  Since I still have difficulty getting dressed, I walked around the house a bit last night.  And those brutal battles with the toilet are exhausting as well.  

That said, I have been up since 6:30 a.m. this morning - it is 2:00 p.m. and I am ready for a nap.  I am not a fan of napping because I feel yukky afterwards.  And trying to get those fluids in is such a battle.  

One day at a time!

Lawchick & Judy

You both are still very early in the post-treatment phase, so try to be patient with yourselves.  I know it's not easy, as we would all like to bounce back quickly, but this is a brutal treatment that does more to our bodies than just burn.  Your blood counts may be lower than normal and you could have some anemia.  Also, I do not think any of us sleep very well after a cancer diagnosis and while going through treatment, due to the stress involved.  You're just plain weak and tired, but it's normal, I assure you.  Taking a short walk can do wonders, as well as stretching.  If you can get some exercise bands or tubing, those are an easy and inexpensive way to gain some strength back.  Make sure to eat good, lean protein for continued healing, but also some good carbs every day for energy.  I don't like to nap during the day either, Judy, as I wake up feeling awful, then when I go to bed at night, I can't sleep.  Some people are good nappers, but I am not.  And fluids--yes, yes, yes! 

You will both get through this recovery period and I think it really is true that a lot of people just turn a corner one day and things are so much better.  I do believe, based upon my own experience, that it can take a full 2 years for some to really feel normal again.  Do not get discouraged and celebrate each and every little improvement, no matter how small.  You are still making forward progress, even with baby steps!

jcruz

strength

Echoing Martha's advice ... she says good stuff so I'm not going to repeat it.

At the point you are now I was able to take very short walks.  I noodled around the house, watched movies, read a little (brain still pretty foggy from chemo), stretched a little, took my short walk mid-day and then took a rest, sometimes sleeping but mainly just being horizontal and listening to the radio.  I may be slower than other folks but it took me months to really feel "strength" but I did steadily make my walks longer and my rest periods shorter.  You are healing from something really awful and your body needs time.

Marynb

judyv3 said:

Lawchick618

So funny you posted this today, as last night I asked my son if I would ever feel better.  I'm 11 days post treatment.  I do feel a tiny bit better every day.  I am trying to be patient.  Since I still have difficulty getting dressed, I walked around the house a bit last night.  And those brutal battles with the toilet are exhausting as well.  

That said, I have been up since 6:30 a.m. this morning - it is 2:00 p.m. and I am ready for a nap.  I am not a fan of napping because I feel yukky afterwards.  And trying to get those fluids in is such a battle.  

One day at a time!

Judy and lawchick
When I was 2 weeks post treatment, I used to laugh about how I would get up, shower, get dressed, and then nap! It took me a month to be able to go without a nap. Your body has been through trauma and your vitamins and minerals are depleted. Also, your red blood count could still be low. Give yourself plenty of time to recover. Healing takes a lot of energy, so rest when you need to. Hang in there!

eihtak

when I said human.....

Hi, I just want to clarify, when I said I felt human after 3-4 weeks, thats it, just human, nothing more! I agree with Martha, that it was close to 2 years before feeling what I could call great! But it seems that every few weeks there was noticable improvement.

Thinking of everyone who is facing this challenge at all stages.......

Phoebesnow

eihtak said:

when I said human.....

Hi, I just want to clarify, when I said I felt human after 3-4 weeks, thats it, just human, nothing more! I agree with Martha, that it was close to 2 years before feeling what I could call great! But it seems that every few weeks there was noticable improvement.

Thinking of everyone who is facing this challenge at all stages.......

Healing

For me it was 2 1/2 years before I stopped praying for the day to end.  2  1/2 years of napping every day.  Sometimes for several hours.   At times I wondered if it was worth it.  Now I can finally say it was.  Yesterday, when they called my name at the drs office and I bolted out of the chair like a kid.  I realized that now I finally feel normal.  Its a journey but you will get there.  Everyone's journey is different.  I pray that you have an easy one .

sandysp

Phoebesnow said:

Healing

For me it was 2 1/2 years before I stopped praying for the day to end.  2  1/2 years of napping every day.  Sometimes for several hours.   At times I wondered if it was worth it.  Now I can finally say it was.  Yesterday, when they called my name at the drs office and I bolted out of the chair like a kid.  I realized that now I finally feel normal.  Its a journey but you will get there.  Everyone's journey is different.  I pray that you have an easy one .

Bolting out of the chair!

I love it. Everyone has done such a good job responding to these posts that I have nothing more to say but that not only can I bolt from a chair I can "plop" down on a chair. 

Just before I began my treatment I could only lay on my side. It was too painful to sit at all. My tumor was very angry about the biopsy procedure and even for years before I had shooting pain down my legs whenever I sat down on anything but a very thick cushion and even then if I could not prop up my legs "just right". I winced everytime I saw a cop show where they shoved anyone into a chair thinking "how cruel!" I had no idea that an invasive tumor was my problem until I was diagnosed after passing blood. My husband had decided I was nuts.

After treatment, I was very very impatient with my recovery. But like others have indicated here it took me two years to be feeling truly healthy. 

It took me a while to get over the anemia.

I believe in taking "Green Vibrance" every day. It features 25 billion probiotics and everything God ever made green to give you nutrients. You can take it in juice. It is "green" but it doesn't taste bad at all. It helps me feel more "vibrant" and aids digestion also.

I also believe in taking Organic Whole Husk Psyllium to regulate the bowels. My surgeon suggested it and it makes a remarkable difference. I have let myself run out and stop taking it for a while and my "accident" rate really goes up.

Nap as much as you need to. Naps are miraculous. I felt like a failure everytime I took a nap but it is just nature's way and they are a Godsend. You won't always need them but you need them now. I also like five hour energy if you really have to find a way to move. They have lots of B vitamins and a little bit of caffeine. The B vitamins are a real "pick me up". I don't take any other caffeine other than when I have iced tea at a restaurant. I am strictly a decaf or herbal girl, so I don't worry about the little bit of caffeine that is in the five hour energy which is equal to a cup of regular coffee. But even so, save it unless you really need to get going and just rest for now.

You are a human being, not a human doing. Use rest time to enjoy reading or just watching TV. I took up knitting to at least make things while resting when I wasn't sleepy. Rest is just as important as naps. You need to do both. Grab whatever opportunities. Do not even think about doing all you used to do right now. Get used to just letting some things go.

I like my life much better today than even long before my diagnosis. Cancer is not a completely bad thing. Sometimes we need to stop. It gives us a chance to take a new look.

All the best to you two! Trust you are healing. You will be well in God's time.

Sandy