very Tired

jb1952
jb1952 Member Posts: 13
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

First day 2nd post,Very tired I don;t know if this a information site or pity site, Don't care. History age 62, Ran 13 marathons 21 1/2 marthons,200+ trithons(sp) bike 45 miles a week,Can't run any more Bad back),8 weeks out from radation, It seens like the more time the more I am tired.I am getting really depressed.My wife of 42 yrs  ,GREAT SUPPORT,  She just says wait for tomarrow it will get better. Running out of  hope. thanks it feels  better just to say it.John B

Comments

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #2
    Can't run?? Then walk :)

    Hey, John B....you're only 8 weeks out of treatment....that is still in the "baby part" of recovery.  You just quit cooking in the last month or so....Here's the deal.  You aren't recovering from the flu....it's not a matter of getting better in a week or a month.  Recovery from treatment takes months and months.....they tried to kill ya, don't ya know?? Laughing  Ok, so they didn't really try to kill ya, but they sure do take you to the edge with treatment. 

    So....walk to the end of the block and back.....do the same tomorrow and the next day....if you can only make it 1/2 block, that's fine....you're an athlete, so you know it's baby steps until you start getting some endurance.  Got a dog??  Take him with you...dogs bring joy to a walk, because THEY like it so much. 

    Have your wonderful wife plop you in the car, and go for a ride in the country....that will lift your spirits.  Amazingly, I think we become simplier people after cancer....smaller things bring us comfort and joy.....just getting out did me so much good. 

    Remember that recovery from this treatment comes in weeks and months....you can't measure it in days.  A month from now, look back to this post and ask yourself if you're better that you were on October 21st?  The answer is going to be "yes....a little better....", but still better....and the better starts to accelerate as you get further away from your last treatment date.

    p 

  • wmc
    wmc Member Posts: 1,804
    #3
    Welcome to the H&N Group

    Welcome to the group, and sorry you need to be here. It is a support group. Try to answer all questions we can and advise where we can. Everyone here ethor had it or was a caregiver to the one who did. Pity...No just understanding. The head and neck cancers cover more than any other, from the throat all the way to the upper sinus and just short of the brain. Some just need to vent as it helps to get it out where some really does understand. We also have some who are as young as 4 and all the way to 80's. Some are terminal.  Where or what type did you have? Mine was SCC stage 3 just above my local cords and I have bad lungs so they had to remove my larynx and did a neck dissection on both sides and took 86 lymph glands. I now breath through my neck and the cancer is gone and I'm two years out.

    AS far as being tired....Phrannie said it about he best you can. Time is in months not days. This is said by the doctors to be the second worse treatment anyone can go through. It does have very good odds for surviving.

    Bill

  • Noellesmom
    Noellesmom Member Posts: 1,859 Member
    #4
    My husband says get tough

    Jim says to tell you to reach down inside yourself and find what you need to get through this.

    You are in a rough place in the journey, John, and tired is probably an understatement.

    Lots of good people will post with responses to specific issues you may have.  Someone with your training skills and proven endurance will teach us some new tricks, I'll bet.

    Stay hydrated (don't forget the salt), watch your nutrition, get lots of rest and fresh air.  Ask your doctor for help with pain and let us know how you are doing.

  • MrsBD
    MrsBD Member Posts: 615 Member
    #5
    Tired

    Tired? I call 2014 "The Year I Slept Through Autumn"! It took about 4 months for my energy to begin to come back and at one year out of treatment, I'm still working on regaining strength. You might want to get your thyroid checked since radiation can cause it to stop functioning which will result in the fatigue returning. It's a frustratingly slow recovery,  but you'll get back to running again. 

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #6
    takes time

    jb1952,

    Don’t forget to check thyroid function?

    Matt

  • jackflash22
    jackflash22 Member Posts: 524 Member
    #7
    Thyroid

    have you had a blood test for thyroid damage. My thyroid gland was damaged by radiotherapy treatment. I was tired, so tired it was a chore to stand up and climb the stairs. I had to stop half way up the stairs to get my breathe. Once the doc put me on levy thyroxine tablets I stopped being so tired after they kicked in. I started with 100 mg and now on 125 mgs. I'm much more active now, I can have weeks of good days doing what I used to do before cancer, but then fatigue will take over for a couple of days. It's the side effects of the rads. We get back to nearly normal but have the odd 'bad' day. Give in to the fatigue your still early days. Make the most of  snuggled up in your chair watching tv or read a book. Get some fresh air and exercise each day but don't overdo it, your still poorly. If you haven't had a blood test for thyroid damage ask your doc to do one. Another thing that can make you tired is dehydration, drink 2 litres liquid a day can be anything...not alcohol.hope you regain your strength soon...don't despair it's all normal.

  • Barbaraek
    Barbaraek Member Posts: 626
    #8
    JB it WILL get better

    Listen to what the other posters have said, because it's so true...it takes time. I found that looking at it day to day didn't help when my husband and I were looking at improvment because the gains were so miniscule - but when we looked at it in two week chunks we could see progress. It's discouraging...but it truly does get better. It's not a straight trajectory either - I felt like we were doing some weird sidestep shuffle instead of a march forward.

    We're still working on weaning off the feeding tube six weeks post chemo and 3 months out from radiation. But we work on it everyday. Keep taking those walks, keep taking one step further and you will get there.

    Barbara

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #9
    TARRED....

    Like mentioned.., you have hit the wall..., you're familiar with that in marathon terms...

    You are pretty much at your peak low point, or valley I should say. More than likely, you're going to start feeling a little better shortly. It won't be dramatic.., a day here, and hour there... Good for a day, sucks for 2-3 days.. But eventually the good days will start coming more often than the bad days..

    Being a distance runner, and athlete.. It's time like these, you just suck it up and press on..

    Stay well hydrated, take in as many calories as you can and rest when you're tired.. Your body has been through hell and back.., only you're not quite back.., you're on your way back.

    Just do as your wife says.. (HA.., mine tells me that all of the time)..

    Anyways, I'll be 62 n February.. Was Dx STGIII in early 2009.. And now I'm all clean and clear. I ride my bike 6 - 20miles 3-4 times a week..

    At my low point, I couldn't take care of my lawn, go fishing, not much of anything.. It was late summer in Florida.., heat and humidity wouldn't allow me to do anything.. Hardly any calorie intake, just fluids mainly at the time.

    You'll get there..., you're in a family of warriors now..

    John

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