Sleeping

Sleep as much as you feel
Sleep as much as you feel like you need to sleep. I completed the last of my carbo/taxol in November of '11. I slept a lot for a few months. Chemo is very hard on our bodies. I thought I was turning into Rip Van Winkle! Best wishes. Sleep is one way to help our bodies heal.

Carla

Tethys41 said:

Fatigue
Fatigue is a common side effect of chemo for some people. They say that light exercise actually reduces the fatigue. So, if you take a walk, you may actually have more energy.

Walking Helps
I found that if I forced myself to walk a little, I gained more energy and slept less. I tried to add a little more distance every week. I went back to the gym and worked out somewhat too. All of it helped. I used to fall asleep from 4-7 PM and now I don't do that anymore. And I sleep better at night too, not waking up as I used too. Try it if you feel like it, do it at the time of day that you have the most energy, sometimes it's in the morning.....

Mwee said:

chemo fatique
Doesn't it just feel like a different tired than you've ever experienced? I've been doing monthly chemo for a long time and I find that after the first maybe two days, if I force myself to walk around for as long as I can make it, every hour or so, I more quickly recover. It can tough to balance getting the rest your body absolutely needs and to get enough exercize to gain control from chemo constipation, poor appetite and to sleep more soundly during the night.
(((HUGS))) Maria

The fatigue
The fatique part hit me very hard and I agree with Maria that chemo fatigue is a totally different kind of tired than I ever experienced. It was hard for me to describe to other people just how wiped out I felt. I would go to bed by 8 p.m. and sleep straight through about 8 or 9 a.m. the next morning, which was a heck of a lot for me. Funny, but I don't remember sleeping a lot during the day. I agree with the others about trying to get some exercise, especially to get the bowels moving and to stimulate the appetite, and at the same time, not fighting the need to sleep. On some days, my "exercise" consisted of walking several times around the dining room table, with my husband walking beside me, holding my arm so that I wouldn't stumble and fall.

Hang in there and keep us posted when you can.

Kelly

You just finished your 5th round
Those words alone explain your wanting to sleep. Your body needs rest to recover. If you are tired rest, this is not how you will always feel. When your chemo is done you should feel better fairly soon. Psychologically I feel better immediately, my body has to catch up with my mind though. Talk to your dr to make sure but I attribute my dealing with the chemo well because when I was tired I rested. It also helped to find something to occupy yor mind that doesn't require much physically.
Colleen