How long does fatigue last

salls41
salls41 Member Posts: 340
in Breast Cancer #1
I had my last Chemo in April. I had my bi lateral in May. I have no cancer at this time. How long does fatigue last? I know this is one of those, it varies from person to person question, but I am curious how long some of you felt fatigued ?
Thanks!
Sandy

Comments

  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #2
    1 week after last Taxol
    For me, the extreme exhaustion I have during my 12 weekly Taxol started getting better 1 week after the last infusion. During the 4 DD A/C I'd basically had no fatigue at all just a bit tired on day 3 and 4 for a nap would take care of it. Some will experience fatigue during rads but I didn't - I started the 25 rads one week after last Taxol. I also started Femara 1 week after starting rads. My mod rad mast was between the A/C and Taxol.

    We are all unique so each is different.

    Winyan - The Power Within

    Susan
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #3
    Sandy,
    Most medical professionals who work with cancer patients will tell you it takes about the same length of time that you were in active treatment to feel physically "back to mostly normal" again.

    So, if the time from your diagnosis to the end of active treatment was 4 months, it may take about 4 months to recover. If it was 6 months, then 6 months, and so on. Of course, you'll see gradual improvement along the way, but it will probably be much slower than you want it to be!

    For me, I was in treatment (surgery, chemo, and radiation) for a total of 8 months, and definitely wasn't prepared for how long the fatigue was going to be with me. It was really about 9 months before I felt that I could physically do all the things I used to do before treatment. I noticed I had a little more energy at about 4 months, and more still at about 6 months, but still felt like I was fighting my body until about 9 months.

    Hope that helps?

    Traci
  • salls41
    salls41 Member Posts: 340
    #4
    TraciInLA said:

    Sandy,
    Most medical professionals who work with cancer patients will tell you it takes about the same length of time that you were in active treatment to feel physically "back to mostly normal" again.

    So, if the time from your diagnosis to the end of active treatment was 4 months, it may take about 4 months to recover. If it was 6 months, then 6 months, and so on. Of course, you'll see gradual improvement along the way, but it will probably be much slower than you want it to be!

    For me, I was in treatment (surgery, chemo, and radiation) for a total of 8 months, and definitely wasn't prepared for how long the fatigue was going to be with me. It was really about 9 months before I felt that I could physically do all the things I used to do before treatment. I noticed I had a little more energy at about 4 months, and more still at about 6 months, but still felt like I was fighting my body until about 9 months.

    Hope that helps?

    Traci

    Very helpful!
    Thanks so much, that helped alot! I feel like some people think since the chemo is out of my system so to speak, that I should be up and running and so therefore I sort of felt like maybe I am being lazy or something when some days I am just really tired!
    Thanks again for your answer!
    Sandy
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #5
    salls41 said:

    Very helpful!
    Thanks so much, that helped alot! I feel like some people think since the chemo is out of my system so to speak, that I should be up and running and so therefore I sort of felt like maybe I am being lazy or something when some days I am just really tired!
    Thanks again for your answer!
    Sandy

    "You're done with chemo, so you're back to normal, RIGHT?"
    Ah, yes -- other people's "back to normal" expectations -- I think most of us remember that very well!

    I had my own funny, clueless expectation, too: Since I had chemo every 3 weeks, I felt that the 3-week mark after my last chemo -- the day when my body would "expect" to have chemo, but then didn't get it -- should be some "magic" day, when the Energy Fairy (dressed like Glinda from "Wicked," of course) would wave her magic wand and poof -- "back to normal." I remember being so disappointed when that day came and went and there was no Energy Fairy, and no "poof," and I was just as tired as I'd been the day before.

    (If anybody knows the Energy Fairy's cell phone number, please let me know -- I'd still like to have a talk with her.)

    :-) Traci
  • NancyJac
    NancyJac Member Posts: 91
    #6
    TraciInLA said:

    "You're done with chemo, so you're back to normal, RIGHT?"
    Ah, yes -- other people's "back to normal" expectations -- I think most of us remember that very well!

    I had my own funny, clueless expectation, too: Since I had chemo every 3 weeks, I felt that the 3-week mark after my last chemo -- the day when my body would "expect" to have chemo, but then didn't get it -- should be some "magic" day, when the Energy Fairy (dressed like Glinda from "Wicked," of course) would wave her magic wand and poof -- "back to normal." I remember being so disappointed when that day came and went and there was no Energy Fairy, and no "poof," and I was just as tired as I'd been the day before.

    (If anybody knows the Energy Fairy's cell phone number, please let me know -- I'd still like to have a talk with her.)

    :-) Traci

    Amen to that
    I've found that fatigue is definitely a sliding scale thing as opposed to an on/off switch thing. My last chemo was in March, then surgery, then rads which I just finished earlier this week. I am definitely not nearly as fatigued and as consistently as I was towards the end of chemo, but I am not back to where I was before chemo and may never be. That has been one of the hardest things for me to accept, and it is also an issue with family, friends, co-workers that expect me to be "back to normal".
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #7
    NancyJac said:

    Amen to that
    I've found that fatigue is definitely a sliding scale thing as opposed to an on/off switch thing. My last chemo was in March, then surgery, then rads which I just finished earlier this week. I am definitely not nearly as fatigued and as consistently as I was towards the end of chemo, but I am not back to where I was before chemo and may never be. That has been one of the hardest things for me to accept, and it is also an issue with family, friends, co-workers that expect me to be "back to normal".

    I finished chemo 2 years ago
    I finished chemo 2 years ago and still deal with fatique. I was so ill during chemo, that it took quite a while to recover. However, it got so much better as time went on. I still have to take how tired I will be into consideration, but as someone pointed out, it is age, (I am 52) that fact that went into menopause, and the tamoxifen. I often think I can do anything and my body reminds me I cant. I have to be kind to myself and my family and friends get it. But they saw how it kicked my butt so they had tangible evidence. I think it is harder when you are done and you "look good" so set perameters on your and other peoples expectations. Traci has reported a great timeline.
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #8
    carkris said:

    I finished chemo 2 years ago
    I finished chemo 2 years ago and still deal with fatique. I was so ill during chemo, that it took quite a while to recover. However, it got so much better as time went on. I still have to take how tired I will be into consideration, but as someone pointed out, it is age, (I am 52) that fact that went into menopause, and the tamoxifen. I often think I can do anything and my body reminds me I cant. I have to be kind to myself and my family and friends get it. But they saw how it kicked my butt so they had tangible evidence. I think it is harder when you are done and you "look good" so set perameters on your and other peoples expectations. Traci has reported a great timeline.

    "But you look good!"
    Oh my heavens, yes -- if one more person said "but you look good" to me, I was going to start beating people up, because it was always said as though they didn't believe me when I told them I was still dealing with side effects from treatment -- "but you look good," so you must feel fine, right?

    I actually stopped wearing any makeup for probably about a month, in an effort to NOT "look good," because I was just so tired of explaining my (good-looking, but totally exhausted) self.

    :-) Traci
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #9
    carkris said:

    I finished chemo 2 years ago
    I finished chemo 2 years ago and still deal with fatique. I was so ill during chemo, that it took quite a while to recover. However, it got so much better as time went on. I still have to take how tired I will be into consideration, but as someone pointed out, it is age, (I am 52) that fact that went into menopause, and the tamoxifen. I often think I can do anything and my body reminds me I cant. I have to be kind to myself and my family and friends get it. But they saw how it kicked my butt so they had tangible evidence. I think it is harder when you are done and you "look good" so set perameters on your and other peoples expectations. Traci has reported a great timeline.

    It's the age I tell ya!
    I do get tired easier/quicker than I used to but I blame it on age. I'm 66 now (was 63 at DX) so it makes sense to me to blame 'age'. But so far I haven't done anything that I wanted to do that wasn't 'do-able' for me. It does take a bit longer to 'come back' than when I was younger but that might/probably have been true even without DX/TX. Usual days do not present probblems at all with 'tired' Y it 's juist when I do 'something' more physically demanding. The older we get the more the time takes out of us as I see it - the difference between what you can/could do at 33 and 36 is a lot less than the difference between 63 and 66.

    Winyan - Ther Power Within

    Susan
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #10
    Rague said:

    It's the age I tell ya!
    I do get tired easier/quicker than I used to but I blame it on age. I'm 66 now (was 63 at DX) so it makes sense to me to blame 'age'. But so far I haven't done anything that I wanted to do that wasn't 'do-able' for me. It does take a bit longer to 'come back' than when I was younger but that might/probably have been true even without DX/TX. Usual days do not present probblems at all with 'tired' Y it 's juist when I do 'something' more physically demanding. The older we get the more the time takes out of us as I see it - the difference between what you can/could do at 33 and 36 is a lot less than the difference between 63 and 66.

    Winyan - Ther Power Within

    Susan

    I spoke to someone who was
    I spoke to someone who was going through menopause and she was always exhausted before she went on the mirena ring. she has never had BC so she can take this. She didnt like the risk of clots but she recognized her quality of life wasnt good. So I realized that some of it isnt necessarily treatment related, but the chemopause.
    Funny looked so different from weigh loss and hair changes that people werelike"you look good" when I put on weight they actually told me I looked better, they really didnt mean it when they said I looked good. go figure lol

Discussion Boards