Concerned

jcortney
jcortney Member Posts: 503
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

This monring I was roughly awakened by my wife at about 11:30 am.  Now what was weired about this is I NEVER sleep later that 7:00 am. and am usually up by and having my coffee by then..  Also that I went to bed right after the superbowl game (around 9:00).  Right now, it's 1:00 PM and i'm bone tired and could sleep for the rest of the day.  Could this be the tiredness that everyone told be to expect but never received or something more sinister?

 

I've never felt this washed out before.

 

Joe Cortney

Dallas, TX

Comments

  • ToBeGolden
    ToBeGolden Member Posts: 695
    #2
    Fatigue

    Fatique is real. I think it affects 100% of the patients for some time. Don't fight it. Plan to get little tasks done when you get up and then get your rest.

    However, dehydration often adds to fatigue. And being sleepy lets one not drink as much water/liquids. So it's a vicious circle. Try to get enough liquids down. Just a thought. Rick.

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #3
    Welcome....

    Welcome to the world of treatment....

    I'm pretty sure you are feeling the symptoms of your body getting hit with treatment. Just think of all of the energy your body is using fighting between the cancer itself and the treatment..poison and tissue damage from rads.

    Like Rick said, right now concentrate on getting calories in you and stay very very hydrated.

    I just got a little dehydrated once, felt terrible..the worse I felt, the less I drank, the more I slept, the worse I felt..., you get the idea... It's a circle that will put you in the hospital fairly quickly..stay on top of it.

    Get done what you can or need to when you feel like it, rest as much as you can the rest of the time.

    If you are like I was, with a bottle of water 24/7, then up to pee every few hours at night, that'll disrupt you sleep pattern also adding to your daily fatigue....

    Hang in there, it'll all be nothing but a thing by this time next year...

    Best ~ John

     

     

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #4
    sleep on it

    Joe,

     

    I think fatigue is part of the deal we make with the “radiation wizards”.  They kill the cancer and we sloth around for (hopefully) limited amount of time.  I should get a bumper sticker that says “please give courtesy honk driver may be sleeping”.

     

    Do everything you can to stay healthy and hydrated and be aware that your doctors will be monitoring your blood tests for any issues.  Right now, I think it is the ramifications of treatments (it takes a lot out of you).

     

    Now excuse me while I catch a few zzzzzzzzzzz

     

    Matt

  • cureitall66
    cureitall66 Member Posts: 913
    #5
    Oh....Did you mention sleep?

    Joe,

    We are 10wks post and since tx has ended it has been a long haul with the sleep/fatigue/exhaustion during the recovery. It's just been the last couple weeks that I've noticed his energy coming back ( a little). He was really frustrated for awhile because he was always so tired and just felt like he couldn't get enough sleep. This is our bodies way of healing and getting it's rest it so desperately wants and needs...give into it...you must need it.

    ~Cureitall (Cris)  

  • Dr.Ed
    Dr.Ed Member Posts: 22
    #6
    fatigue

    i was fatigued for about 2 months..sat in a chair most of the day, then slept there.I agree that its our bodies way of using its energy to fight the disease and the trauma of the rad/chemo. it gets better, with little reminders every once in a while. Try not to fight it, and dont get upset with yourself but do get as much nourishment as you can and as others have mentioned stay hydrated, its more important than you would think..

     

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #7
    Not something sinister at all....

    Your body is in the process of repairing itself, and rest is how that is done.  There isn't any spare energy for your daily "doings"....It's going to last for a while, too.  Even after I'd gone back to work, I was still in need of 11 or 12 hours of sleep per night, and was still dragging tail at the end of the work day.....Today, 9 hours of sleep will leave bright eyed and bushy tailed for a whole 8 hours before I start running out of gas....and I'm 8 months out of rads....I've heard it takes a year to get back to normal.

    p

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