Tired Still - Second Question Hope That's OK

You are doing great if you can work 4 hours ! I am also 67 and I was so thankful that I had retired the year before . I don't think I could have gone to work 4 months after tx . As for sleeping till 9 , at almost 6 months out of Rads I still sleep until 9 every chance I get !!! Lol

Peggy

Hobbs,

Tired goes with the treatment side effects, inevitable.  I could race any H&N member to a sleep race and win  pillows down every time.  It does get better, if I stay busy I generally don’t think about it, but if I stop and rest, look out.  If I kick back in my recliner, I am gone.

Don’t forget to check the Thyroid function (I am in the watch mode).

As I get more active, I increase my stamina, but so far I am still tired.

Get lots of sleep and eat right.

Matt

Skiffin16 said:

Yep...

It's OK to be tired....

OH, did you mean another question...., LOL.

Of course, ask as many as you like....

Being tired is definitely not out of the norm...., your body has just been in a battle... It's going to take several months to get back up to speed, maybe longer.

Anyways, it's very normal to have no energy and get tired easy...

JG

I'm 64 and for the last few years it has really been bad.  I've been on thyroid pills which haven't really seemed to help.  I suppose age and depression have played their part too.  At times, I have to take a 5 Hour Energy bottle if I know I have to get up and get moving.  I really want to get off of them but they do work for me.  They are so darned expensive though.  I buy them a ten pack at a time at WalMart.  

About two weeks ago, I started crushing up a Vitamin B12 tablet and taking one of those a day.  I don't know whether it's wishful thinking or not but they seem to be working.  It seems a little easier to get up out of my chair and get moving.  I'm hoping it's as simple as that.  It's alot better than paying $5 a month  for a bottle of pills than using a couple ten packs a month at $18 a pack.

Ladylacy said:

Being so tired

Have your thyroid check.  My husband was experiencing the same thing and the onocologist decided to check his thyroid.  It was really out of wack.  So he is now on thyroid medication and had to have the dose upped after undergoing a second round of radiation.  Then his levels went out of wack again, so another adjustment.  Also found out his iron was low so they put him on liquid iron.  And my husband is older than you so age doesn't always make a difference.  I know after his laryngectomy, the doctors were so surprised and pleased because of how he was healing and what he was doing.

These medications really made a difference.

Wishing the best -- Sharon

sharon, does ur husband have a trach?

dj

Ladylacy said:

My husband

Yes my husband has a trach/stoma.  He had his laryngectomy in March 2011.

Sharon

does he still use a suction machine?  does he have any problems with the trach?  has his life returned to normal?  i rarely leave the house b/c i still use the suction machine a lot.  i got my trach 2/28/12.  sorry for all the questions but its nice to know theres  someone out there like me.     thanks in advance for ur reply.

God bless,

dj

Ladylacy said:

Debbiejeanne

He still uses his suction machine but normally it is just to clear the mucus around his stoma.  His mucus isn't as bad as it was.  Now the throat mucus is bad at times.  No his life hasn't returned to normal.  Mainly because a year ago they found a tumor at the cervical of his esophagus.  He underwent another 35 radiation and 7 chemo treatments.  In Sept/Oct he was NED but in January they found that the cancer had spread to his right lung and it has reoccurred at the cervical of his esophagus and further down.  Surgery isn't an option and he has elected to forego any further chemo.  Right now, he is doing as good as he was before he was told it had spread and recurred. 

He goes to Lowe's and the grocery store all the time by himself.  We even went to TN a couple of week-ends ago and he did much better this trip than the last one.  Don't be afraid to leave the house.  My husband takes paper towels with him everywhere he goes and just spits in them when needed.  But like I said he is able to pretty much clear his stoma himself by coughing from his lungs.  Before the second round of radiation, which was finished in July 2012 the mucus was so much better.  He uses HME's and has gone back to using the lary tube instead of the adhesive plate.  Says he is more comfortable using the lary tube.

Best wishes -- Sharon

Hi Hobbs,

Matt said just about everything I was going to say.  I am 58 and have been out of rad treatment for a year.  If I keep busy then I'm okay for about 3-4 hours.  Then nap time.  My brain fizzles out around 2:30-3 pm everyday.  Only a nap will bring me back around.

Nine hours sleep is now the norm for me.  Part of me feels guilty for sleeping so long.  I need to log back into here so I know I'm not just lazy!  The best part of my day is my morning coffee with newspaper and then coffee again after my nap.  Bought me a Kurig for the afternoon treat.  Love that coffee machine.

Tom

Ladylacy said:

Debbiejeanne

He still uses his suction machine but normally it is just to clear the mucus around his stoma.  His mucus isn't as bad as it was.  Now the throat mucus is bad at times.  No his life hasn't returned to normal.  Mainly because a year ago they found a tumor at the cervical of his esophagus.  He underwent another 35 radiation and 7 chemo treatments.  In Sept/Oct he was NED but in January they found that the cancer had spread to his right lung and it has reoccurred at the cervical of his esophagus and further down.  Surgery isn't an option and he has elected to forego any further chemo.  Right now, he is doing as good as he was before he was told it had spread and recurred. 

He goes to Lowe's and the grocery store all the time by himself.  We even went to TN a couple of week-ends ago and he did much better this trip than the last one.  Don't be afraid to leave the house.  My husband takes paper towels with him everywhere he goes and just spits in them when needed.  But like I said he is able to pretty much clear his stoma himself by coughing from his lungs.  Before the second round of radiation, which was finished in July 2012 the mucus was so much better.  He uses HME's and has gone back to using the lary tube instead of the adhesive plate.  Says he is more comfortable using the lary tube.

Best wishes -- Sharon

does ur husband have an appitite?  does food taste right to him?  does food sometimes get stuck in his throat?  can he eat anything he wants?  i still have no appitite and food doesnt' taste right.  it still gets stuck in my throat too.  does any of this get back to normal?  thank u 4 ur help w/my questions.

God bless,

dj