Does anyone get tired of being tired?
I am not as far as my recovery from radiation as I thought, I called the nurse and she was helpful. I'm in tears right now. I am so tired of being tired. I get energetic and then it slams me, I feel like a baby. Friends and family don't understand. I just needed to whine here I guess. I read that it can take a year, this journey started in March and I want me back. I want to be able to get out of bed like I used to. I want to walk and laugh and have fun. I wonder sometimes if that will ever happen?
Terri
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Little by little it gets better. I did not really start feeling like me until 1.5 years. Give yourself a break and realize life will never be exactly like it was before but it can still be a wonderful life. You are one of the lucky ones! You are alive and cancer free right now.
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Thank you. I called the RT nurse and she said that what I am experiencing is not from radiation fatigue, its just the months of in activity. I need tips on how to slowly get my strength back, if I do to much I pay for it the next day. I have noticed my energy levels are getting better, used to be 6pm, 4pm and now its 2 pm. We got this!
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Hi terry,
im in the same boat only my tired of being tired is from chemo. I still have surgery and radiation to get through. I’m so happy for you that you are getting your strength back some. If you or anyone has any tips please share them!! I’ve been walking each day a little bit but that just seems to leave me short of breath and exhausted. My mind is awake and ready to go but my body says oh heck no!!
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Well R.T. nurse said it was not from the radiation anymore, they just radiated my breast. Duh huh? The lumpectomy wasn't that bad, I like to sleep on my left side and that's the side my cancer was on.
I wish I had made myself walk more when I was doing Radiation, maybe that would have helped? But like you said when the body says no, and the brain says yes, what can you do. It does get better each day, some days not so good. I sent an email to my doctor to see if there are any exercises or a few PT trips might help. I can't sit around and "wait" for things to improve. Everyone says listen to your body, well, I guess I don't speak its language, I don't know when I've done to much until the next day. I am open for suggestions as well.
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I just joined this forum to see what others are experiencing as far as energy and tiredness. I had stage 3b breast cancer, chemo, radiation, surgery. I have been told that it takes about the same amount of time for your body to recover as the time it took for treatment. My treatment was 14 months and I am well past 14 months past treatment now. But I still have some fatigue and tiredness issues, just not nearly as bad as before. But I am 70 and have also had tongue cancer since the breast cancer. I generally have a good attitude. I don't have to like my new normal but I do have to live with it. And I have to work around my limitations but I am not going to dwell on what is not possible but what IS possible each day. I do sometimes get discouraged with the long term aftereffects but honestly, they are more annoying than anything. I guess the hardest part for me is that I cannot predict when I will hit a wall and have to stop what I am doing. When I see it coming, if I sit down for a bit and get a snack, I can often get back to what I was doing. But if I push through, I will be down for longer. Hope that helps.
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Hi,
I just got your message via email. I will be 63 in December, IDC stage 1, 20 treatments of rads. I too dealt with fatigue and tiredness. Drs and friends told me listen to your body, rest, eat well yada yada, you know the drill. I used to ride horses, even jump them, walked in the woods doing photography, got up in the morning feet hitting the ground at a run. Now, I'm as fast a a herd of turtles. Radiation dr said anxiety as a lot to do with it, and I have plenty of that. I finished rads in July. I now have days where wow man, I can do laundry, dishes, make dinner and then the next 2 days I feel like I've been hit by a train. So don't push through it. I get it trust me. I told my dr, look I guess I don't understand my bodies language cause I don't think I'm over doing it. I insisted on physical therapy. She agreed. I find also getting outside, socializing, ( I had issues with that, first time in my life I have not worked and I don't know how to be a housekeeper) I still walk sometimes like I'm 80. Its my thighs, after talking to the radiation dr she got it, she asked me if they felt like jelly and they do. I also have my sleep patterns off. But each day I give myself a pat on the back. Try not to over do it. Laundry one day, clean bathroom the next day and yes I sit down a lot. I do push through it sometimes but then I pay for it. I would talk to your doctor, the center I go to has a program for women dealing with this and know how to get us stronger.
Please let me know how you are doing, it does get better. I felt so guilty, so many women, even a friend was worse then I and they worked during treatment. I felt like a big baby. We all heal differently.
Hugs!
Terri
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The main thing is don't push yourself! It will get better. I am not bouncing back as fast as I expected to. I can't go from sunup to sundown like I used to. I just do one or two things a day and then rest. I have to sit down and rest after every task, like washing dishes. And I know there is nothing wrong with that. All the best to you ladies!
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Kudos to you ALL and yep we just gotta Keep on, Keepin' on and just enjoy the moments...
I was diagnosed July 2, 2019 the first time with sclc and then again in July of 2022 with nsclc. Still doing good regarding the first round, and good news with my last pet scan of Oct 3, 2022. I had chemo/immunotherapy and radiation with the first round and just the radiation therapy with the second.
YES I get REALLY tired of being tired!! 😕 And i'm STILL researching online and checking these sites hoping to find an answer for it. Like many of you I was used to being able to be much more active and for much longer. BUT I keep telling myself it could be and has been worse.
Continued prayers for you all...and I've said many for myself of course over the last few years and I'm still kickin! 🙂
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Update, I finally convinced my FNP to order Physical Therapy, it has changed my life. My legs and hips were weak, and I never thought about my hips. They are 60 percent now. I learned you have to push your doctors and refuse to give up if you don't feel like yourself. It's been an exhausting road.
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Wow! I, too, was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. I am in week 7 of chemotherapy. Every day is a day of side effects, whether fatigue, dizziness, and weakness. Tiredness is the feeling. I try working out mentally, physically, and spiritually and find myself fighting for strength daily. Listening to your body is a grand idea, but when I feel good and going through the moment, I feel excited to be somewhat myself again. Overall I look at the positive rather than the negative. It is a blessing to me to find this forum and be able to communicate with others that are fighting and winning cancer. We Are Survivors!! Hugs Everyone!!
I like the idea of physical Therapy. My hips and legs get weak. I also experience shortness of breath when going upstairs. I am learning much about myself and how to do little more than a lot to maintain my sanity and health.
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Glad you are feeling better. I didn't do Chemo, so I have no idea what the side effects are. I do know, looking back, I wish I had convinced my doctors that the fatigue I was experiencing was not acceptable, however, they just kept blowing me off insisting it was from the radiation. With the help of PT I am now hiking a little to do photography, I can stand and cook, I can clean the house and do laundry. I just feel that 3 months was wasted trying to convince the doctors this isn't right. I'm not happy with the health care in this country, I had no "breast support team" which they all claim a patient gets. It has made me stronger and I am getting where I want to be. I found this forum for support since I felt that my doctors were not providing me with the answers I wanted. Thank you all for your support!
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Get you some 3 pound weights and start lifting them a little at a time. You can find instructions online for some simple exercises with them. I have done that for years, and have recently started back on them. They will really build your strength up. And ask your dr. for some stretching exercises for your back. Start slowly.
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Thanks, I have checked with my physical therapist and he said I'm not ready for that yet.
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I like the fact of you stating pushing your doctors and discussing symptoms. I have been told to call for any assistance. Since I have been calling if feeling dizzy or nauseous to the nurse on call, an answer is supplied the same day. I am happy to hear that you are overcoming fatigue daily; that is awesome!!! We must report and advocate for ourselves because everyone's journey is different. They do not know how to help if we do not report what is going on with us. I will have radiation starting probably next year. Thank you for sharing your path. I have no idea what to expect from radiation treatment. I am thankful for this forum. The nurse at the Cancer center provided this information. It is great to talk with others that are going through this. Take care, and Let's Keep fighting in Jesus name!!
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I have a little advantage over the average person as well. I worked in health care insurance for 25 years, an HMO for 13, I understand medical terminology and I won't be bullied by a doctor. I worked with them too long. A nurse that worked with me in the Quality Assurance Department told me a joke one time and I'll never forget it.
You know what that difference between a Doctor and God? God knows he is not a doctor.
I will not roll over and say ok you want me to do chemo, you want to do this, take that. Nope, not going to happen. I dog them to death with questions, I write everything down. Yes, I get anxiety and depression, no I am not taking SSRI, they don't work, not open for discussion. I don't take meds, I get every side effect. Read every side effect you can get from RX, I learned th e hard way and ended up in a panic attack from Trazadone after 5 days of insomnia. I almost called 911 at 3am. Doctors are trained to treat an illness with medication. They can advise you on what might happen, each person is different. It's not their fault, the best thing is to know yourself and what works for you! Blessed Be.
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Talk to your cancer team about things you can do to strengthen yourself. At my cancer center, they offered massage and music therapy. I didn't do either, but was glad it was there. Yours might offer things like that too. Sometimes being soothed is important so you can eventually start building back your strength. Prayers!
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If movement under the full mass of your body (walking) is too difficult, you may like to try some non weight- bearing movement to stimulate regeneration of blood volume. An exer- cycle or one of those things where you just sit and move handles w/ your arms or movement in water. A heart rate monitor will help you know whether or not you're working hard enough (or too hard) to stimulate increased blood volume.
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Well that is one thing, I have NO CANCER TEAM. I'm switching all of my doctors to the local cancer center closer to me. I was going to one 30 miles away since I worked in the area. They have been no support at all so why keep going there? On top of that my FNP left the practice, she was awesome and her best friend has breast cancer that metastasized to her bones and is not responding to treatment. She left the practice to care for her. So now I have the lovely task of finding new health care providers. ugg
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Thank you for your tips! I am currently in treatment with a physical therapist and will be transferring to the wellness center which I am not sure what it is. Some form of continuous exercise. I'm just sick of dealing with doctor visits, and pharmacies. On top of trying to find a job. Lots of stress, how do I keep up my medical treatment and work? I'm running out of savings so I have to find a job.
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