Fatigue after chemo

hi-I know exactly how you feel,thought I could be strong and this chemo stuff wasnt going to get me down and boy was I in for a surprise.I finished treatment almost a year ago and still feel the fatigue.After my first surgery I went right back to work about two weeks later but after chemo my next surgerys took alot longer for me to heal and was so tired.Just remember that everyone is different and your body may just act differently then others who have gone through the same thing.Its hard to slow down if your a person who doesnt know the meaning of taking it easy, I was the same way.Pushed myself to hard at times and boy it wasnt worth it,set backs heath wise.Advice,if your tired take a nap dont try to be a wonder woman and it will take time.Best wishes and takecare of yourself,thats the most important thing you can do while going through chemo. Lori

banker said:

I know how you feel, give yourself the extra days to get to feeling better. Everybody takes chemo different. It took me 4-5 days (had chemo on Fridays) felt good by the following wednesday where I could go grocery shopping and eat, had a craving at that point for pizza. Ha ha. Felt good wed.& thurs., got chemo again on fri., 2 weeks in a row, 2 weeks off.Take a nap when your body tells you too. You will be tired, don't wear yourself out,OK? When I was able to eat I pigged out, drank lots of Gatorade for some reason, loved the lime and ate lots of cottage cheese with manderin oranges, never ate that before. Mashed potatoes and gravy was another favorite. Don't ask me why. Weird. So please take care of yourself, don't push to hard to go to work, rest when needed and like your doc says it is normal to feel that way. Hope this helps, ((hugs))emmi

Good advices given. You'll be more aware of your body now. Listen to it. I come home from working and take a 1 hour rest, so I can do dinner, laundry etc. I don't necessarily sleep, but I totally rest. My body and mind just shut down totally for that one hour. Everyone knows my schedule now and I do things around it. I never went to bed early, but I do now when I need to--if I've had a busy day. Good luck. Try to keep a journal if you can. It's amazing to look back on. I have had chemo brain and I totally forgot things that happened. It was interesting to go back and read it.

Two recent messages on the board were a big help to me. The first said to pay attention to fatigue and rest because if you don't you'll regret it and start getting that sick feeling. The second described chemotherapy with Adriamycin/Cytoxan to the sensation of being run over by a truck. I let out a big doofy laugh when I read that... so true! I did beautifully after surgery by pushing just a little more than was comfortable each day like you did. Now when I try that, I crash, too. If you are on 3 week cycles, you will feel a whole lot better the second and third week. I promise. Love, Denise

The description of your experience made me feel so much better. I had my first chemo a week ago Thursday. I couldn't go back to work until Tuesday and then only for half a day. I didn't particularly care if I made it through Sunday and started feeling very sorry for myself, dwelling on how many more times I had to go through this (7, with a radiation "break" in between). By Monday I felt like I had turned a corner and have continued to improve to the point where although I wish I could get through it better (read faster), I'm luckier than so many. If your surgeries were fairly close to your first treatment, you probably started out with a diminished energy level though you may have been unaware of this. I had two surgeries and started chemo all within a three week period. I know I didn't even bounce back from the second surgery the way I did from the first so I'm sure starting chemo 8 days later didn't help. Listen to your body and do what's best for you. We're all different and I think as women we want to keep our chins up, take care of others, put on a good front. Unfortunately, this is one time where we have to admit to ourselves that it's OK to rest. I'm struggling with that too. Thanks for your post. It really summed up what I'm going through. You are not alone. We'll get through this and be better for it!!

Hi Sue,
I scheduled my chemo for Thursdays, because I wasn't hit by the fatigue until the weekend. On Mondays I was tired, but not as bad as Sundays. I don't know any magic formula, except when your body says it is tired, you just gotta rest.
Love, Jayne

bunnie said:

hi i never did work the whole time i was doing chemo i just never had enough energy too do so.I have been done with chemo since april 25th and i still find if i over do it like this weekend then iam extremly tired.just hang in ther and dont push your self too hard.bunnie.

I agree with bunnie. There are times to "push" past a little discomfort--like the exercises you do after mastectomy to regain range of motion. And there are times to "ease up". I try not to push myself too far beyond fatigue right after chemo infusion. I find it I do that, then I start to feel ill and then can't rest. No sleep, no refreshing recovery. Sometimes it just takes a little nap. If I can't nap, then just laying still for a half hour perks me up a lot.