Re; If I don't get the rest that I need I get tired very easy.

Marilyn, when did you get your last chemo? May I ask how old you are, do you have kids, are you married?
I'm a 42 year old single mom with 2 boys ages 14 and 11.
As for the emotions YES! between chemo, the experience of such a tragic diagnosis (losing the hair, facing mortality) and the financial strain I'd have to say a good cry every now and then is well deserved. Now if you stay sad or find nothing really brings you joy, or gets you excited, then you may be depressed. Depression in and of itself can make you tired. If thats the case talk to your doc, they make some good anti-depressants now with little or no side effects. Depression is not just an emotional reaction either. When really stressed the brain produces an excess chemical to counteract the stress. Unfortunately sometimes it'll produce too much or forget to 'turn off' the production, resulting in depression.
OOPS, sorry got off on a tangent there! I have more of a memory problem since chemo than anything else, but thank the Lord it's been 2 years since I had chemo.
Hope this helps somehow! God bless, hummingbyrd.

Hi houndog, I went thru over the yrs 18 rounds of chemo and damn right it makes you tired. Your body has had it jolted to the core. Tired is normal. You didnt say how long it had been since chemo, but tired is part of the deal.Also Chemo kicked in menopause and yes you will be emotional. Sappy commercials on TV will make you cry, at times you will cry at the drop of a pin. This is partly due to your body changing gears... again normal. If you stay sad or cry of weeks on end, ask your physican for effexor or zoloft. These will also help with the pending hot flashes. As far as the girl at work.....You could be sarcastic and say "gee you go thru chemo and all that i did and you let me know when youll be back full time and not tired" or you can say " you know, this whole cancer thing has really taken a toll on my whole system and I tire very easily. I understand that the holidays are a busy one, but my health is important to me. If I dont take care of myself, no one else will. So for now can I work as much as I feel I can tolerate without exhausting myself. I will give you all that I have. I know it might not be as much as you are expecting out of me, but its the best that I can do right now." Hang in there Marilyn and take care of yourself. Rest when you can, try not to let your employer dictate you into exhaustion. That does no good for you ...or them.


Hang Tough, sleep good.
Sara

Hi Marilyn:

The chemo kicked me into menopause too. I had my last period two weeks before I began chemo and haven't had another one since! It's rather severe, I know.

It occurs to me that since every woman has a different menopause experience, whether it's natural, chemically or surgically induced, then we're likely to have whatever symptoms we'd have had if it occurred naturally. No matter how we got there.

Some women have hot flashes galore and other's have few. I'm sure you've heard about many of the ailments of menopause. Some women get depressed, weepy, short tempered, easily flustered, poor sleep, panic attacks, etc.. A whole range of different things can happen, it seems.

My emotions didn't change and my energy levels returned very quickly after completing chemo. Everyone is different in how quickly they regain their energy following chemo/radiation since it effects each of us differently. I do know that if I don't sleep well enough or long enough, that I'm a bit tired the next day and may need a nap to make up for it. I think quality rest is extremely important. Even when we're healthy.

Depending upon how long since you completed chemo, it's difficult to imagine what may be causing your fatigue and feelings of wanting to cry. I will tell you this though. It takes time to heal emotionally and physically from having cancer. I know very few women who just hopped back onto their life's previous path and remained undisturbed by the whole experience. It seems that we can deal with it now or deal with it later as it will surface again if we try ignoring it on an emotional level.

Depression can cause fatigue and fatigue can bring on depression. But if you're feeling emotionally and physically low a lot, then you really need to talk to your oncologist about it.
Don't suffer in silence! Until you're feeling stronger, maybe you could request light duty at work, if the nature of the work is physically demanding.

It sounds as if you're taking care with your diet and supplements and that's super. Just wondering if you're exercising at all? Sometimes, it can help tremendously when your energy is running a bit low. That may sound paradoxical but it's true! Your doctor should be able to advise you about your level of physical activity and also help determine why you tire easily. Whether it's from treatments, lack of quality sleep, etc..

If your need to cry is just a once in a great while thing, then let it out, cry it out and get on with your life. Otherwise, don't let it go unaddressed. You deserve to feel good, inside and out.

Hope you're soon feeling better.

Love, light and laughter,
Ink