Help - So Fatigued I just want to cry
I'm so past tired that all I want to do is cry. I asked the RT today if there is anything I can do to combat the fatigue? She asked me if I was eating? I told her that I've been so tired I have little to no appetite. She told me to up my calorie intake to combat the energy that my body is exerting to repair all the damaged and dead cells the radiation is causing.
I have 5 more weeks of RADS to go. I don't know how I'm going to get through this dead tired.
Any suggestions from those of you who have or are going through RADS?
As always, I appreciate all of your, your time, thoughts, prayers and suggestions.
Maria
Comments
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Maria,
I did not really
Maria,
I did not really want to eat either. But this is what I did. I decided the time I would have my "meal" and everyday at the time for breakfast, I ate; at the time I'd picked for lunch, I ate. Now it was a half a peanut butter sandwich, a couple of scambled eggs, yogart...I made myself do it. Part of the problem is you're too tired to fix anything for yourself which is why I would do the peanut butter. Then in between "meals" I'd try to drink a glass or orange juice, or bake a small potatoe and eat it. Anything to get you some nourishment. I would even heat canned spinach and eat a few bites of that for the iron. I know the other ladies here will have some good answers, and if I'd been on-line when all mine started I would have asked their advice. Take the naps you need and don't feel guilty at all about being tired. That is the main side-effect of radiation.
You have gone so far now, keep up the fight. My prayers are with you.....
Judy0 -
HI Maria,poplolly said:Maria,
I did not really
Maria,
I did not really want to eat either. But this is what I did. I decided the time I would have my "meal" and everyday at the time for breakfast, I ate; at the time I'd picked for lunch, I ate. Now it was a half a peanut butter sandwich, a couple of scambled eggs, yogart...I made myself do it. Part of the problem is you're too tired to fix anything for yourself which is why I would do the peanut butter. Then in between "meals" I'd try to drink a glass or orange juice, or bake a small potatoe and eat it. Anything to get you some nourishment. I would even heat canned spinach and eat a few bites of that for the iron. I know the other ladies here will have some good answers, and if I'd been on-line when all mine started I would have asked their advice. Take the naps you need and don't feel guilty at all about being tired. That is the main side-effect of radiation.
You have gone so far now, keep up the fight. My prayers are with you.....
Judy
Hey sweetie hang in there.... Judy is right you need to up your protein and believe it or not go for walks. When I got tired through my rads, my walking seemed to energize me it helps put oxygen in the blood stream. Some days my body still felt drained but it seemed I had just as many good days as tired days. When you find it hard to stay awake give your body the rest.. you must listen to what it's telling you.
Thinking about you,
Lorrie0 -
There should be a word to
There should be a word to describe the Twilight Zone of exhaustion we Warriors go through~ exhaustion doesn't begin to describe it, does it??? It will get better, but I remember how debilitating it can be.... (((((hugs))))
I have a "cough issue" which ( sorry for the TMI) causes me to throw up almost any solid food I eat~ I have lost 12+ pounds or more in 6 weeks...not good! I am in contact with an RN every 2 weeks as part of my insurance coverage. When I told her about the not eating ( I now eat maybe one meal a day, reluctantly) she INSISTED I get some Carnation Instant Breakfast...they have the much needed protein in them which we need for muscle mass. I had one for dinner tonight~ of course one can drink them as is, mine are French Vanila. I chose to make a smoothie~ all of the good protein,plus antioxidants from blueberries and strawberries and potassium from a banana. It tasted good and I feel I have actually done something good for my body, And it has stayed down! YAY
Enough about me~ LOL I am telling you this so that perhaps you can try it too...
Hugs,
Chen♥0 -
protein rich diet is crucial during radiationchenheart said:There should be a word to
There should be a word to describe the Twilight Zone of exhaustion we Warriors go through~ exhaustion doesn't begin to describe it, does it??? It will get better, but I remember how debilitating it can be.... (((((hugs))))
I have a "cough issue" which ( sorry for the TMI) causes me to throw up almost any solid food I eat~ I have lost 12+ pounds or more in 6 weeks...not good! I am in contact with an RN every 2 weeks as part of my insurance coverage. When I told her about the not eating ( I now eat maybe one meal a day, reluctantly) she INSISTED I get some Carnation Instant Breakfast...they have the much needed protein in them which we need for muscle mass. I had one for dinner tonight~ of course one can drink them as is, mine are French Vanila. I chose to make a smoothie~ all of the good protein,plus antioxidants from blueberries and strawberries and potassium from a banana. It tasted good and I feel I have actually done something good for my body, And it has stayed down! YAY
Enough about me~ LOL I am telling you this so that perhaps you can try it too...
Hugs,
Chen♥
protein and other nutrients are necessary for DNA repair. Please eat nutritious foods as your body needs building blocks to repair DNA damaged by radiation.
I took 2 naps everyday during radiation treatments0 -
Unfortunately we all had thechenheart said:There should be a word to
There should be a word to describe the Twilight Zone of exhaustion we Warriors go through~ exhaustion doesn't begin to describe it, does it??? It will get better, but I remember how debilitating it can be.... (((((hugs))))
I have a "cough issue" which ( sorry for the TMI) causes me to throw up almost any solid food I eat~ I have lost 12+ pounds or more in 6 weeks...not good! I am in contact with an RN every 2 weeks as part of my insurance coverage. When I told her about the not eating ( I now eat maybe one meal a day, reluctantly) she INSISTED I get some Carnation Instant Breakfast...they have the much needed protein in them which we need for muscle mass. I had one for dinner tonight~ of course one can drink them as is, mine are French Vanila. I chose to make a smoothie~ all of the good protein,plus antioxidants from blueberries and strawberries and potassium from a banana. It tasted good and I feel I have actually done something good for my body, And it has stayed down! YAY
Enough about me~ LOL I am telling you this so that perhaps you can try it too...
Hugs,
Chen♥
Unfortunately we all had the exhaustion going thru rads, some were worse than others though. And, it sounds like you are really struggling which I am so sorry for.
I was lucky that I didn't start getting really tired until about the start of the 4th week. And, then it was like I hit a brick wall. I felt then like you do now.
Like you, I went to bed early, and, took naps during the day. I also ate protein bars, drank smoothies made of fruit, and, ate anything that I was hungry for, as, I found my appetite was less as I was so tired all of the time.
I do have to say that my rads oncologist suggested that I go back to exercising. I thought he was nuts, as, I thought I was too tired to do much of anything.
But guess what, I started walking again with my husband almost every night and I started to feel better and stronger. I think this has worked for others too.
So, maybe try to go for a walk, maybe not far at first, and, see how you feel.
I pray you start feeling stronger!
Hugs, Lex0 -
Yes tired! Rads made me soAlexis F said:Unfortunately we all had the
Unfortunately we all had the exhaustion going thru rads, some were worse than others though. And, it sounds like you are really struggling which I am so sorry for.
I was lucky that I didn't start getting really tired until about the start of the 4th week. And, then it was like I hit a brick wall. I felt then like you do now.
Like you, I went to bed early, and, took naps during the day. I also ate protein bars, drank smoothies made of fruit, and, ate anything that I was hungry for, as, I found my appetite was less as I was so tired all of the time.
I do have to say that my rads oncologist suggested that I go back to exercising. I thought he was nuts, as, I thought I was too tired to do much of anything.
But guess what, I started walking again with my husband almost every night and I started to feel better and stronger. I think this has worked for others too.
So, maybe try to go for a walk, maybe not far at first, and, see how you feel.
I pray you start feeling stronger!
Hugs, Lex
Yes tired! Rads made me so much more fatigued than chemo. I think the steroids during chemo might have helped.
You can do it and it will gradually get better.
Big Hugs,
Wanda0 -
Maria, My heart goes out to you ... then you haveLighthouse_7 said:Yes tired! Rads made me so
Yes tired! Rads made me so much more fatigued than chemo. I think the steroids during chemo might have helped.
You can do it and it will gradually get better.
Big Hugs,
Wanda
your girls to attend to, Mother and guide. Personally, I was fainting the last month of my 16 weeks of consecutive chemo, so I know of what you are going thru. So tired, you just want to cry and roll up in a ball. Naps did help a little, but having young children at home that may be difficult for you. Many of nights, I would crawl upstairs - seriously (at 6 p.m.) attempt to prepare of a shower, take a rest on the side of our bed .. and somehow wake up at 5 a.m. the next morning. Or at 2 a.m. if insomnia set in.
I was instructed by my Oncologist to push myself .. walk more, take the stairs at home -- push thru my pain, cold sweats and rapid heart rate. It was difficult, and many of days I just wanted to give up!
You are a WARRIOR facing breast cancer treatments, fight on.
Strength, Courage and Hope.
Vicki Sam0 -
Hi Maria,
Not eating well or
Hi Maria,
Not eating well or irregularly will certainly contribute to your fatigue. In addition to the suggestions here, is there a nutritionist at your center you can talk to? They might have some additional suggestions. I was told in my chemo class to focus on protein and calories, that your body needs them to repair damage. And I used the same approach during rads as well, it didn't eliminate the fatigue but I do think it helped.
It also sounds like you have a pretty regular schedule, maybe to support your family. If you can make it work, you might try a little less routine...sleep later than 7 when you can, nap when you need it not when it's scheduled, etc. I know this is hard, because I know how important routine is to kids...but something to think about.
Keep fighting, you are getting closer and closer to the end of active treatment.
Hugs,
Linda0 -
Would drinking ensure or amruczko said:Fatigued
Maria:
Do you have a health food store close by? I got a protein powder with all kinds of good stuff in it (not cheap, but worth it) and mixed it into a smoothie with Greek yoghurt and a banana. Maybe somebody could get it for you?
Marlene
Would drinking ensure or a protein drink help? When you can nap, do, even if for a few minutes. And yes, exercise such a gentle walking can actually help. My prayers and good thoughts. None of this is easy and for some it is tougher than others. We all react differently. You will get lots of good suggestions to try and hopefully one will suit you.
Stef0 -
the fatique is awful but youfauxma said:Would drinking ensure or a
Would drinking ensure or a protein drink help? When you can nap, do, even if for a few minutes. And yes, exercise such a gentle walking can actually help. My prayers and good thoughts. None of this is easy and for some it is tougher than others. We all react differently. You will get lots of good suggestions to try and hopefully one will suit you.
Stef
the fatique is awful but you can do this one day at a time. I cant believe it is a year since I finished rads. When I had chemo and other issues i had to make myself eat, i would literally say to myself "ok now you have to eat" so this is what you must do. so you can heal, and not end up needing rehab (like i did)0 -
the fatique is awful but youfauxma said:Would drinking ensure or a
Would drinking ensure or a protein drink help? When you can nap, do, even if for a few minutes. And yes, exercise such a gentle walking can actually help. My prayers and good thoughts. None of this is easy and for some it is tougher than others. We all react differently. You will get lots of good suggestions to try and hopefully one will suit you.
Stef
the fatique is awful but you can do this one day at a time. I cant believe it is a year since I finished rads. When I had chemo and other issues i had to make myself eat, i would literally say to myself "ok now you have to eat" so this is what you must do. so you can heal, and not end up needing rehab (like i did)0 -
Naps are great - sleep when you feel you need to.carkris said:the fatique is awful but you
the fatique is awful but you can do this one day at a time. I cant believe it is a year since I finished rads. When I had chemo and other issues i had to make myself eat, i would literally say to myself "ok now you have to eat" so this is what you must do. so you can heal, and not end up needing rehab (like i did)
Ensure is a great alternate for a snack BUT be careful if you're E+ because it does contain soy. My nurses suggested Carnation instant breakfast as an alternative. And protein, protein, protein. Always make sure you're well hydrated too. Cells, both good and bad, are being destroyed and you need to flush them out of your system and keep it running well.0 -
Maria, I drank Ensure tomruczko said:Fatigued
Maria:
Do you have a health food store close by? I got a protein powder with all kinds of good stuff in it (not cheap, but worth it) and mixed it into a smoothie with Greek yoghurt and a banana. Maybe somebody could get it for you?
Marlene
Maria, I drank Ensure to help me. I don't know if that would help you or not. And, I also continued to exercise also, which I think helped me too.
Please don't get discouraged. Maybe even if you go to bed, you aren't getting a really good sleep. Could you get a sleeping pill maybe?
Hugs, Kylez0
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