Feeling tired.....

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Nicki's picture

Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for people with cancer to feel very tired at some point.

Many people affected by cancer describe an extreme feeling of tiredness ( fatigue), and there's often several reasons for this, including things like:

  • the emotional response of being told you have cancer and living with the day to day
  • pressures of life
  • poor appetite
  • symptoms caused by the cancer and
  • side-effects of cancer treatments  

A common side effect of many chemotherapy drugs is fatigue. For people having chemotherapy this can really impact on their quality of life.  It can feel very frustrating at times not having the energy to do the things you really want to do, and some days it may feel a struggle just to get out of bed.

It really is a question of listening to your own body and planning around this.  Some people find that they begin to know which days they're more likely to feel most fatigued.  It may be best to take it easy and rest on those days and plan activities for a later time.   

Many people ask if there's a special diet that'll help with fatigue.  Of course nourishment is important to give the body energy, with a healthy balanced diet being recommended.  But diet alone can't solve the problem.  It may help to talk with your doctor if you are having problems with poor appetite, as they may be able to refer you to a dietician for advice if needed. 

It's always important to tell your doctor about persistent feelings of fatigue.  They can check out if there are other reasons for the fatigue, such as anaemia (a low red blood count), dehydration etc.

You can read more about fatigue and how to manage it here.

Once cancer treatment has finished, it can take several months (sometimes longer) for fatigue to gradually reduce and a person's energy to reach the level it was beforehand.  This can often feel frustrating when a person may want to get back on with life, resume work, etc.   

If you have any comments on how you have managed feelings of fatigue which you think may be useful to others, please send them in.    
 

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