Cancer Support

A few things have contributed to my fatigue....

Certain low blood levels - I'm sure you get labs taken either every week or every other week. Tell them about the fatigue and ask them to check for anemia and such.

Have them review your medications. You could be on something - even a high blood pressure med - that kills you during the day. I used to take Toprol in the morning, and it just wiped me out for the day. I switched to taking it at night (before getting rid of it altogether). Same with an anti-depressant.

Chemo, of course, can wipe you out - even if you moved to FOLFIRI it can eventually take its toll on your body.

I'm just coming out of a long period of fatigue having had six months without chemo, took a week or two off from work and just rested and slept, and made sure to force myself to eat (I had no appetite). I started with Ensure, then a little actual food, and have worked my way back to where I have an appetite now, and the fatigue is better (not gone).

To make it worse, my ability to exercise is limited because of the surgery I had. I get wiped out easy.

So in summary:
- Review all meds with doctor, see if anything contributes to fatigue. If so, try taking it at night or changing to something else.
- Have blood tests that might check for fatigue factors
- Take time off to rest and recover and have whole days off where you don't do anything but recover
- Try to make sure you eat a decent amount and keep your energy up.

Best to you,

- Tab