Low energy levels

beastybabe

Hi Ladies

I have stage four breast cancer and it is in two places in my spine and now in my ribs.  I understand and am aware of what I need to do...as far as exercise and eating right go but I dont have any energy and my weights has ballooned, since taking the hormone inhibitors.

I just dont seem to have the energy or the postive motivation to go for that walk or to take on the world.  I havnt given up I just seem stuck.

I thought that maybe I could take an energy pill but then have such nasty side effects and who knows how my body would react to that junk.

So I guess what Im asking is there anything that is natural that I can take to help with the memory fog, and energy levels.....Im sure that once I get started I'll be fine, its just getting started  that seems to be the problem.

Also I would like to ask about natural pain killers, as there are not many pain meds that my doc can put me on as I react to alot of them....

I would appreciate any help that could be offered.

CrunchyPoodleMama

Hi... I'm so sorry you're going through this... kudos to you for wanting to take on the lack of energy with natural means instead of the "quick fix"!

I don't know how much of this would help, but some things that come to mind are:

 - Just do what you can. If all you can do is walk for 5 minutes, then do that. In fact, try telling yourself you will ONLY do whatever for 5 minutes. That makes it easier psychologically to get going. You may find that once you've done the 5 minutes, you feel like you want to keep going. As long as you don't overdo it, you may find (after a couple of weeks) that exercise is something that gives you energy rather than sucks it from you.

 -  Walk outside, rather than indoors on a treadmill. The fresh air and sunshine are as beneficial to you as the exercise itself. In fact, maybe the first step is just to sit out in the sun for 5 minutes each morning... then gradually add stretching, then walking or other exercise into the mix.

 - Make an mp3 playlist of your all-time favorite songs... the ones you've always loved and that make you want to sing along with them. Listen to that playlist when you're out walking.

 - Are you sleeping well? It's very hard to have energy when you have a horrible night's sleep. Maybe try melatonin for a few nights for a better night's sleep and see if you feel better the next day.

 - Drink kombucha (a fermented tea). The guy who developed a brand I drink (G.T. Kombucha) made it when his mother was going through breast cancer. There are claims that it can help cancer -- I haven't seen any solid evidence for that, but the probiotics sure give you a lot of energy! Since it's brewed from tea, there is a small amount of caffeine that remains in it, but not nearly as much as a caffeine pill or soft drink.

Those are just a couple of thoughts... maybe the stage IV ladies would have better advice... I wish you all the best for improved health and MANY good years ahead of you!!

BrittaA

Hi beastybabe, I am a survivor and was a caregiver to my father who passed away in 2007 from colon cancer. We both suffered from chronic fatigue while going through treatment. While caring for my father I couldn't find much information to deal with the side effects so I started a blog, www.CincoVidas.com, that focuses on the side effects of cancer treatment on the hair, skin and nails. I did a post on yoga for relieving fatigue and gaining some balance http://blog.cincovidas.com/yoga-restoring-minds-and-bodies-during-cancer—some-survivors-call-it-a-“life-saver”. You can also check out the post on acupuncture http://blog.cincovidas.com/ahhh-acupuncture-relieves-many-chemotherapy-side-effects and chemo-brain http://blog.cincovidas.com/chemo-over-but-you’re-forgetting-things-you-may-have-“chemo-brain”. I hope this helps. Love, strength and survival - Britta