Exhaustion

alfie167

Hello, I'm 44 and am on my 5th weekly cycle of chemo, one more to go, however I'm having a horrible time bouncing back.  Usally on my Hercepin weeks I start to feel better and get a little more energy and an bit of an appetite.  This time I am vomiting still 4 days later and the smallest thing winds me.  I feel so discouraged and useless.  Is this normal?  Am I possibly sick?  I just can"t stand this tired achy feeling all the time. I'm so sacred that when this is over I'm going to be a weakling with no streath or energy at all.  Has anyone else who has been thru this have a similar situation?  I would really like to hear from others. 

epgnyc

Hi, Dot.  I didn't have the same treatment regimen as you (I had 4xAC +4T DD) but oh, boy can I relate to the issue of exhaustion.

I got increasingly tired with each AC treatment and was so relieved when I'd had my 4th treatment, thinking I'd begin to feel better.  But then when I felt even worse following my 1st Taxol treatment, I didn't know if I could continue.  I literally was having trouble getting out of bed and just walking to the sofa was almost more than I could manage.  But thankfully the 2- week period between the 1st and 2nd Taxol was when my body adjusted and started recovering from the AC.  After that my exhaustion started to lift.  Honestly, even though I had rashes, constant nausea depspite all the anti-nausea meds, allergic reaction to Taxol, 4 visits to the ER, one 4-day hospital stay with a "0" white blood count, neuropathy and other SE's, I felt the extreme fatigue was the hardest thing to bear.  But don't worry, it will get better!

I'm now just over 3 months from the end of treatment and I feel so much better.  The fatigue is much improved, though I still have some neuropathy and stomach issues.  But there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.  You're almost there!  Good luck.

alfie167

Oh thank you so much.  I feel a little relived.  What a terrible time you had, my goodness, Your positive energy is wonderful for my soul and makes me a little ashamed of my whining.  I can"t thank you enough, it is good to know I'm not alone.  I've been blessed with a very wonderful husband and sons but this exhaustion just ins"t comprehensible to them.  Really none of my family understands how tired you become, sometimes i feel like I'm letting them all down. 

alfie167

When i get through all this, I need to find a way to help mothers going thru this with young children.  I have teenagers and that is hard, i can"t imagine what a mother with babies is going thru.  God bless them.

dlb823

alfie, I had TCx4 (every 3 wks), so perhaps not even as tough as whatever you're doing weekly... and I distinctly remember sitting in a large arena about 6 weeks after I was done w/tx, after an overwhelming effort to drag myself up lots of stairs to get to my seat, and watching people obviously older than I am bound up the same steps.  And I sat there seriously wondering if chemo had somehow catapulted me into old age, and wondering if I would ever regain my strength.  And when I told my sister (also a bc survivor) how I felt, she said she distinctly remembered having the same thoughts at one point, and she used the term "bone tired."  

The good news is, that's just a distant memory for me, and it will be for you, too, within a few months.  And you're by no means alone.  Many of us know exactly what you're talking about!  It's a tired beyond anything you can describe to someone who hasn't been through it.  So hang in there!  But also call your onc if you're vomitting for 4+ days.  Hopefully, he/she can add/switch your nausea meds to help that.  (((Hugs)))   Deanna 

ma111

The last few are the worst! The problem with our age is people expect us to not be sick and we get no help.

Call the onc office for anti vomiting medication before you get dehydrated. They also have prescription anti diarrheals that work well. You can also go to the er to get iv meds, I've done that because I just get so tired of being sick. If you start in taking earlier, than you will recover quicker.

DOn't suffer in silence, call the onc.

epgnyc

Good heavens, you're not whining!  You're just expressing your fears on how long this feeling will continue.  That's exactly what this board is for and why it's so great.  And I completely agree with you that it's hard to describe this kind of extraordinary fatigue to anyone who hasn't gone through it.  They all think we're "just tired."  Not hardly!  I'd say you're doing fine (except for the excessive vomiting, so do call your onc for better meds) and for this treatment regimen are entirely normal.  Be kind to yourself -- you deserve it.

J-Bug

Definitely call the oncologist. I was told that there should be no vomiting, there are just too many good meds for that.

Also, you talk about being winded so easily. I had very low hgb during my chemo and we talked of transfusions but never had to do it. That is one of the warning signs. You don't want to find yourself passing out from this in a dangerous place, such as driving.

I don't mean to alarm you, but it never hurts to call and double-check your symptoms with the onco. I did it a lot and it helped with my anxiety as well.

pitanga

Alfie, I felt like a dishrag the entire time I was on Adriamyacin/Cytoxan, was constantly running a very low-grade fever. Could barely string a sentence together. I felt a wee bit better on Taxol. 

The good news is, it gets better when you finish chemo. Hang in there!