Energy Levels after each Treatment

Gingergirl1

Hi everyone I have been reading these boards for awhile and find the information invaluable. I have just had the one treatment of TC plus Herceptin 6 days ago. The first three days were pretty good except for constant headache. Had Neulasta shot on day 2 with the Claratin for 4 days. Fatigue really set in on day 4, found it hard to get off the couch. Some aches and pains ensued for the next two days which were uncomfortable but manageable. Still don't much feel like doing anything.



I was just wondering if the energy levels, pick up a bit before the next treatment? Also doctor said effects are cumulative, does that mean energy will get progressively worse, headaches worse, body aches worse? I'm not sure how people work when getting treatment. I am lucky that I retired in March. Nice retirement gift.



Thanks for our help!

NatsFan

Hi Ginger - I did 6*TAC, three weeks apart.  I was pretty fatigued the first week, OK the second, and by the third I felt pretty much back to normal.  Yes, the s/e of the treatments were cumulative for me.  Each tx the fatigue and other s/e lasted longer and the "normal" time got shorter.  However, I was working full time during chemo, so that added immensely to my fatigue.  Since you're retired, you may bounce back quicker since you can rest and recover from the s/e. 

You may want to check out the chemo section - there's an entire thread dedicated to people who started chemo this month, so you can go through it with them. 

Good luck - chemo is no walk in the park, but for most people it is quite doable.  Let others help you - you probably have family and friends who keep saying, "Let me know if I can do anything for you."  Take them up on that.  Ask for meals, ask help with walking the dog or mowing the lawn or going to the grocery store.  Get someone to drive you to treatments.  Ask someone to clean the bathroom or throw in a load of laundry for you.  People really do want to help and it makes them feel good to help out someone going through chemo.  So give that gift to others by allowing them to help you. 

sdstarfish

I received 4 rounds of TC, each 3 weeks apart. I found that the week before each treatment was the best in terms of energy and pain level.

I also found that Neulasta really did a number on me over time - each time it became more painful. I had bone pain in the lower back and skull. I'm not trying to scare you - and I hope this doesn't happen for you. I'm just telling you this so you're prepared. Some things that really helped my bone pain were Therma-Care pads, and believe it or not - rubbing mineral ice on my bald head

Gingergirl1

Thank you to both Natsfan and sdstarfish for your comments. I guess you always hope that you won't be as bad as what some people report. It sounds like this summer is going to go by in a haze. I was lucky I didn't get the nausea hope fully it will be the same next time. I just feel so useless right now.



Thanks again and hope everything in life is good for you!!

NatsFan

Ginger - you'll do better than you think, but agreed that the summer will be a haze for you.  To this day I don't remember some things that happened while I was in chemo.  Yes, you'll give up a lot of the next several months, but think of it as an investment - you invest some months now with the idea that it will give you many more years in the future.  Emend worked very well for me - I never had any nausea.  For a few weeks after each tx I only wanted bland food, like mashed potatoes and rice, but I never had nausea.  I also was lucky and had no pain from Neulasta.  Fatigue was the thing that hit me most.  And it hit me hard.

But just to give you some hope - it does get better.  I started a gentle yoga class two weeks after chemo.  I could only do part of the class and ended up in child's pose a lot, but it was a start.  I also hopped on the elliptical.  Before I was dx I could do 45 minutes on the elliptical - that first time after chemo I managed to stay on for only 5 minutes before I had to stop, and the machine kept blipping off because I was going so slowly.  But I kept at it, and gradually it got better.  A few years ago I discovered running and now I run a lot of 5K and 10K races.  To celebrate my 5 year anniversary, in April I ran my very first half marathon!  I'm still slow as heck, but I finished it.  And during all the months of training and during the race itself, when the going would get tough, I'd think to myself, "Hey girl - you got through chemo.  If you can get through that, you can get through anything."  

So hang in there, do what exercise can during chemo, even if it's just a walk down to the corner and back.  But also be good to yourself - there are days when you may not even be able to get off the couch.  That's OK.  You're not useless - you're a cancer patient!!  Read, watch trashy TV, or just sleep as much as you want.  Your body is fighting off terrible poisons after each tx and it's not surprising that you're completely zapped of energy.  Once chemo is done, you can start to get back to normal activities again.  Good luck!

SpecialK

gingergirl - something to keep in mind - often the first chemo, and the first Neulasta, present side effects that don't occur in subsequent treatments.  I had a very bad headache after the first chemo and owndered if it would happen each time, but it did not.  A number of ladies on the TCH thread also reported the same - bad headache on the first chem that did not happen again.  I did have a low grade headache - particularly when I received Herceptin alone - but it was never really bad enough to take Tylenol, other than a few times.  I think the headache can be a combination of that first assault on the body, plus a number of the anti-nausea meds (Zofran, in particular) carry a headache warning.  With Neulasta, the first injection expands the bone marrow and stimulates it initially, later injections are stimulating already expanded marrow.  Kind of like a pair of shoes hurt when you wear them the first time, then they get broken in with each wearing!  The antihistamine in Claritin is thought to help control the edema in the bone marrow and thus reduce the discomfort.  NSAID pain relievers and warm baths also help.  I found that the first 10 days after tx were yucky - GI side effects were bad for me.  The last 10 days before the next tx were pretty normal.  I grocery shopped, had lunch with friends, ran errands and pretty much lived my normal life.  Good luck!

Gingergirl1

Thanks NatsFan and SpecialK for your input. I hope you are right about the Neulasta SpecialK. This morning I had bad muscle spasms in my lower back. Not sure if it is all the laying around I have been doing or the Neulasta. My head still foggy and I feel weak. I think I am better than yesterday though.



You are both very encouraging thank you I appreciate it.



Hugs