RADIATION FATIGUE - POLL

Thanks Shihrlann.  I've never been a worrier and perhaps that is helping me through this as "this too shall pass".  I seem to be saililng through this too easily and although I hope that continues, at least I can know in the back of my mind that "something" can still come about and not be blindsided by it.

I teach, and my school won't let us take an hour.  It's half day!  That really helped!  I had my rads at 8am, came home and took a nap.  Had a high protein lunch and went to my afternoon half day.  I wasn't really tired until a week after the rads ended.  Then it was like I hit a brick wall!  Now a month later, I do sometimes get tired, but usually at the end of the day.  I did not do chemo.  I am taking Arimidex which I started 5 days after the last rad tx.  That might account for some of the fatigue, too.

I'm taking a ton of supplements.  I found that Omega-3 gave me diarrhea really bad.  I was taking 4x2400mg.  Now I take 1 in the morning.  Still have diarrhea, but not as bad.

My mom is on 25 rounds of high dosage rads. She finished 18 of them and fatigue hits her very hard. It was a breeze for her 2.5 yrs ago, but this time the treatment started about 5 weeks after 5 rounds of high dosage T/C so perhaps the leftover chemo toxicity plus the radiation are too harsh for my mom to take. Both onc and radiiologist said it's side effect of radiatoin. The fatigue doesn't just make her tired but completely powerless, and she cries a lot due to that tired feeling. She says it feels like her arms are no longer attached to her body, as if she has been moving rocks for days. I hope my mom's case doesn't scare anyone of you who's going to start rads. It was really a breeze for my mom and so is a lot of women.

Today is my last one - #33 and I am feeling great.  I only have some minor sunburn and no real fatigue.  I am tired in the evenings but nothing out of the usual.  I am working full time and exercising 3-4 times a week after rad treatments.  I've actually lost a few pounds since rads began.  I started rads two weeks after my last chemo.  Personally, for myself, I think a positive attitude is everything!

I was ok thru rads although wasn't working--and no kids to take care of! But I did take it easy and lay down when i needed to--also tried to walk at least a mile every day. I think that helped a lot. But everyone reacts differently. I did get some fatigue oddly enough a few weeks ago--it was like I was taking an antihistamine, you know where you feel sluggish and just want to go put your head down? I met with a nutritionist (separate from this issue) and she suggested that I get my folate, iron and B-12 levels tested, along with the vitamin D test she suggests for all cancer patients. So I will do that later this week. I did start taking an extra B complex vitamin along with a regular multiple. Seems to have helped a bit. She said not to take more iron or folates before the test but that a B complex was fine to add.

So did you take any time off of work--do you think it wise to take time off during radiation if one has the sick time?  Or to work half time?

Hey wwgoddess and tennisgirl,  I think you will find that some women work through rads, some work half time and some take the entire time off.  Unfortunately, there is no straight cut answer for this question since all of us experience rads differently to one degree or another.  I worked straight through my rads and while I ended up with skin breakdown towards the end of treatment and also some fatigue as well.  I didn't find my skin breakdown or fatigue bad enough for me to take time off..but that's just me.  If your work will allow you to take time off if you find that you need to do so without having to decide ahead of treatment you might want to go that route.  Best of luck.

I had radiation after 6 rounds of TCH chemo. I started rads 5 weeks after my last chemo treatment. I had almost no fatigue due to radiation. I did get tired around mid-afternoon a couple of times at the start and once took a nap. Maybe that was the after effect of chemo - but it wasn't any worse than one might feel some days when not on cancer treatment - sometimes the mid-afternoon drowsyness just strikes. Other than that, I felt I had normal energy levels - perhaps because I felt so much better than I had during chemo.

I worked full time all through rads and never felt it was a strain to do so. Working through chemo was much harder and I did have to take some days off then.

My RBC was low at the end of chemo and I was still anemic at the end of rads so I'm surprised I felt good.

I had almost no burns from rads. Mostly my breast just got pink, swollen and kind of tender. The only area that felt burnt was under my arm. Perhaps that was because at the beginning I didn't think the field extended that far so I wasn't putting aloe vera gel and moisturizer there. But it also seems to be a pretty common place to burn. It was only first degree - no blisters.

Linda, I don't work a night shift, but I could have during radiation since I couldn't sleep a wink anyways!!!!!  I was tired, but just couldn't sleep!

Cher-I had nausea with rads too for a couple of weeks.  I took zofran just before my treatment and it really helped.

Fatigue hit me yesterday at tx #10.  I also am feeling a sense of vertigo for the first time.  Anybody else?

Laura3...I didn't find that my skin got any worse when I had my boosts..then again the area that they did the boosts never broke down at all.  Did find that the areas (under my arm, under my boob and up on my collar bone) that I did have problems with seemed to get worse after radiation was over before they got better.  It took about 3 weeks after radiation for my skin to heal. 

Also found that I didn't experience any fatigue at all during radiation but once it was all over...a totally different story.  I am 6 wks post rads and still having problems with the fatigue.  I do exercise every day and I work outside the home...some days the fatigue is not a huge problem other days I feel like I could just curl up under my desk and sleep the entire day.

Good luck with your boosts...and remember ...this to shall pass!

Purpleme...Thanks for the info...I seem to have the same reaction you have, under the boob, on the side, and in front cleavage area.  They told me to use cortaid on the red bumps and that seems to help.  Not so itchy....After today I only have to go 9 more times....Can't wait to be over.  The only worry is that everyone seems to have the worst SE after its over.  So, I guess I can't feel so lucky yet.  Everything so far has been tolerable.  A little lotion and a good nap! 

Hope you are all well, Laura

This thread is very helpful.  I had 28 regular tx, 8 boosts. No chemo.  Lumpectomy.  I never felt anything as dramatic as "fatigue" but tremendous anxiety the whole time.  Anticipating the treatment made me shake, every time!  I am normally a calm person but found the whole process very stressful.  I took a "lay-me-down" every day but could not nap, went to bed early every night but slept fitfully.  I am 4 days post-radiation and feel MUCH better already.  More enthusiasm for everything, sleeping better too.  It's quite hot where I live so have to be careful not to be over-heated... that will make me feel weak and light headed right now.  But I feel much less tense and anxious and like I just might get back to normal.  Make taking care of yourself a priority!!!

I felt very fatigued near the end of treatment. I was sleeping later in the mornings & sometimes had to take naps. But doing some type of exercise definetly helped w/ my energy level.