First Time Post - Radiation Fatigue

Pam, it'll depend on so many things. I did chemo, then lumpectomy, then radiation.  I was walking (admitedly less and less) throughout treatment, but during rads I just bottomed out.

However -- I was also taking care of my mother who had ovarian cancer and dementia.  And she died in the middle of my rads.

So it's hard to pull out the different threads and say what was due to what. I was overwhelmed on every possible level.

Some women do really well by the time they get to rads, and some find it overwhelming.  It's realy individual.

The best thing I can think of to say to you is to listen to your body.  You may well need extra rest-- so do that.  Naps are ok, no matter how you may have felt about them in the past, and extra sleep at night isn't unusual.  Eat and drink as healthy as possible.  And most of all, be gentle with yourself.  Do what you can do, and don't beat yourself  up if you can't do more.  Exercise as much as you can -- it helps a lot when you get into recovery, but don't feel guilty if you just can't keep it up.  A year out from the end of treatment, I'm really happy with how good I feel.

Best of luck to you.  You're going to be OK!  Big warm hug...

My experience was doing radiation right after chemo.  I actually felt BETTER as I went through radiation, so my overall fatigue at the end wasn't as bad as at the beginning.  I was able to stop taking naps and go back to work.  I think, for me, recovering from chemo played a more dominant role than the radiation during that time. 

I did exercise steadily through radiation, hard to know if that helped or not since I can't compare it to not having done it. 

Good luck.

I'm one week post-radiation and the fatigue is at its worst for me.  It's a lot like when I had mono in high school -- I feel fine, not nauseated or dizzy or anything; just don't want to do anything except sleep, or lie in bed and read, with an occasional burst of energy when i can watch TV. Unfortunately, unlike when I was in high school I no longer have my mom to wait on me! Yesterday I got up at 9 AM or so and had breakfast, fed the cat, etc. -- went back to bed for a little lie-down and fell back to sleep until 1:30 PM, including sleeping through two phone calls.  I have a bad cold, which may be contributing to it (or maybe I got the cold because the rads made me more vulnerable?).  I have been going to the gym twice a week throughout treatment, but not exercising much on the other days. 

Like ADK,  I really didn't feel any additional fatigue from radiation. I found the mental anxiety before and during rads far worse, truthfully, than the physical issues. With just dcis, you will not undergo chemo., which I recall others posting, often leads to added fatigue during rads.

May you breeze through the weeks, just take 'em one day at a time.

I agree that everyone is different.  I was told to expect fatigue and was lucky enough not to experience any.  Like some of the ladies said, listen to your body, exercise when you can even if it's just a bit of walking, eat when you're hungry, and sleep when you're tired.  I wasn't able to work during rads due to scheduling conflicts and the nature of my job, but I kept myself pretty busy during that time anyway.  

I did not have to go the chemo route and with only the 6 boosts left after today I feel great.  Maybe because I have been eating healthier and making sure I get enough sleep at night.  I have experienced some moments of "I need a nap" but really that has not happened more than 5 times. I have continued working out at least 4 hours a week and I really believe that has helped me alot.  I also used Aquafor and aloe and being  redhead I am really happy that my burn is not that bad. I air it out at night as much as I can.  I have had many sunburns more painful. Take care of yourself and keep your iron up.

Hello Ladies! I am on my 2nd week of Radiation and I am feeling some fatigue already.  Have any of you started working FT already while receiving treatment?  I am due back to work and started today but I felt so losts and tired already! I am not sure if I can go on like this...

Winkwink15 - the hardest weeks for me were 4-7. I worked from home during that time, and not fulltime. I could not have worked fulltime. I also needed the privacy of home to deal with skincare as frequently as I needed to, with saline soaks throughout the day. Plus the energy it took to get to work and interact with others there. I have a very understanding boss and was able to make decisions based on what was best for me. I hope you can do the same. I finished tx last week and am just now starting to get back to a fulltime schedule, though I'm still very tired. Best wishes to you!

Sharon

Hi y'all, 3 boosts left and I'm done! Fatigue is bad but I'm trying to be kind to myself and rest as much as I need to without feeling bad about it! Right now our job is to get well, everything else can wait!

I had no idea rad would be that hard on me.  I will need them but don't know about chemo yet.  Geez & I thought I could work thru it all......

You have it under control. Rest as much as you need to. Good job.

Congratulations! I finished my 3rd day of accelerated 16 rad session. I do feel tried during mid-day, but not that bad. Maybe b/c I just started.

Mimi