Radiation Fatigue (no chemo)

Options
marilyn113
marilyn113 Member Posts: 118
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

I finished radiation about 4 weeks ago.  I haven't been able to work more than 2 days a week for the last 5 weeks.  The fatigue has been worse the past week than it was a couple of weeks ago. I seem to be getting worse instead of better.

What have others experienced after radiation?  When did you become functional?  I need to get out of the house and back to work!  Am I being too impatient?

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • lilylady
    lilylady Member Posts: 1,079
    edited February 2012

     Rads totally wrecked me-and I would never have guessed it. Sailed thru big chemo and got laid low by a few zaps!!

      They told me it would get worse before it got better but had no idea it would be so bad. If I wasn't sleeping I wanted to be!! Worked thru the whole thing 7 days a week but came home and just crashed. I finally asked my onc what we could do and he put me on Concerta-the best little pill ever invented. It is 12hr Ritalin and has done wonders for me. It makes me feel alert and alive-and I don;t have any trouble sleeping-but I make sure I take it early enough in the day so it can run its course. It is non-addictive. Only real problem for me-it totally kills your appetite. He has told me if I lose any more weight he will not renew it for me again.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited February 2012

    Sorry you're going through this. The first few weeks after rads my energy was still low, I had good days followed by bad days. I gave up and acted like I was still doing rads--took power naps and went to bed early, ate extra protein, made sure I walked 30 mins a day, etc. All things to boost the immune system. Anyway, my advice would be to prioritize your healing and rest as much as you can for the next couple of weeks and then see how you feel.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • kennylynne
    kennylynne Member Posts: 152
    edited February 2012

    Yes me too.... I am almost 4 weeks out from rads and am so tired. I am not working so that isn't an issue for me but am trying to get on with a somewhat normal life. I thought that I would start to feel better by now am still having issues with pain from the rads too. Started back excercising last week and I think that makes my arm and chest feel worse. I am a terrible sleeper since cancer so I don't nap nor do I sleep well at night. Just trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel here.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ptdreamers
    ptdreamers Member Posts: 1,080
    edited February 2012

    I am five weeks out, still get really  fatigued at times. I started taking melatonin 2.5 mg ab out a half hour before bed and that has helped me get the rest I need.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • michellemc0
    michellemc0 Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2012

    I had txt #18 of 33 on Friday.  I am so fatigued I feel like I cannot function.  I have 3 small children and this is really the hardest part for me so far.  People say "Take a nap' but I really cannot, and even if I do manage to coerce my youngest into sleeping an hour in the afternoon with me, I'm exhausted by dinner every night.  I don't have any solutions but I feel for you.  RO says it's 'normal'.  Yes, I know that, but knowing it's normal really does not help!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • thefuzzylemon
    thefuzzylemon Member Posts: 2,630
    edited February 2012

    I finished rads in October....I'm on amphetamines to this day and can't function without them. I work full time and they give me alertness and the ability to get through the day.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mandalala
    Mandalala Member Posts: 162
    edited February 2012

    I finished radiation two months and four days ago. I had a vacation the two last weeks of treatment, and then Christmas came ... but since then I have been working full time. Gradually I discovered that I had been tired, more so than I thought, and less efficient at work, but I didn't discover the tiredness until my energy came back. I really, really like my job, and maybe that helps. This said, I still sleep a lot more than I used to, which gives me less time to do other things. But that seems to happen to people my age anyway. 

    Hope your energy comes back soon! 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Carrye
    Carrye Member Posts: 43
    edited February 2012

    My oncologist urged me to resume work in week four of radiation. But i am too fatigued to deal with the commute and long hours at a desk. i can manage one day in the office a week and a couple of hours of work at home a day. I was a 12 hour a day workaholic before the bc. I hope you feel more normal soon. Exercise might help if you havent resumed. I have to force myself to exercise!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • marilyn113
    marilyn113 Member Posts: 118
    edited February 2012

    I felt much better a few days after the post.  I was back to work the following week.  Still have some fatigue but I've dealt with that for 20 years due to fibromyalgia.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Spinnerpom
    Spinnerpom Member Posts: 106
    edited February 2012

    I'm entering week 4 and so far my fatigue has been manageable. I work full time and teach Spinning and TRX classes a couple times a week in addtion. Other than a terrible cold that literally knocked me flat for the last 4 days, I have felt pretty good.I have a feeling the worst is yet to come but I can't imagine NOT working right now. The mental stimulation of my day job and the physical activity of my classes I think really helps me. Of course, I could eat my words in a few more weeks.

    Stay strong ladies!!! 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Juliebell22
    Juliebell22 Member Posts: 72
    edited February 2012

    I just finished rads last week. I still feel the fatigue.. of course, hot flashes waking me up every 2 hours doesnt help. I also am wondering if its somewhat anxiety ridden. Im not so much having the feeling of "now what" as i am "What the hell happened to me the past year?" Its like you get the dx, and are thrown into treatment, (which as we all know is very time consuming) Then your brain an emotions cant catch up with the treatment, in order to absorb...." I had CANCER!" Yes, I believe radiation "zapped" some energy, but i also think its in conjuntion with all the other emotinal crap we have to deal with!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Spinnerpom
    Spinnerpom Member Posts: 106
    edited February 2012

    I saw some ridiciulous study a few weeks ago wherein someone spent probably hundreds of thousands of dollars to come to the conclusion that the "fatigue trajectory" was steeper in "women with small children in the household" and "women who worked outside the home."  Um, yeah, go figure. I could have saved you a few hundred thou on that study.  Morons.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Juliebell22
    Juliebell22 Member Posts: 72
    edited February 2012

    lol, yep spinner! I am a single mom of a 4 year old, and have worked all through treatment as a hairstylist. makes sense to me!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories