RADIATION FATIGUE - POLL

I am currently finishing my rad. treatments and I have found that 9:30 ish had worked well for me.  I am taking the shortened 3 week rad and this am was #12 of 16 total treatments.  Most treatments for me lasted about 15 minutes plus travel time.  Once a week it lasts longer due to an xray picture to confirm radiation field and then after treatment that day you  will see the rad. onc.  for a short visit.  Hope this helps.   Cathey

My appt is at 12:00.  I come home, eat lunch, then rest for a couple of hours. Tomorrow is #10, but the Lupus thing is a factor.  I am a little tired, just kind of no energy.  So, far, so good.  No redness, nothing, and I am very fair.

I had 33 radiation treatments and felt no fatigue at all until the treatments were over. Throughout the six and a half weeks of treatments I walked for a little over three miles every morning (averaging about 3.5 mph) and swam laps for 30-45 minutes every afternoon. Shortly after the last treatment a strange wave of what I guess would be called fatigue swept over me. I don't have it all the time, but when it is going to sweep over me is unpredictable. The only time I know it WON'T be a problem is when I'm exercising. I'm still doing my 3+ miles of morning walking and my afternoon swimming since the exercise makes me feel better, not worse. I *hate* the strange feeling when the fatigue sweeps over me. (My last radiation treatment was on August 13, and I started taking Femara yesterday.)

Hello to All, I am finishing up chemo (tx #6 this thursday 09/17 as long as my blood work comes back good) and I am soooo excited! Then in Nov. I have to get my defibulator changed. inbetween this time (October) I will have to meet w/ a rads dr. and I am terrified!! When I was 1st diagnosed w/ breast cancer, I was terrified fo rthe surgery (lumpectomy), then the chemo, now the rads...I worked through all of chemo. I had/have tx on thurs., work on friday & sat & sun would be my crash time and be back at work on monday and would work all week.  I am bound & determined to complete this journey and put it behind me! Now I am just having to work through my fear of the next stage....radiation....

Calypso - How long before you felt better after rads.  I'm too am having a hard time.  I've done 20, 8 to go and then 6 boosts.  I am exhausted. Some of you say you work out, you've got to be kidding me, all I can do is make it thru the day doing what I actually have to do.  Some people have said on here it gets worse afterward, I can't even imagine.

Shemei - By the way, you were talking earlier about the brain fog, my daughter has severe fibromyalgia.  She says the brain fog is due to the fatigue.  I'm like you, I can't articulate, forget what I'm talking about and just can't get my thoughts together.

 Like I said I have 8 more and then 6 boosts, and am already exhausted.  My Dr. said fatigue usually peaks at the end of 4 weeks, but that's not what I'm hearing from some people.

oooh, oooh, me! me!  I'm like you kawee...I am exhausted!!!  I think we're on the exact same schedule.  And now I have a sinus infection or cold or something with a sore throat.  I'm hoping it's not anything "flu-like."  My 4 kids are basically fending for themselves (in a good way)...I get them to school and I get them home.  That's about it.  House is a mess but I guess I'll get it together eventually!  Also pain at the incision site and underarm pain.

hiya, kawee!  I'm sitting here waiting for hubby to get home from NYC (about 9 pm right now).  Then we're going to eat Chinese food!  That's like SO BAD for this cancer thing, isnt it...eating *crap* and late at night, but oh well.  I need comfort food (and there's no cake available...ha ha! just kidding ).  Yep, I think it's a cold but I did start taking amoxicillin just in case.  So far, not helping, but I only took 1 pill.  I'll take another soon.

Holy cow, I'm not sleeping either!  And let me tell you this is the first time since I've been born that I couldnt sleep (except at dx of course...we all know what great nights we had when we first got dx'd), so I'm a thinkin' it's the RADS.

I am so glad you're hubby is helping out!  Mine too, and I feel so blessed and undeserving!  (I'm milking it a little too, I have to admit hee hee.  but not so much that he'd notice ).  

Very interesting about vitamin B12 shot.  I didnt even know they had that.  I should tell my mom about it as she has rheumatoid arthritis.  Maybe it'll help.  BTW, Beverly Hills sounds like a great place I'd like to visit!!!

Woo hoo!  10 more days to go for me!  Oct 1 is last day, yeah!

Actually I guess  I am weird.  I really didnt experience fatigue untill about 4 weeks in to it. then that was because I had to lay out for two weeks due to the skin under my arm.  When I came back, Mondays were the worst.  I have 5 more boosters to go and I already feel my energy coming back.

I want to revive this thread in case anyone else is experiencing post-radiation fatigue and wondering about it. I started to get this weird fatigue early on during radiation treatments, but it was uneven. As some have said, this is different than being weary. It feels like a white fog rising involving my brain and my eyes hurt. I'm about three weeks out from rads, and the fatigue starts mid-to-late morning and lasts into the evening. I have low-grade headache along with it. I'm not worried, but I do have a job communicating information clearly all day long and by mid-day I feel like my vocabulary has shrunk to a couple dozen words and my comprehension to around zero. 

I'd love an estimate on when this is supposed to go away, even though logically I know that everyone is different.

Hang in everyone! At least we can complain in good company.

I've finished 12 of the 30 and I'm really starting to get fatigued.  I hit a wall at about 2 pm and am basically useless after that.  I have to force myself to stay awake at my desk.  I know it will probably get worse before it gets better and have warned my boss he may get a call that I am way too tired to get out of bed.  They are actually working on getting me a laptop so if or when that happens I can at least get some things done from home.

I am about to start a heavier duty radiation, that only lasts three and a half weeks. Has anyone had any experience with this? I'm apprehensive!

Joyus

Joyus - I had only three weeks' worth of rads so must have been heavy duty. Sailed through no problems and far far less fatigued than I had been lead to believe. I had to do some entertaining two days after finishing - shopping, cooking etc etc and managed it just fine. Hope your experience is as good. Best of luck. Aloe Vera cream twice a day was all I used but other posts will give you other ideas which may help.

Day 23 and no noticible fatigue. A couple of days I've felt a little less energy, and maybe took a nap, but nothing that I would consider "fatigue." Certainly nothing debilitating.

There's a gal that goes before me that finishes on this next Tuesday and she bikes 30 minutes to and from rads. Said that she may feel a little tired mid-afternoon, but then she gets on her bike to come to treatment and her energy is back. She's my hero.

bumping this to ask:

Has anyone had INCREASING fatigue one year after chemo/radiation? I thought I was getting my energy back but in the past few weeks I have been experiencing more fatigue and shortness of breath, possibly because I have been a lot more active than usual ? My doc says it's probably from theradiation.