Cancer fatigue--I am so tired

Hi Barb,

I'm right there with you with the fatigue. I started at a disadvantage before beginning treatment because I have Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy now known (when it is know) as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (RSD/CRPS). It a rare, chronic, extremely painful and as of yet, incurable illness. Along with the pain, extreme fatigue is a hallmark symptom of the illness.

After my lumpectomy the pathology 'looked' really good and I was going to be able to skip chemo and go directly to radiation. However, I have a husband who is the most loving, kind, caring and all round amazing person who has no family except me. I couldn't bear the thought of him having to go through this with me again or worse yet, leaving him all alone. I wanted to be certain I was doing everything I could possibly do to make sure I didn't experience a recurrence. As a result, my MO sent my tumour to California for an Oncotype Test. She fully expected the score to be very low which would assure all of us that I didn't need chemo. To her surprise it came back with a score of 30. Because of that score it was recommended by every Dr. on my team that I should have 4 rounds of chemo It was everyone's concern that because of the RSD/CRPS that chemo would be very hard on me. It has been! I've had round three; each round has been harder on me than the round before. My bone marrow/white blood cell count is always lower than the previous time even though from the very first round I was having ten neupogen needles and after the first round the amount was raised from 1 ml. to 1.8ml. Even the higher dose didn't raise the counts. It only made the pain in my femurs and hips and trunk that much worse.

The fatigue is off the charts. I have only a very few days before and after each treatment where I'm not completely bed bound and need my husband to help me walk to the bathroom and back. I'm ridiculously weak. My MO just tells me to accept that I'm going to be weak but that once the chemo is over I will eventually rebound and if I don't she has 'things' in her bag of tricks that will improve my bone marrow and increase my WBC count. I'm not sure if that might be platelets?

I do exercises with my legs, in bed, to make sure I don't develop a deep vein thrombosis. I still worry though how long it's going to take me to regain even a little of my energy so I can walk further than to the bathroom and back again.

When there's a co morbidity chemo can be tough. Do you have any pre existing medical issues that may be contributing to your excessive fatigue?

Warmest wishes for more energy in the days ahead.

Dauna