How long did tiredness last? Anything help?

I was really tired after radiation (finished end of Nov 16) not helped by going straight back to work the following day at the busiest time of the year! What I found really helped was exercise. Long hard hilly forests walks. I thought i was dying most of the time (terribly unfit following 2 surgeries and radiation) but honestly, I could almost feel the fatigue blowing out. Lots of studies seem to support exercise as assisting with fatigue.

Hi everyone!

I too am wondering when I'll get myenergy back from all this. I had my DBMX in July, started chemo on 8/6- 4 AC and 16 Taxol treatments. Finished chemo 12/27, took 30 day break before starting radiation on 2/20 sooo I've been feeling like a zombie for about 9 months now. I was told it could take up to a year for me to get my energy back to "somewhat" normal. With the warmer weather I've started walking a lot more and so far I don't feel any difference in my energy level. I'm not giving up tho...

MinusTwo, thank you. I've dug my Fitbit out of the drawer and started using it a few weeks ago. I used to get in 12,000 to 15,000 steps a day a year ago, now I'm lucky if I get in 3,000 a day. At least now I'm back to keeping track of it :-

I am SO aggravated.... I started rads at the end of January, and finished in the beginning of March. I tried to work in the beginning, as I had worked throughout dx and surgery, but the fatigue was so bad I had to take STD.

It's been four weeks since my last treatment, and I'm still wiped out. (Take into consideration I'm pushing 60, have high blood pressure- controlled with meds-, autoimmune thyroid disease, and no one to help me out at home with food/nutrition, chores, etc.)

Today my RO told me I should be fine, should be back at work by now. So my fatigue doesn't exist? When I try to do too much and start to "grey out", that isn't happening? When I run a minor errand and collapse on the couch as soon as I get home, I'm doing that by choice? I am losing my mind from boredom, but can't do the things I want to do?- I'm imagining it?

She made me feel like some kind of slacker or scammer. I'm usually described as more of a workaholic. Having a professional flat out deny that I feel what I feel is flabbergasting.

ARGH.

According to The Oncologist, "a journal devoted to medical and practice issues for surgical, radiation, and medical oncologists",

"Our recent studies, with sample sizes of several hundred consecutive patients, have shown that >80% of outpatients receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy reported some degree of CRF as assessed using the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (Fig. 3) ([26] and G.R. Morrow et al., manuscript in preparation). For example, in a subset of patients with breast cancer who were receiving radiotherapy, fatigue was the most commonly experienced side effect, with 84% of patients reporting fatigue, compared with 75% reporting pain and 25% reporting nausea [27]." [emphasis mine]


So SOMEONE has made a link between radiation and nausea!

Carrie

http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/content/12/suppl_1/4.full

Hi ,

Finished my 20 rad tx's on March 14 ,2017. My fatigue has worsened over the last week . The first week was ok , but now I feel drained . So glad to hear others say this is normal . Exercise does help me , but when I have any down time and am alone, it hits me like a ton of bricks. It helps to read of others going through it or having gone through it as it relieves the anxiety I sometimes feel when I get so overwhelmingly tired .

Thanks for being here knowledge is power and kinship with otherpeople going through it helps me the most .

💗❤

Elm, we are all here to give support to each other. I'm so looking forward to the day when I can walk to the mailbox and not be to tired to read the mail once I'm back inside! My MO has gone through cancer treatments and says he still has days when he's exhausted and it's been well over a year since his treatments. He's very reassuring and supportive and says it's different for everyone.

Celia, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I sat down to delete my old alarms and add my new alarms for all upcoming FU appointments and I'm exhausted just from that! I've also heard of the after radiation fatigue being intense. With everything else we've all been through.... we got this!!!

Healing hugs to All 🤗

Hello all!

I will start radiation treatment in the next week or so. 

I feel so great now finally after several months of chemo and surgery,

and am returning to work. I will have 33 treatments,

and am not looking forward to it at all.

I finally feel fantastic, but now with radiation, it may rob me of my energy!

I know everyone is different, and it may not happen, but losing this great feeling,

with no residual cancer according to the pathology report.

I am on cloud 9!  My oncologist did inform me that I can work and

do my treatments and work.  I will definitely go on exercise regeme. 

Thank you for all in this community for all the support.

Hi Wenchlori,

After my radio therapy the second week I had serious fatigue issues. I could not even cook dinner . But after a week I am back to normal . Like it never happened. Hope it'll be the same for you .❌

I had a decent time through my 33 rads. I wasn’t tired. I did lat downevery afternoon to rest. Did not go to sleep just rest 1/2 hour. I think it helped. Now after rads I am exhausted. Trying melatonin to sleep longer. I only get 5-6 hours. I am wondering if the anestrozole causing the tired. I see the oncologist in a few weeks. I don’t want to give up on this med. I seem to be doing ok with it. I am afraid to keep bouncing around. Any thoughts out there

nyr4evr For me it was the radiation . I was fatigued post radiation for a couple of weeks . Everyday around 3 pm . I would hit a brick wall . But luckily it went away within a couple if weeks. I did not take an aromatase inhibitor, so I cannot tell you if it could be the case for you . I do take tamoxifen and initially thought it could have been the cause , but no it was not. Good luck going forward. Things will get better⭕️