Most of the time, when you’re receiving cancer treatment, you’re dealing with nausea, diarrhea, bone pain, nose bleeds, hair loss and a host of other obvious and sometimes debilitating side effects. We don’t think too much about fatigue. It may be quieter and less obnoxious, but it can also be debilitating.
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Naturally, if you’ve had a night of sleeplessness because of stress, bone pain or queasiness, you expect to feel tired the next day. But, even on a good day, when your other symptoms are less intrusive, or after you have finished primary treatment, you can fall asleep midday and easily sleep an hour or more. Research indicates that cancer fatigue is real. Recognizing and understanding your own fatigue may help you deal with it.
For me, fighting fatigue is most challenging when I’m working. I sometimes feel like I can’t focus or even keep my eyes open–most of my work is not physical but mental and usually done in front of a computer screen. It was very frustrating until, upon heeding the advice of my oncology team and my husband :), I started setting a timer to take breaks at specific times. Taking those breaks keeps me from losing my concentration and running out of steam. I get a bite to eat and sometimes take a 15-minute walk or nap (I use my iPhone timer to quit or wake up). After my break I’m refreshed and usually alert again.
Check out these current articles on cancer fatigue from a few of my favorite sites. I really like the article from ACS about how to distinguish cancer fatigue; it can help you when meaningful friends suggest that “everyone gets tired” and you start to wonder whether you’re imagining it. Just remember, cancer fatigue is real. In fact, the top rated cancer center in the United States, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, even has a Cancer Fatigue Clinic.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Oncology Nursing Society: Cancer Fatigue
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Donna Peach 