I know we were all told that a side affect of our treatment would leave us tired. Can anyone explain the science of why we are feeling this way and what, if anything, we can do to help?

Hi David,

I'm smiling at your post because Jack asked me the same question right after treatment ended. The science is that that radiation is like a microwave that keeps on cooking after treatments end so you are not really finished experiencing it. Also chemo is cumulative and the effects of the last cycle are more intense than the first and can linger for several months. Jack had 4 cycles of cisplatin so we're real familiar with the side effects. Make sure they are checking you blood counts as anemia can continue for up to 1 year.

Your body has been though an intense systemic assault. The combination of radiation and chemotherapy create fatigue because they are killing off healthy cells as well as cancer cells and it takes time to recover. There's no way around it. Jack is 4 months post treatment and only now beginning to see the improvement in his energy level. He is back to work 30-35 hours per week and some days he is still very tired.

A good rule of thumb is 1 month of recovery for every week of radiation. Our doctors told us that it could be up to a year to really feel like you're back to normal - whatever that is. A common sense approach is probably best. Make sure you are maintaining enough nutrition and hydration, take a multi vitamin, pace your activities and build up your tolerance to doing more. Make sure you get a good night's sleep because that will affect your energy level. Get outside in the fresh air and sunlight as that helps.

It will get better.
Regards JoAnne

I'm glad you asked Davidcpa, because I was wondering the same thing! I finished all treatment on 7/24/06, so that's over 2 months and I'm still waiting to feel like I won't get tired everytime I do something. Thanks for the info JoAnne. It helped to know about your husbands experience with it. I still haven't gone back to work. I work a very physical job at a power plant (I know that's not the healthiest place to work). Also work shift work, so there's no way right now I can go back. But, David, I take it day by day. I walk outside when the weather is nice, and I seem to be getter stronger everyday. We'll get through this!!! Linda

Fatigue during or after cancer treatment is due to a number of causes, and sometimes seems to have no single "cause." You may wish to consider supplementation with l-carnitine, which facilitates fatty acid metabolism -- it has been found in preliminary studies to relieve "cancer fatigue" in some patients, esp. those who have received cisplatin chemotherapy. e.g.;

British Journal of Cancer (2002) 86, 1854-1857.

Potential role of levocarnitine supplementation for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced fatigue in non-anaemic cancer patients
F Graziano et al.

There are a number of other papers and some NCI-supported clinical trials ongoing.

L-carnitine in liquid form is available from GNC -- Barry took it throughout and maintained good energy levels considering, and bounced back to normal actvity levels pretty quickly. We suggested it to another Hopkins patient who had been saying "she could not get out of bed" and she reported that in a short time she felt much more enegetic. Just a couple of data points and thus only of anecdotal interest, but still..seems to be more than just "snake oil."

(Thus was OK'd by our doctors, of course --)

Gail

My husband was out of work for 10 mo. His job takes physical stamina and it took him that long to feel like he could do what he needed to do. But now he can do almost what he did before. His is NOT as strong as he used to be--probably due to nutrition coming mostly from liquid meals (BOOST). But he IS working and goes and does basically anything he wants to do. The doctor told him that it would take up to a year or more for him to feel normal after treatment and he was right! It's a long recovery but it IS recovery!

My husband was out of work for 10 mo. His job takes physical stamina and it took him that long to feel like he could do what he needed to do. But now he can do almost what he did before. His is NOT as strong as he used to be--probably due to nutrition coming mostly from liquid meals (BOOST). But he IS working and goes and does basically anything he wants to do. The doctor told him that it would take up to a year or more for him to feel normal after treatment and he was right! It's a long recovery but it IS recovery!

My husband was out of work for 10 mo. His job takes physical stamina and it took him that long to feel like he could do what he needed to do. But now he can do almost what he did before. His is NOT as strong as he used to be--probably due to nutrition coming mostly from liquid meals (BOOST). But he IS working and goes and does basically anything he wants to do. The doctor told him that it would take up to a year or more for him to feel normal after treatment and he was right! It's a long recovery but it IS recovery!