Hello, Minnie.

What a bummer to start off the new year feeling tired! Thinking back on my husband's post-radiation energy levels 10 months ago, I realize that we worried the same as you are about why the energy level seemed to drop over time rather than get better. I don't think the energy drop in itself is an indicator that something is going wrong, but you should consider: Do you have other symptoms? My husband's radiation treatments were directed at his right jaw near the ear, so he had terrible dry mouth and thrush to contend with during and after radiation. He felt very fatigued for several months, but our doctor at that time told us it was normal to have energy highs and lows. What the doctor shouldn't have dismissed was that not only did my husband's energy levels continue to bounce around like a yo-yo, he had headaches that gradually worsened, mouth pain that wouldn't respond to medications, and pain in his ear area above the radiation site. Those were all warning signs that something was very WRONG, not normal side-effects of radiation like we were told. It was only after swelling below that ear became noticable along with continued headaches and difficulty swallowing that cancer recurrance was discovered.

As you know from my introductory posting, he is now facing major surgery after an experimental run with chemo. We should have gone with our gut feelings, but we let the doctor pooh-pooh our concerns instead.

So, I don't tell you this to scare you, I want you to assess your tiredness in relation to what you've been doing (or overdoing), how you feel otherwise, if you have symptoms that are new or lingering. If you are only just tired, chances are your body is still trying to catch up on all the rest it needs from going through the trauma of treatments.

Christine