I finished radiation on 6/26/2009. I did fairly well during the process. BUT
The first week after rad, I did a lot of sleeping and resting. Then I had three days where I was fine, not spending time in bed, out and about.
Yesterday, I wound up in the er due to being SO tired and weak. I am back in bed 18 hours a day again. All the test at the hospital were fine, nothing wrong with blood work, not dehidrated.
Is this the norm? Has anyone else on here gone through? How long will it last?

WFC,

I think you are doing better than normal...the first two weeks after RT are generally tougher than the last two weeks of treatment. Keep yourself awake enough to get your calories and fluids in and sleep the rest of the time away. If you are like the majority here, between week 2 and 3 post treatment you will start to feel signs of improvement. You might backslide here and there, but overall you'll start to head in the right direction.

Hi Bill...

What you are going thru is very normal. Its two steps forward and sometimes three backwards. You have done a great job thru out your treatments. The fatigue can overtake your life for a few weeks. There was a period of time right around the end of my treatments where I was in bed about 22 hours per day.

About week 3 after radiation has finished is when you should start to slowly regain some strength. Just make sure to keep up your nutrition and hydration or you will feel much worse.

Hang in there, you will feel better very soon.

Thank you to everyone for posting this information. I am 16 days out of treatment and have been feeling very guilty for sleeping so much.

I have another recovery question. My tongue is still extremely sore/sensitive. Even though I can swallow fine, the texture of even soft foods just hurt my tongue too much. I'm still on a liquid diet. I'm hoping my tongue starts to heal soon, but is it okay to still be on a liquid diet so long after treatments.

Sandy

Sandy,

16 days is not a long time to be out of treatment! The first two weeks the rad keeps working and it really can wipe you out and make you feel worse than any other part of treatment.

My husband couldn't handle anything in his 2nd week post treatment, he had to have a nurse come to the house daily for home IV hydration.

During week three he started to try soup, but it was painful. He finished treatment 2 years ago in early August, and it wasn't until later in September of that year that he was able to start getting more calories from food than liquid supplements.

Everyone returns to eating at their own pace, but being on a liquid diet 16 days post treatment is pretty much the norm for many people who have gone through chemo and radiation.

Sandy,

I was on tube feedings for 2 months after treatment ended and it was no problem! There are folks out there that live entirely on canned nutrition. The key is to swallow whatever you can, be it water, broth, applesauce, whatever. And like my fellow Margaret said, 16 days out of treatment is nothing! You just went through 7 weeks of being toasted! This is a time when the expression "Patience is a virtue." absolutely applies.

Sandy and wfc,

I think you 2 are in my 10% that breeze Tx so give it a few more weeks and you will see your recovery begin.

Yes, I was very very tired for a couple of weeks post-radiation. Rest as much as you can/want.

Sandy, I never had a PEG, and I had ensure as my main food source for about a month post-tx. I am not two months out of radiation, and I am trying to eat normal food as much as I can, but it is hard. I dropped probably more weight after treatment than during treatment because I am trying to eat normal human food, but it feels like I burn more calories working at it than I consume. I still need to supplement with cans for at least 1/2 of my caloric intake, and it's not easy because I spent so much time on one meal. It's still painful. I have difficulty moving food around my mouth, it still hurts almost with any foods. It's a strong stinging sensation, as if you poured salt on an open wound. I was told that it was normal and would last quite a while. I was expecting to eat steak and chips with salsa by now. And bagels. I looooove bagels. Sigh.

davidcpa,

Thanks! I hope you are right!

wfc,

Just ask Margaret, I'm always right!

Jenka,

Please be more patient with this recovery. Try and get 2000 to 3000 cals a day no matter how. I drank a can of VHC with every meal until after 1 year post Tx and I still didn't gain a pound until about 16 to 18 months post Tx. This recovery is demanding on our bodies and we burn a lot of calories in the back ground, mentally and physically IMO. The first year is pretty much lost on major improvements as more of mine came in year 2. Not saying don't try new things, just don't be disappointed if nothing changes for a long time.