Dealing with Exhaustion after Cancer Treatment

Hi all, I had colon cancer just over a year ago, had chemo, radiation, surgery, a blockage, and more chemo. I'm now on the mend. I do wear a bag and have adapted well to that. But my question is, is anyone else so bone-weary tired? I am a 62-year-old female and feel so much older. Ever since the surgery and chemo, I am so tired all the time. I have talked to my doctors and they tell me it will take time. But I have never been so tired before. Does anyone else have this? Most of the time I hear of people getting back to work and are starting to do all the things they used to do. But not me.
Thanks for any response.
Judy

I bet you are short on vitamin levels -- my GP set up a round of blood tests and a slew came back fine but there were a few that were way off the scale and it made so much sense to my feeling of exhaustion. Once fixed, I have been much better - be sure they check iron/Vit B's and D -- then check every 3 months -- I switched to Centrum Energy for the iron -- do not try straight iron -- and make sure the pills are quick dissolve. I also have FAP and this is a critical situation for me. I am a 68-year-old female and can tell you it makes a huge difference in energy! That in turn affects attitude and general health -- good luck. I was shocked at how quickly this could be remedied!

Hi Judy, I'm glad you made it through all that. I can have 8 hours of sleep and by noon or 1 o'clock, I'm ready to pass out. My head gets so tired. I think the problem may be that we both had major surgery and that really takes a toll on a person. And possibly a little depression about the bag and all. I'm handling it very well too but still wish I had my old life back. But I know I'm lucky to be here.

Take care, Bobby

Judy,

I share the same feeling and take "Spirulina". It's a source of high-quality blue-green algae, high in protein, low-fat source of numerous vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and Vitamin-B12. I learned of the product from a documentary on stress.

Also, I believe that "acceptance" is a difficult process and we all have these thoughts, "when am I going to feel like myself again?". It's been 7 years for me and I'm still saying it to myself.

Improving the quality of life is a universal goal and we all need to continue to share resources and build a strong sense of belonging.

Debra

Hello Judy.

  Good advice from the people commenting on you post. I had always been tired (on and off) all my life and found it difficult to explain to the doctor so that he could understand that I had  different types of tiredness. He sent me for some sleep tests and found I had sleep apnoea and was waking up more than 30-40 times an hour!!--I now use a CPAP machine at nights and that sorted that out nicely.  Another type of tiredness came on suddenly and all mt energy drained at once so that I couldn't atand up -- eventaully I found out that I had low blood pressure and that was probably the cause of that. Another type of tiredness was brought on from overwork so I felt reasonable about that because everyone who works has that at some time or other.   My wife insisted that I start taking the sort of vitamins and supplements that other people have already mentioned and since then I have only really been affected by the bloods pressure thing every so often. The rest of my waking life is back  to some sort of normality. I believe that if you know what is wrong, then it's half the battle, as you can either do something about it or learn to live with it.  I hope you find your own solutions soon as tiredness can be most debilitating. (NB: I have posted some verses on tiredness in the past so if you are interested I think you could find them on my profile )

Best wishes  Bill

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

If you have blood work done, you may want to ask them to measure your ferritin levels to make sure you are not anemic.

Hi Judy

I get really exhausted too... you're definitely not alone in that.

I agree with Jerseyrobert that you've been through a horrible ordeal, and it really does take its toll on anyone who's been there.

It probably is a matter of time, though I know that isn't much help.

Judy,

It might be unrelated, but have you had your thyroid gland and function checked?

X_

Hi, I have had a colostomy for over 10 years now and I would recommend irrigation as the utmost important thing you can learn to do right away. I learned after 6 months from my operation to irrigate and I am doing great. Forget fatigue, this will help.

Hi Judy, I had rectal cancer 12 years ago. I was 42 and had chemo, radiation, and an ileostomy. I was exhausted, so tired I couldn't function. As time went on, I did start to feel better. I had a reversal 1 year later. Fast forward to now, I had a colostomy in August because I had so many problems from the radiation. I had no muscle control as time went on, and the only solution was a colostomy. I am so glad I did it and feel great. You will feel better too, just rest when you have to. Your body has to adjust to everything.