Some Common Complaints:
- Feeling tired or exhausted, even after a full night’s sleep
- Feeling depressed and foggy-headed
- Lacking energy to do regular activities
- Having trouble concentrating
- Lacking interest in normal activities
- Spending less time on personal appearance
The Causes of Cancer-Related Fatigue
When the body is waging a battle against cancer, fatigue is normal. In addition, the stress of cancer diagnosis can send a patient on an emotional roller-coaster, resulting in depression and the fatigue that accompanies depression. Fatigue is also a common side effect of radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy drugs often cause anemia which can cause fatigue. This condition, in which the number of red blood cells drops, prevents enough oxygen from reaching body tissues. Sometimes a blood transfusion is necessary to raise red blood cell counts. Or a patient may be treated with medications that boost red blood cell production. In addition, many of the anti-nausea drugs used to treat chemotherapy-related nausea can cause a feeling of extreme fatigue and a need for sleep.
How to Fight Fatigue
Lillian Nail, PhD., RN, University of Utah School of Nursing, has studied cancer-related fatigue. She recommends exercise as a starting point, explaining that any physical activity that gets the heart rate up is good. While some people wonder how they can manage a walk around the block when even taking a shower is a challenge, experts say even moderate exercise can significantly raise energy levels. It is best to first consult your physician, then start slowly and work up to an exercise program you can handle.
Other suggestions include the following:
- Get enough rest, taking naps during the day if necessary.
- Plan activities to span the whole day, rather than grouping them all together.
- Eat nutritious, frequent, small meals and drink plenty of liquids.
- Don’t force yourself to do more than you can manage-get help for meal preparation, housework and errands. Delegate!
- Try self-relaxation techniques like meditation.
- Keep a journal noting when you feel fatigued and when you don’t, so you can arrange a daily schedule accordingly.
- Remember: cancer-related fatigue is temporary; you will regain you energy over time.
Bridging the Communication Gap
The most important thing a woman with cancer can do about fatigue is to let her cancer treatment team know she is experiencing it. Many women say they don’t want to complain and, according to Gregory Curt, MD, Clinical Director at the National Cancer Institute, many doctors don’t ask. The result is a communication gap that can prevent a patient from receiving beneficial treatment.
A survey by the Fatigue Coalition, a group of medical practitioners, researchers and patient advocates confirms that the debilitating fatigue during cancer treatment is seriously under-recognized and under-treated. Among the 379 cancer patients surveyed, 76% said they consistently experienced fatigue. Nearly 89% of those with chemotherapy-induced anemia said fatigue interfered with their normal lives. But only 9% were treated with prescription drugs or blood transfusions to treat fatigue.
"The real message of the survey findings is that many patients with fatigue are suffering alone, when treatment options are available," according to Coalition member Susan L. Scherr, a cancer survivor and director of a national advocacy group for cancer patients. She continues, "For some patients, treating fatigue may be as important as treating the disease."
Para solicitar información en español, llame al 1-800-ACS-2345. Un especialista en información sobre el cáncer le asistirá en español.
Spring/Summer 1999
