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Capecitabine exhaustion and mental health - help please

MrsJ_253
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Hi, 

My husband was diagnosed with late stage 3 bowel cancer, he had surgery and has been on a regimen of oxaliplatin and capecitabine as a 3 week cycle, with 1 week off the capecitabine tablets in every 3 week cycle.  We thought that would be the end of it but now understand the capecitabine is going to be extended so he will be on just that in 3 week cycles including 1 week off.  But he is massively struggling with exhaustion, he has a long term (over 10 years) mental health illness that means when he is tired his mental health deteriorates significantly and I'm worried.  Are there any supplements or anything he can take that might help him?  It's not helped by the fact he often doesn't feel hungry or want to eat (not normal for him).  He has just finished his last oxaliplatin and capecitabine cycle and we face at least another 3 months of the tablets.  

How can I help him?

  • Hi MrsJ_253,

     

    I’m Lorna one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the support line. Thank you for contacting us and welcome back to our online community.

    I’m sorry to hear that your husband has been struggling with fatigue and mental health while having chemotherapy for bowel cancer.

    Fatigue can be common and described as a feeling of tiredness or exhaustion. It can have a significant impact on your husband’s daily life, activities, and social life. It’s caused by the cancer itself or the treatment for cancer and is sometimes referred to as cancer related fatigue (CRF).

    How this is managed will depend on what is causing it. Your husband’s healthcare team should regularly check how he is feeling. They will ask about his treatment, any side effects he may have, emotions and other symptoms like pain or anaemia which can cause or exacerbate fatigue. They will also want to know about any other medical conditions he may have.

    Your husband may find it helpful to keep a fatigue diary. This can help find a pattern with his fatigue, find out what makes things worse or better, and enables you both to  plan to do things when he has more energy. You can also share this with his healthcare team which helps them understand his fatigue.

    Evidence suggests that some physical activity like walking is one of the best ways to help with fatigue. Being active can also increase his appetite, give him more energy, and improve his sleep.

    Eating well can help to improve energy levels and strength too while he recovers from his treatment. If he is having problems eating or loss of appetite he should speak to his GP or his healthcare team.

     He may want to try some complimentary therapies. Penny Brohs online sessions can be useful. We would always recommend however, that he speaks to his consultant or clinical nurse specialist before embarking on any of these or takes any supplements.

    You mentioned that your husband has had some mental health issues for some years now. It’s important that he speaks to his GP or mental health team (if he has one) they will be able to assess him and offer support and advice at this time too.

    I hope this information is useful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in contact by email, webchat or phone, if you need further information or support.

    The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial, and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.

     

    Best wishes, Lorna

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

     

    Ref LB/KH

    Lorna-Macmillan (Cancer Information Nurse Specialist)
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