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Fatigue

PVMC
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Hi, I have had 4 rounds of chemo and I am feeling very fatigued. Can you help me with this or advise what I should do to increase my energy.

Thank you

  1. PVMC

  • Hi PVMC

    Welcome to the online community. My name is Sarah one of the Cancer Information Nurses on our Support Line.

    It is not unusual to feel fatigued on chemotherapy. We would first encourage you to let your cancer team or chemotherapy nurse know about this. They may want to check your bloods as chemotherapy can cause anaemia which can cause fatigue.

    There are different ways to manage fatigue, including making sure you are eating well, taking some exercise as this has proven to reduce the effects of fatigue. It can help also to keep a fatigue diary. This gives you the opportunity to see if there are any patterns which worsen your symptoms.

    Your cancer team at the hospital will want to support you with this and may feel it is helpful to speak with a dietitian or physiotherapist.

    It can be difficult to manage fatigue, and it can help speaking with others who understand and who can share their experiences. Our online community has a chemotherapy forum you may find helpful.

    Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to talk things through. Sometimes it’s better to talk to one of our nurses so we can gain a better understanding of the current situation and give you the best guidance.

    I hope this information helps. Please feel free to get back in touch if you want more information or support.

    Best wishes,

    Sarah

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

    Ref/ SS/PW

    Sarah S-Macmillan Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
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