Hi everyone,
I am halfway through six months of chemo and I’m unable to do much around the house I have extreme fatigue and I feel guilty that my partner is having to do so much more housework than me as well as working and caring for me.
I’m feeling worried that my energy will never be back to a level where I can do things.
I’m even finding taking a bath and showering difficult. I’m trying to stay active where I can but I just started on EC and the side effects have hit me and I was in A&E till 5.30am last week.
i feel grief about not being able to do as much as I once did.
just needing to share and have a space to feel my feelings.
thanks xxxxxxxxxx
Hi Alula
I’m Anne, one of the Community Champions here on the Online Community and, although i was fortunate in not really suffering from side effects when I was on EC and then paclitaxel, I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet. Responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list again.
If you don't get any replies here, it might be an idea to also post this in the main breast cancer group as it's generally more active than this one.
While you're waiting for replies, it would be great if you could put something about your diagnosis and treatment to date into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Hello Alula
My name is Steph, I'm part of the team who look after the Online Community.
I hope you don't mind me popping in here to offer some further support. I was so sorry to read that cancer treatment has been so tough for you and that you're struggling with feelings of guilt around the fatigue.
I wanted to share our blog with you as it shows you that you're certainly not alone in how you're feeling.
In the blog, we discuss how living with a cancer diagnosis can be exhausting. When you're managing side effects of cancer treatment and looking after your emotional wellbeing, but the demands of daily life are still there, needing your attention. It’s no wonder that even dealing with simple tasks can start to feel like an incredible strain. Extreme fatigue and persistent tiredness can really impact your quality of life.
It can be difficult to know when you should take a break, or whether you can afford to take a break at all. Before your diagnosis, it wasn't unusual for you to push on through the tiredness. Maybe you feel there’s an expectation for you to carry on the same way now.
We say "if you often feel guilty about taking a rest, or you know someone who struggles with self-care, read on! The members of our Online Community have some wisdom to share". The blog is called 'feeling guilty when you rest' and you can find it here.
Your body and mind are going through a lot and it's important that you are kind to yourself. Please do keep chatting here in the forums. Although there's not been much discussion in this thread, there are people here who understand how you feel because they have been there themselves.
If you find it helps to talk things through, I'd encourage you to contact our Support Line. Our Support Line teams are available 7 days a week, 8am-8pm on freephone 0808 808 00 00, email or live webchat.
Macmillan's information about fatigue might also be helpful to have a read through. We offer tips on managing and living with fatigue, and where to find further support when you need it.
I hope this is helpful Alula,
