Hi, my partner has extreme fatigue. Any suggestions or advice please?
He has bile duct cancer and he's had 6 chemotherapy cycles, then 15 days of radiotherapy. The treatment began in July and finished at the end of December - we've been told the effects can get worse for about two weeks, which is about where we are now. He'd been trying to go out for a short walk every day but for the last 3 days he's been absolutely wasted - he gets up and dressed, but has to lie down most of the day and everything seems a big effort. He's spoken with our brilliant nurses, who just said this is what he should expect.
The worst thing for me and probably for him is that he's feeling so down - the treatment was supposed to keep things at bay but it just feels like a continuous downhill (we realise it might not work). He's usually calm or up-beat but just now there isn't much joy. It's been a really long 6 months (and the wet/grey midwinter isn't helping).
I'd really appreciate any experience that will help us get through this. And do most people get at least some energy back?
Hi - I had 4 cycles of chemo (May to Aug 2022) and then 5 weeks of daily pelvic radiotherapy(Aug-Sept) for womb cancer. This was after total hysterectomy (April22) Oct-Dec I was extremely fatigued and it is only now in the new year that it is starting to settle. I no longer need a lie down each day. I have been trying to walk for 30 mins a day on good days and find that helps with mood. I have also started taking multi vitamin and calcium/vit D supplement. I am now looking at my diet and trying to eat a bit healthier. I bought a blender and on the days where my appetite was low or I had nausea I found homemade smoothies helped. I agree about the wet /grey weather- it really doesnt help. Hopefully with spring on its way he may start to feel a little more recovered. One other thing I found is that it was easy to overdo it on good days and that put my recovery back. To begin with I tried to focus on doing one thing each day. Friend around for coffee or a walk or a bit of hoovering etc. I found this helped. His experience sounds really normal to me. Chemo on its own takes months to recover from.
No problem- I hope that your partners fatigue improves- am sure it will given time. Its not easy but in my experience is does get easier x
