15 months since my son had operation for bowel cancer he has a permanent stoma and is still really fatigued. He tired so quickly he has difficulty doing most things. Anyone else have severe fatigue?
I did have severe fatigue after my first op and chemo (it was the chemo that really did it). I even went to the docs about it about 12 months after chemo finished and she said that it wasn't unusual. Strangely since my second op and half way through chemo this time (I was unlucky and it came back) - I'm not as fatigued.
I can't help in how to address it unfortunately - mine did eventually pass with a good diet and lots of exercise and some naps.
Yes. 20months after surgery i ended up at my gp at my end. He was so great and told me to stop, i was exhusted and that was to be expected. He said he wouldnt imagine i would be back on my feet for around 3 years after apr surgery. It was so good to be listened to and someone outside the hospital team to really get it.
I made lots of small changes. Stopped trying to do physicsl exercise or even walk the stairs at work. I actually released walking anywhere was a challenge. I started doing very very low weight training and then added in more physical things like walking once i felt stronger.
I looked at my blood results, that were all normal in eyes of gp, and realised many were at the bottom range or normal, so i took hydration tablets each day and good quality b12 supplements. I was warned about dehydration from other stoma friends, but had not recognised the signs in myself and it has a big impact on energy.
It took 4months of focusing on staying well before i started to notice. And now 29months post surgery i would say i am 70% there. I still get so exhusted that i literally hit a wall, i could be at work or at the gym or on a walk and it comes from no where. I still sleep 10hours ona tuesday night to survive the rest of the week on 7 or 8 hours.
Thankyou SomersetKLF. Im 4 months out from APR and can’t understand why some nights I just hit total collapse around 9pm then sleep 12 hours. I’ve been thinking I should be doing this and that like I used to. I’ve now got lower back pain from trying to garden! It’s excruciating. Thank you Rosie for raising this. APR isn’t a broken leg,, you look normal and hopefully,like me it means you’re cancer free but it’s a long slow journey back. I wish your son all the very best Rosie 13. Tell him to be kind to himself
