Chemotherapy Fatigue

Chemotherapy can be a bit tiring and weakening as it ahs the effect of causing fatigue. Fatigue means tiredness and lack of strength. Chemotherapy treats cancer. There are many kinds of chemotherapy drugs that work towards cancer treatment.

It is important to note that there are some side effects which chemotherapy will put on you. These are nausea, fatigue, and decreased appetite, loss of concentration, loss of energy, insomnia and sickness. Chemotherapy leads to hair thinning and hair loss.

Chemotherapy fatigue may not be directly related to chemotherapy drugs. This fatigue may be indirect as the person has changed his/her sleeping patterns, there is changes in appetite and there is increased feeling of tiredness. Here is some information about the main factors that may lead to fatigue.

1. Fatigue may be caused due to anemia. Anemia is common during cancer and also while you are on chemotherapy the red cell counts will fall down. This causes anemia.
2. If there are multiple treatments used in treating cancer say radiation treatment as well as chemotherapy, it can surely lead to fatigue.
3. Chemotherapy leads to loss of appetite and thus you can not have proper food. This may lead to fatigue.
4. Age factor may also work towards increasing fatigue during chemotherapy.
5. Due to chemotherapy there are certain changes in the routine that are made. And these will bring in fatigue.

In order to get rid of fatigue during chemotherapy one must plan the day in advance. This will help in reducing tiredness. This includes taking short naps. And if possible you must take leave from office during this period. Do not take too much stress in this time. What you must do is, you must take short breaks and naps in between. This will give you the required energy to tackle with things. You may even get into prayer, meditation, light yoga and exercises. You may even get into visualization and guided meditation. All these things will work towards increasing the levels of your energy. However, it is vital to talk to your doctor first while you are planning to do some exercises or make certain modifications in your food and lifestyle. The best suggestion will be to have plenty of foods and ample of liquids and fluids. But it is vital to eat healthy. But you must be careful about the food that you eat and thus make it a point that you do not eat too much at a time. This will add to sleepiness and fatigue.

If you get tired doing the entire work at home then make some arrangements for helpers or take help from the family members. Even small help like cleaning kitchen, cleaning table and doing the dusting work can give you much relief. The best thing to avoid depression and fatigue during chemotherapy is to join a support group. This will help to combat fatigue and tiredness. You must make a plan of the entire day. This will give you some relief.