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Hi all: I'm at the 6th day following my 4th infusion and now fatigue sets in all day. Wasn't like this following first 3 infusions, and have have 2 more after this. Any advice on how to overcome this would be welcome. Does the fatigue accelerate with each subsequent infusion? Thanks, and stay strong!
Howie
Hi Howie! Yes the treatment usually has a cumulative effect. So it's normal to feel more tired as the treatment progresses because the blood platelet count also decreases. Keep track of your counts before each treatment and check out the pattern. All the best.
Thanks for the info and good wishes!
Yes, Howie, my husband would sleep a lot. He was getting rutuxin/bendimustine 100 % for treatment 1,2,3,4, and then they dropped it to 50% for treatment 5 and 6. His white blood count dropped so dramatically and this is allergic to nuprogen shots so on the last two infusions the went 6 weeks instead of 4 weeks.
Good luck.
Hi moors3029. Hope you husband is recovering well from chemo. The strange think about my fatigue is that it is mostly all physical. It comes in strong waves. I don't get drowsy and can remain relatively alert. Following Nupogen, about 2 days, even with loratidine daily, my ribs, shoulders, and back of skull become extremely sensitive and painful when lightly touched. That sensitivity stopped yesterday. I'm now about 6 days following my 4th infusion.
One of the problems Gary has is that his wbc dropped so low and they gave him nuprogen and neulasta and he became allergic to them. Shortness of breath, fatigue and ran a temp. This is not good because he needs something to help with his wbc. Wishing you the best. Paige.
Hi Paige: Sorry to hear about the response to the neulasta. I receive neulasta also at 2nd day of infusion. My oncologist has me take 1 10mg. Loratidine daily starting 2 days before and for the following 5 days to reduce bone pain resulting from neutrophil proliferation. Weird because loratidine is an antihistamine. However, since it is an antihistamine, it might reduce your husband's allergic response. Just a thought...Howie
Hi Howie, I've got advanced Mantle Cell Lymphoma with a deleted P17 chromosome and a very grim prognosis. I'm staying strong though with my diet so I can have chemo soon. My diet has changed my life. My Platelets were getting lower every week. We added Papaya leaves to our juice.(we live in Hawaii) In one week my platelets went from 112 to 152 after steadily dropping for weeks. We are moving to California for better treatment and will try Papaya leave extract. I'm on an all organic mostly vegetable diet with juicing. I was in horrible shape 2 months ago with so many bad symptoms. The diet brought me back to life. Maybe the Papaya leave extract can help you with your platelets. Amazingly it really help me. Aloha
Hi Goodtimesman: sounds like a plan! How many ounces of papaya juice did you need to drink per day, and leafs or leaf extract to add per day, before you began to feel better? Thanks, and I hope you continue to progress. Cheers. Howie
Hi Howie, when we juice the leave in the juicer not much comes out. Maybe a half of teaspoon for two big leaves. The leaves are giant. It is super bitter. It doesn't take much and to be honest I didn't think it would make any difference. I sure hope the Papaya leave extract works as well when we get to the mainland. I didn't drink the actual papaya juice. I just got a lot of leaves from my neighbors farm. It is so bitter! today I just did a small shot instead of ruining the juice. The shot was about a teaspoon of Papaya leave juice and a half ounce of carrot juice. It has a lot of good enzymes for your stomach too. Hopefully it works as good for you as it does for me and people all around the planet. Aloha, Steve
Hey Steve: Thanks for the info. I'll see what we can find here in Virginia. If not, maybe plan a trip to Hawaii! Be well. Howie
I experienced incapacitating fatigue after all Bendamustine treatments. However, I discovered yoga after the last tx. Research supports its effectiveness. I have continued the yoga. I am 5 years in remission. God bless you
Hi 0650: Thanks for the yoga info. Do you remember how long it took for the fatigue to diminish after you started the yoga? Also, what type of yoga do you do and how often? I'm about 1/3 the way following my 4th infusion series and have 2 more to go. Fatigue is pretty constant now. Thanks, and stay well. Howie
