Hello my sister has finished her chemo 6 months ago and the good news is that it worked. She is considered stable and has started leading a normal life again. However she still complains of feeling really tired and having lack of energy to do as much as she used to. Is this expected or should we be concerned?
Thanks
Steph
Hi there, Everyone is different of course,but generally I would say this is quite normal, as it is a lot to go through & it really does knock your system. It took me personally a year to eighteen months to get back to near normal so try to stick with it. I walked everyday increasing a little each time & found being out in the air was really good for me. I am a keen gardener & was surprised how I could only do approx. 10 mins & that was it. So please do not worry to much this is definitely normal.
Love,Caledaxx
Thanks caleda that has put my mind at rest a bit. Sometimes I feel she's pushing herself too much she's going to the gym, doing the gardening and is hardly ever in the house she always out. She won't take a rest until she's completely wiped out.
Hi Caleda I finished chemo in June 2016 and Avastin in March this year. I'm the same with tiredness and each month does get better. I understand why your sister is pushing herself, I too did and still do the same.. it's getting back to the new norm and it's a way to try and forget what we've been through.. I just want the old me back. It sadly that's not going to happen.. Take care Michelle x
I have the same frustration with not being able to do what I used to - at least not unless I pace myself. I'm on 14 of 18 Avastin treatments which has a long half life which means that some of it stays in your body unril you have the next dose. I sometimes feel like I've run into a wall and have to stop and rest, however the drugs seem to be keeping the cancer at bay so I guess I have to go with it.
Remind your sister to try to listen to her body and remember how powerful these drugs are.
Best wishes, Ali x
Yes I am exactly the same finished chemo in January and just having no 14 Avastin . Doing alittle more exercise and dog walking but need a rest in the afternoon. Tiredness just hits from nowhere. Can't imagine how I would cope back teaching even if I wanted to . Remember being told to pace myself ,
Love and best wishes Kim x
Hi Kim,
I was a teacher too - I was diagnosed with PPC a year after I retired (I already had symptoms as I retired - IBS 😏!)
Hope you are keeping well Ali x
Congratulations to your sister for beating this awful disease.
With the fatigue we are all different, it lasted quite a long time for me, I think I was around 12 months post chemo before I started to feel like normal again, even then it’s a whole new normal. I hope she starts to get some energy back very soon but it could be a little longer before she starts to feel more like herself again. Thank you for supporting her through her treatment, she will really appreciate it. ❤️Xx Jane
Yes, I have been finished with chemo for six months and Avastin a couple of months, and find that if I sit down in the afternoon I go straight to sleep. I now feel that as well as implementing the Mediterranean diet, I am also embracing the Mediterranean siesta.!
Jenny
Yes, that's to be expected. It's taken me 13 months and a new head of hair to almost feel normal again. 😊
I sympathise with your sister. I think it's a reaction to having to have chemo and being determined to now get on with life and try to be normal. I do the same. The trouble is 'normal life' is now different, really, after Chemo. It's difficult to stop going until we're suddenly despairingly shattered. She'll get stronger but it does take time. I'm back on Chemo again and still I find it hard to sit around resting. Try not to worry about her, you sound a lovely sister. Solange😊Xx
Hi Steph....yes like the other ladies, I too have really suffered with fatigue. I just feel it's a consequence of all that our bodies have been through....chemo, infections and for me extensive debulking surgery. I am 11 months post chemo now and I'm a lot more active than I was but I still have to pace myself and not back to the lifestyle I has previous to cancer. I've just read a book about a lady who's had Oc and she talks about having cups of energy which has been a really good analogy for me. She talks about everyone getting up with 20 cups of energy but you only have 4 and how you can't expect to use 5 cups one day and 3 the next as it doesn't work like that! I choose carefully how I like to use my cups and choose as much as possible to do nice things, it often involves cake!! 🍰 It can be really frustrating but with time it does get better. Best wishes for the rest of your sisters recovery! Jo xx
I agree with what others have already said, that fatigue and tiredness can affect your body for many months post chemo. I am coping by pacing myself but still frequently get caught out by something unexpected happening, which sabotages all my good intentions and leaves me unable to do much at all.
I would advise your sister to listen to her body and not to fight against the fatigue because it always wins in my experience!
She is doing so well and gradually will find herself able to do more, especially as you are such a wonderful support to her.
Love to you both,
Barbara
I was told it could take 12 months for your body to recover from chemo. And when you’ve had a major operation too it puts a lot of strain on your body.
I think your sister just needs to listen to her body and rest when she feels tired.
Walking is a great gentle exercise and you can increase speed and distance on days she feels more energetic. Xx
I had my last chemo on 30th January and it's only in the last 2 weeks that I have started to have any energy . Just starting to manage to get through the day without having a sleep. Everyone underestimates what having chemo does to you. Others seem to think once you have had your last chemo that's it all over and you are back to normal. My oncologist said it is normal to to take a year to get your energy levels back to normal
'Palliative Chemotherapy'
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