Fatigue was a really big part of it.
I think when when you're undergoing chemo or
surgery your body just going through so
much stress and and not only the
treatments that you're taking with the
appointments and the scans and all that other stuff.
Fatigue was a huge problem and I
don't think it was adequately explained
to me. There was so much less that I
could do, you know. From being able to run,
play sports, lift weights, engage with
people 18 hours a day to having
trouble walking upstairs
Fatigue was a big big factor
It's not like being tired I just felt
like doing up absolutely nothing.
I mean you know i didn't want to read.
The oncology nurses they told me that you
will be experiencing fatigue. But it was
like tiredness that you could just sit
down and fall asleep but it was more
like the energy level really really
dropped and so all you wanted to do it
either take a nap or just sit somewhere
and do nothing.
with fatigue i would come home from a session of chemo I would get
home get up the stairs to the apartment
find the couch and collapse and I
learned that I needed to just basically
give into being tired.
It's not a tired that really goes away
with a lot of sleep or that you know
okay just give me a nap.It's you're too
tired to be tired is the way I would
describe it. You have to learn to accept
that you're just going to be more tired
than you've ever being in your life
I think it's important to take time for yourself and just say this is
important I have to get through;
I have to get well. Whatever it takes
that's what i'm going to do when if it's
not convenient for the people than that's too bad.
Everyday I would make sure I would sit and read for a while and
then every day my sister would make sure
we would walk for a while. Sometimes it
was up and down stairs sometimes it was
outdoors and I'd set myself little
challenges a little further everyday.
But I used to be able to walk for hours
on end and would have to accept that
five minutes one day was pretty good ten
minutes the next day with all right and
then just build in little goals to keep
going.
I have been going to the gym atthat point when I had started my
treatment regularly for years and years
and I had quite a rigorous workout and I
never let the radiation interfere with
that and whether or not I had to force
myself to help me pass through all the
treatments I thought.
some of the other things that really
helped out or kind of mentally working
out so whether it was us just talking or
playing games are doing puzzles or just
kinda getting your brain to rest I think
is one of the hardest things and that's
a big part of it.
In the case of my mom-in-law it's the body is weak that you
know they're fatigued but their their
minds are always racing. They need the
rest right not just physically but even
mentally. But yeah you are always
encouraging them to take it easy to pick
up because their body and their mind need it.
You're gonna be tired you're going to
have fatigue. You have to understand the
process you have to understand that is
part of the process and not push
yourself. Understand that you are going to
treatment and that you have to take the
time to take care of yourself and now is
not the time to test your limits or see
how things are
if you can still do something. Just take
care of yourself.