sophia88 Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Dad had radiation Tues. through Fri. and chemo on Tuesday. He has been doing fairly well until yesterday afternoon (Sat.) He went out with us to shop (he rode in the wheelchair) for about an hour and then we took him to Panera(for lunch). He was totally exhausted afterwards. I felt so terrible, but he insisted he go with us. Today was even worse. I got up and went to the house to sit on the front porch with him to have coffee. Within 30 min. he was wiped out so he took a sleep. Then this evening he was still in bed when my son and I went to see him. My Mom said he slept all afternoon. I believe this if from the treatment (what do you guys think?) and wish we would have convinced him to hang out at home with my children while Mom and I went shopping...Should we try to get him to slow down a little? He pushes himself so hard. He is to get the radiaton every day for three weeks and chemo once a week for 5 wks. He is on taxotere. He does still have a solid appetite though and a strong, positive attitude. This rollercoaster is so difficult for my Mom. She was worried even though it seems the literature indicates this is normal. When he had chemo for prostrate cancer he never had fatigue or any negative symptoms afterwards. Guess he was blessed that time. Thanks for listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaMRG Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 My father never had radiation so I dont know anything about those side effects, but Im wondering how his blood counts are. Chemo can lower your counts and make you very tired. Im sure they check it before he gets treatment, but maybe before his next treatment ask if his counts are a little low and mention the fatigue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyd Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Sophia, Fatigue, sometimes extreme, is definitely a side effect of both chemo and radiation. Make sure you mention it to your onc. though just in case it is a low blood count problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candy Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 My husband said he had never experienced a tired that was anything like it. I once heard someone on TV compare chemo fatigue to a feeling like trying to run while you were neck deep in water. There were days when my husband slept all day long. Sometimes he would simply lay his head on the kitchen table and sleep there because he was too tired to get up and walk to the bedroom. Sometimes it was because his counts were low but other times it was simply the chemo. And he didn't have the radiation on top of it to deal with. So yes, the fatique is a normal part of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelliemacs Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 ABSOLUTELY mom had head rad. and chemo and was totaly completely whipped. She said the side effects of the two combined were worse than the cancer. It still is whipping her and rad stopped 4 weeks ago. Chemo is still there and it reenergizes each previous treatment to whip her some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimblanchard Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 My husband is in bed all day and night going in and out of sleep. He started chemo on 6/13 and I am assuming that part of it is due to the chemo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay A. Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 During my Mother's radiation treatments her red cell counts would drop to dangerously low levels. The primary symptoms (for her) were extreme fatigue and headache. She would received transfusions, and the improvement would be immediate. Also, don't forget that while undergoing radiation and chemo his immune system will be fragile. Maybe I'm wrong about this, but I always that the cancer docs advise patients undergoing chemo and rads to avoid close contact with school age children because of the risk of infection. At any rate, have his blood cell counts checked. Here's to hoping that the problems are easily handled. Fay A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norme Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 SOPHIA, MY HUSBAND WAS VERY TIRED AND BLOOD COUNT LOW BUT NOT LOW ENOUGH THAT HE NEEDED BLOOD. HE HAD RADIATION THREE DIFFERENT TIMES AND AFTER THE LAST ONE HE WAS REALLY WIPED OUT AND IT LASTED A GOOD MONTH LATER. IF HE WASN'T TAKING NAPS HE WAS SLEEPING IN HIS CHAIR. HE STILL TAKES NAPS AND STILL DOSES OFF IN HIS CHAIR A LOT BUT NOT LIKE THAT LAST MONTH AFTER THE LAST TREATMENT. HE ALSO HAD A BAD TIME SWALLOWING AND EATING SO YOU FATHER MAY EXPERIENCE THAT ALSO. TREATMENTS ARE HE))))))) BUT HOPEFULLY THEY ARE LIKE THAT TO KILL THAT BAD CANCER. GOD BLESS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Yes, fatigue is one of the main side effects of radiation. My wife had just gone through another series of radiation and she is extremely tired. It does pass. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carleen Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 I think Fatigue is one of the most common side effects of chemo. But it also can depend from person to person and from drug to drug. During Keith's first rounds of Chemo, he was a little tired, but not so that you'd notice. This last round was so scary for me in comparison. He pretty much spent the entire week on the couch napping. Wednesday after his treatment, I came home from work, and he could barely keep his eyes open and focused on me long enough to tell me whether he ate or not. I made him dinner, and he took a few bites and fell asleep with the plate on his lap. His counts have never been too bad, it's just from the chemo. By Friday he was better, more alert, but he still was too tired to do much. In fact, just walking to the kitchen for water and back would have him out of breath, light headed, sweating and exhausted. Every day gets a little better, but it is still hard seeing someone you love struggling to do the things that were once so simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 Thank you to all of you who responded to my question! At least I know it is normal. I will ask the oncologist today about his count. Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.