More than 70% of cancer patients will feel fatigue! The most comprehensive coping guide is released!

Fatigue is the most common side effect of cancer treatment! In one study, cancer patients rated fatigue as interfering with their quality of life more than nausea, depression, and pain combined! When a healthy person is tired from daily activities, their fatigue is relieved by sleep and rest. Cancer-related fatigue is completely different. Not only is it easy to feel depressed, but it is also more severe and you feel tired after even a small amount of activity. In addition, it is not completely relieved by sleep and rest, and it may last a long time.

Symptoms and characteristics of cancer-related fatigue!

The International Classification of Diseases describes cancer-related fatigue as: nonspecific fatigue, weakness, general decline, drowsiness or insomnia, fatigue, lack of concentration, sadness, irritability, heaviness of limbs, slow movement, weakness, anxiety and other symptoms.

Radiation therapy

Radiotherapy causes the accumulation of toxic cell degradation products, increases energy consumption, and causes liver cell damage, leading to oxidative changes, all of which can cause fatigue.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy can cause nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite, which reduces the body's energy intake. Inconvenient bowel movements, pain, and insomnia increase the body's energy consumption, and the body's energy demand exceeds its energy supply, all of which can lead to fatigue.

Bone marrow suppression caused by chemotherapy can also cause fatigue, which is most obvious about 7 to 14 days after chemotherapy. Then the fatigue will continue until the next treatment and will increase with each treatment cycle. Some studies have shown that patients have very severe fatigue during all cycles of chemotherapy. Fatigue decreases after chemotherapy ends, but most patients do not return to normal. Many patients feel fatigued for months or years after treatment ends.

Other drugs

Patients can take medications to treat symptoms of cancer, such as pain or symptoms other than cancer. These medications relieve pain and can also have sedative and hypnotic effects that patients may mistake for fatigue. Opioids, antidepressants, and antihistamines have this side effect. Fatigue may be more pronounced if many of these medications are taken at the same time. For breast cancer patients who receive endocrine therapy, when estrogen levels drop, calcium is lost from the bones, and the most obvious symptom is weakness when walking.

Operation

Fatigue is a common side effect of surgery but it eases over time. However, fatigue caused by surgery may be worse when surgery is combined with other cancer treatments.

In addition, the harm of surgical treatment itself, postoperative pain, subsequent repair response, subsequent effects of anesthesia, health disorders caused by bed rest, and hemorrhagic anemia may all affect the patient's physical fitness.

While fatigue is a common symptom of cancer, don’t think it’s just a normal part of cancer treatment. If it’s making you uncomfortable or affecting your ability to function, it’s time to talk to your doctor and get help. There are many things you can do to reduce or improve this condition. So you can have better results from treatment and a better quality of life.