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Cancer-related fatigue is a common and disruptive symptom that is experienced during and after cancer treatment. Fatigue, commonly described as feeling tired, sluggish, or exhausted, affects most people during treatment as a form of side effect.
Many factors are responsible for cancer-related Fatigue. Almost 80% to 100% of cancer patients complain of fatigue. Fatigue felt in cancer is different from the fatigue of daily life. Cancer-related fatigue symptoms are different from tiredness.
Factors that contribute to your cancerfatiguemay be entirely different from somebody else's. Some people face cancerfatigueduring cancer treatment, and some face the same aftercancer treatment.
Also Read: Cancer Fatigue: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
Various factors for cancer-related fatigue include:
Different types of cancer can cause body changes, which can lead to fatigue. Some cancers release proteins called cytokines, which are believed to cause fatigue. While some other types of cancer increase the need for energy in your body, weaken your muscles, cause damage to specific organs (such as the liver, kidney, heart, or lungs) or alter the hormones in your body, as a result, it feels fatigued all the time.
The main cause of cancer-related fatigue is the treatment of cancer itself. Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy can have side effects like fatigue. You can feel fatigued when, in addition to the targeted cancer cells, chemotherapy, or radiation often kills healthy cells.
You may feel cancer-related fatigue when the body attempts to repair the damage to healthy cells and tissues. Some side effects of treatment, like anaemia, nausea, vomiting, pain, insomnia, and mood changes, may also cause fatigue.
Chemotherapy can cause fatigue, especially the high dose regimens that are given with curative intent since that kind of treatment is designed to cross the limit to kill the tumour cells.
Patients can develop anaemia if too many healthy red blood cells are killed by chemotherapy. You may also experience anaemia if cancer has spread to your bone marrow and interferes with the production of blood cells, or causes blood loss.
Cancer patients may get less active, eat less, sleep less, and become discouraged if they experience chronic pain, all of which may contribute to theirFatigue.
Cancer patients need the resources for a healthy diet for their cancer treatments to work efficiently. Their body's ability to process nutrients may change. Such adjustments may result in poor nutrition, leading to tiredness andfatigue.
There may be many hormonal changes duringcancer treatment. Hormonal therapies are a common method for treating certain cancers, and such medications can lead tofatigue. There may also be hormonal changes as side effects of procedures such as surgery,radiotherapy,orChemotherapy.
Not everyone suffering from cancer gets fatigued. And if you do, the level of cancer tiredness that you experience may vary; you may feel a slight lack of energy, or you may feel completely wiped out. CancerFatiguemay occur episodically and last only a short time, or it may last for several months after thecancer treatmentis complete.
Some cancer-related fatigue is expected during cancer treatment. But tell your doctor if you find that cancer tiredness is persistent, lasting weeks, and interferes with your ability to perform your daily tasks.
Consult your doctor if you experience:
There may be medicines available to treat the underlying cause of your Fatigue. For example, blood transfusions can help if your fatigue is the result of anaemia. If you feel depressed, consult your doctor. He may prescribe some medicines to reduce depression, increase appetite, and enhance your sense of well-being.
Improving your sleeping habits will help to relievefatigue. Adequate painmanagement can go a long way in minimizing fatigue, but certainPainmedications can makefatigueworse, so you should consult with your doctor to achieve the right balance.
Set aside time to relax in your day. Take short naps, no longer than one hour, throughout the day, rather than a long period of rest.
Keep track of the moments when you feel the best of yourself, and schedule your essential tasks during those times.
Drinking plenty of water and eating healthy will help preserve your energy reserves. Avoidalcoholand caffeine. Ifnauseaandvomitingmake eating difficult, talk with your doctor about the side effects.
Exercise throughout the week. It will help you to maintain your energy level. Exercise plays a very positive role duringcancer treatment. Perform regular exercise when you begincancer treatment. You will get into the exercise routine, and it may even help you to avoidfatigueduringcancer treatment.
Also Read: Managing Cancer Related Fatigue with Home Remedies
Don't assume that fatigue is just part of the cancer treatment. Fatigue may also be a reason for the production of chronic after Cancer Treatment. Many cancer survivors have constant exhaustion years after the diagnosis of cancer. If fatigue impacts your ability to spend your day, it's time to talk to your doctor. Experiencing fatigue, when you have cancer, is a common symptom, there are steps you can take to cope with your condition. When you feel tired, talk to your doctor about the factors that could cause your fatigue and what you can do to overcome it.
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