AFTER CANCER: FATIGUE AND ITS CAUSES
Posted on Mar 12, 2009 under Cancer | No CommentWhat Is Fatigue?
Fatigue is defined as a feeling of weariness during or following exertion. It is a common symptom after completion of cam treatments and can be experienced as any combination of
• feeling tired
• lack of energy or stamina
• difficulty in staying awake
• inadequate physical or emotional energy to respond to signals or problems
• difficulty in concentrating or in learning new information
• poor memory
• excessive yawning
• irritability or emotional lability (ever-changing emotions, such as crying spells or bursts of anger)
• loss of interest in people and things around you
• decreased sexual desire
Fatigue can be subtle or debilitating, constant or fluctuating, can appear by itself or in association with other symptoms such as headache.
What Causes Fatigue?
Fatigue is a frightening symptom for survivors because they know that cancer can cause fatigue. However, many changes and problems other than cancer cause fatigue after recovery from treatment. The most common causes are
•medications such as those used to treat nausea, pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, or seizures
• anemia
• chemical imbalances such as a low blood level of potassium caused by prior cancer or treatment
•hormonal changes such as those of menopause, low thyroid, or diabetes
•the physical drain from your body’s efforts to heal tissue damaged by the treatments and to clear dead and dying cells
•the effect of substances released by the cells killed or damaged by your treatments
•circulation or heart problems that interfere with the supply of oxygen and energy materials to your organs
•respiratory (breathing) difficulties that interfere with the supply of oxygen to your organs
•physiological changes in your nervous system caused by your prior cancer or treatment
•underlying disease unrelated to your cancer (heart, lung, kidney, musculoskeletal, liver, neurological, or other disease)
•infection in which toxic products are generated or your metabolism is altered, such as by a fever
•emotional factors such as anxiety, depression, frustration, boredom, or conflict
•malnutrition (deficiency of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, or vitamins) caused by energy requirements of your body that exceed the supply of energy
•interferons or other biological response modifiers that are sometimes given to help maintain a remission (treatment that continues for months, years, or indefinitely after remission is achieved)
•changed sleep patterns
•deconditioning due to inadequate exercise
•overexertion that results in an accumulation of metabolic waste products such as lactic acid •intake of alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine
•postcancer fatigue
After you complete radiation therapy or chemotherapy, your blood tests, X rays, and scans may all return to normal and yet your fatigue may persist. Under these circumstances, you may have postcancer fatigue, which is real, expected, and usually temporary.
You may experience steady tiredness from month to month, as some problems diminish or resolve, others worsen, or new ones develop. In other words, the degree of tiredness may remain the same even though its causes have changed. Anemia may resolve (lessening fatigue) as lung function worsens (exacerbating it). And since malaise also can be the symptom of recurrent cancer or other serious problems, it is critical that you keep your doctor informed. Otherwise you may miss the opportunity for the early diagnosis of recurrent cancer, infection, weakened kidneys, heart failure, or other treatable problems.
In addition, you and your disease can remain unchanged, but your fatigue pattern may change, for unexplained reasons.
*59/32/5*
