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recovering from chemo

Carolyn83
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I had 4 cycles of CAPOX which finished in early December. The subsequent scan was clear and I felt great. I started working on my recovery, building up fitness and engaging in various diverting activities. I thought I was monitoring things well but since about mid February I am becoming more tired, having allergies and headaches which are very debilitating. I have to stop everything and wait for the pain to go away and my batteries to recharge. This can take from 4 hours to 48 hours. When my batteries run out I get very low and now I am worried that I am becoming ill again. I am finding it hard to gage what my body can cope with and how it should feel.  I had expected to feel more normal now especially as i had few side effects during the chemo. Please can you give me some advice as to how to deal with this situation? Am I expecting too much? Why does it seem to be getting worse and not better? Can I do anything more to help myself?

Many thanks

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    Hi Carolyn,

    Your care team should have given you a number to contact if you had any concerns. They’d be best placed to answer. 

    Failing that, see your GP as it may be something unrelated that’s causing your symptoms. 

    For what it’s worth, I was on a similar chemo regime and it took me six months to fully recover but I got gradually better every month. We all seem to react and recover differently.

    Good luck
    Dave

  • Offline in reply to davek

    Thanks Dave. That’s very helpful. 

  • Hi there and thanks for posting

    I am sorry to hear about the chemotherapy you had last year and how you are currently feeling in yourself and body. Try and be kind to yourself and not over think this if you can. If however you are concerned do speak with your doctor so they can assess you and run some tests if needed to find out more.

    All cancer treatments takes it's toll on a person and even if someone seems to sail through treatment without any side effects at the time, it still takes some time ( usually at least 6 months) for the body and mind to recover from it.

    It is important to pace yourself and not push yourself too soon. Gradually increasing your exercise and the activities you do is crucial and listening to your body and stopping and resting if you need to.

    looking after yourself well by eating a healthy and balanced diet, getting good sleep and the right type of exercise all helps on the road to recovery. Some people also benefit from talking therapies and relaxation techniques.

    Maggie centres up and down the country and online offer a series of different courses and workshops some of which you may like to look into to help you.

    I hope this is helpful but do get back in touch if you have more questions. If you prefer you can call us on 0808 800 4040 and we can talk things through with you over the phone, we're here week days 9-5.

    Best wishes

    Naomi

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