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Fatigue and insomnia, post radiotherapy??

MegorT
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I seem to have developed chronic fatigue and insomnia a few weeks after radiotherapy for breast cancer has finished.
Is this normal? I feeling very wiped out either it all and able to do less and less.
When will things improve?  
Thank you in advance. 

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    Hi MegorT

    Fatigue is quite normal after radiotherapy. Your body is working hard to repair the treated area and at this stage in treatment you have mentally and emotioally been through a lot of trauma. My own experience is rhat the two weeks after treatment finishes are the worst then things very gradually get better over the coming months. You can help yourself by eating a heathy diet with a little extra protein. Meat fish beans nuts eggs. Have a regular bedtime and getting up time. Gentle excercise like walking each day. Rest when needed but not long daytime naps. You will get your energy back maybe not 100 percent but nearly there.

    Ed

  • Hello and thanks for posting

    I'm sorry you are struggling with fatigue and insomnia following your radiotherapy treatment. This must be a difficult time for you.

    It is a good to speak to your team about your insomnia. Sometimes some of the medications that you may be taking can be adjusted or given at an earlier time in the day as this may be a factor in keeping you awake.

    We have some tips on our website about manging difficulty with sleeping which you might find helpful.

    There are many possible causes of fatigue, but the main causes are often due to cancer and its treatments. We have some information on our website about fatigue and tips on how to manage it such as doing a form of gentle exercise, getting enough rest and eating a good diet. Macmillan Cancer Support has some further information on fatigue.

    Fatigue tends to improve over time for most people. It might be a good idea for you to keep a fatigue diary. This can help you keep a record of how you are feeling, and how your energy levels change and can show patterns of his fatigue. This can help plan your day. It can also highlight which activities makes you feel better or worse.

    Sometimes there is a specific medical cause for fatigue which there might be a remedy for such as anaemia, so do get some input from your team about this.

    I hope this is of some help. Please get back to us if you need any more information or support. You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9 am till 5 pm, Monday to Friday.

    Kind regards,

    Celene

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