FATIGUE
Fatigue means tiredness and lack of energy. You feel as if you can't do things at your normal pace. We all feel this at times - maybe when we are working too hard, worrying about something or just doing too much partying! Not eating properly or taking too little exercise can make it worse. With this type of fatigue, your body is letting you know that you are over doing it. The tiredness is usually short-lived and you feel better after you stop and rest.
Now that pain and sickness are so much better controlled, fatigue is the most common and troubling symptom for people with cancer. As many as 9 out of 10 people may have it at some time during their illness or treatment. But only 1 in 5 people think something can be done about it. So most of them don't ever mention it to their doctors.
Doctors and nurses haven't always appreciated the long term effects of fatigue on people with cancer. But there is an increasing amount of research in this area. Things are improving and there are ways of relieving fatigue.
Fatigue means tiredness and lack of energy. You feel as if you can't do things at your normal pace. We all feel this at times - maybe when we are working too hard, worrying about something or just doing too much partying! Not eating properly or taking too little exercise can make it worse. With this type of fatigue, your body is letting you know that you are over doing it. The tiredness is usually short-lived and you feel better after you stop and rest.
Now that pain and sickness are so much better controlled, fatigue is the most common and troubling symptom for people with cancer. As many as 9 out of 10 people may have it at some time during their illness or treatment. But only 1 in 5 people think something can be done about it. So most of them don't ever mention it to their doctors.
Doctors and nurses haven't always appreciated the long term effects of fatigue on people with cancer. But there is an increasing amount of research in this area. Things are improving and there are ways of relieving fatigue.
