Tiredness

Hi!
I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in April 2005. It is now four years since I was diagnosed, and have gotten the all clear. I am constantly tired, I am just wondering if there is anyone out there who knows how long the tiredness lasts. I changed my working hours to part time and I am still tired at the end of the working week. At the weekend I have a sleep for a couple of hours (Saturday and Sunday). Does tiredness ever go?

hi there,
wish i could be more positive but you just echo how i feel! was diagnosed with breast cancer 2005, was off work for nearly a year, diagnosed with kidney cancer 2008 then was out sick for 10 months.
unfortunately, i still feel tired most days but manage to work 30 hours a week. recently i have thought about reducing my hours but keep thinking time will improve matters. the only thing i would say is, i have learned to go with how i feel, sleep when i can and say no when i dont feel up to babysitting my grandkids.
good luck for the future
annie

I was diagnosed in Oct 2006 and am lucky as we work together and run our business from an office at home. The nature of our work means we don’t start much before 10am, although work can run on into the evening and I am doing a certified course as well.I finished chemo in June 2007, Herceptin in April 2008 and I would say I felt very fatigued until about last December. I still get odd days when I’m tired and have a lie down if I need to, but I do find that going for a walk or doing some yoga stretches helps me.

I also started taking Ginko Biloba about 6 weeks ago and have found my alertness and concentration has improved.

I must try that Gingko Bilboa cherub.My chronology is similar to yours[dx Oct 2006] and still get more tired than I like.

Hello Ferrari,

My partner, Juliet, was diagnosed Nov 2004 and is still having problems with tiredness. Onc said that long term tiredness is something that affects about 10% of patients. Occupational health at work has been great and she doesn’t work quite full time. Most of the time she can manage but at busy times she does get really knocked out and sleeps most of the weekend! We are starting to see if she can change to working part time - quality of life is really important thing.

Ginko sounds like worth a try though!

All the best,

Sharon

I would definitely see how you go with Ginkyo Biloba. I take the Kwai one a day type in the morning with breakfast. It’s quite expensive as it’s about £15 for a month’s supply, but I have to say it really is helping. My cognitive function was dreadful after chemo and I was forgetting how to do basic things like the invoices for our business.

I’m also doing a course in advanced copywriting at the moment as I need it for work and was having to re-read course texts as I’d go back to it the next day and had forgotten half of it. Being post menopausal doesn’t help either. My level of concentration has been very improved this past few weeks so I’ve bought another supply. You can get own brand cheaper from Holland and Barrett but I got the Kwai brand as I think it’s the pukka one - I’m generally quite careful with my spending, but in this instance I figure I’m worth it lol!