Page 9 - CCC Newsletter Summer 2019

Cancer-Related Fatigue
If you are plagued by fatigue, you are not alone. Our nursing team wants to help patients understand that fatigue as a result of cancer treatment is different from the fatigue of daily life.
Fatigue is the most common side effect reported by individuals undergoing cancer treatment. Cancer- related fatigue is not the tired feeling people remember having before they had cancer.
Fatigue is often described as a feeling of tiredness, weakness, weariness, or exhaustion that doesn’t have a specific cause and is not relieved by rest or sleep.
If you are experiencing fatigue you may feel weak, listless, drained, or “washed out.” Cancer patients undergoing treatment may experience cancer-related fatigue and should look for the following signs:
• Youfeeltiredanditdoesn’tgetbetterwithrestor sleep, it keeps coming back, or it becomes severe.
• You’remoretiredthanusualduringorafteran activity.
• You’refeelingtiredandit’snotrelatedtoan activity.
• You’retootiredtodothethingsyounormallydo.
• Yourarmsandlegsfeelheavyandhardtomove.
• Youhavenoenergy.
• Youfeelweak.
• Youspendmoretimeinbedand/orsleepmore.Or, you may have trouble sleeping.
• Youstayinbedformorethan24hours.
• Youbecomeconfusedorcan’tconcentrateorfocus
your thoughts.
• Yourtirednessdisruptsyourwork,sociallife,or daily routine.
It is very important to talk with your oncologist
or primary care provider about any cancer related fatigue symptoms so that an evaluation can be done and appropriate methods for managing your fatigue can be implemented.
Our Director of Nursing Services, Jessica Schulze, has provided us with some helpful hints for managing your fatigue:
• Planyourdayandprioritizeactivitiesaroundyour energy level
• Schedulerestbreaks.
• Getadequateexercise.
• Avoidextremetemperatures.
• Maintaingoodnutrition,and
• Drinkplentyoffluidthroughouttheday.
If you would like to see how you score on a general assessment of fatigue, take this on-line Fatigue Assessment: https://consultgeri.org/try-this/general- assessment/issue-30.pdf
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Jessica Schulzee