Managing Fatigue during Cancer Treatment

One of the most common problems associated with cancer treatment is fatigue. Fatigue lasts a long time after treatment ends, including feeling weak, tired or completely void of energy. Fatigue comes from factors of cancer treatment like poor nutrition, dehydration, medications, pain, stress and anemia. Fatigue reduces your quality of life and makes daily activities difficult.

Tips for Cancer Treatment Fatigue

Below are some tips for getting through cancer treatment fatigue and even keeping fatigue from worsening:

• Take short naps or rest throughout each day when your body needs it
• Get a quality night’s rest each night
• Stay as active as possible, taking short walks or exercising each day
• Use relaxation methods like yoga, massage, stretching or aromatherapy
• Keep track of your fatigue level changes, to find things contributing to your fatigue
• Plan your days for early task completion, so you can rest when fatigue happens later in the day
• Accept from others as much as possible, such as allowing friends and family to shop, do housework or prepare meals for you
• Eat high protein, high calorie foods
• Eat small meals frequently throughout your day, such as six small meals instead of three large ones
• Stay hydrated by drinking a minimum of eight to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water or other fluids each day
• Use nutritional supplements or liquid meal replacements as needed and recommended by your healthcare team

Always keep an open line of communication with your treatment team regarding side effects like those affecting your nutrition. Nutrition plays a critical role in cancer recovery and your ability to maintain your daily activities. When fatigue, depression or other problems affect your everyday life, talk to your doctor for help.