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Fatigue

Fatigue can be caused by the cancer itself and by various cancer treatments. It is when a patient feels especially tired and weak. Fatigue can affect many different parts of life, including family life and job performance. There are several ways it is treated. A treatment is determined based on an evaluation of the causes of the fatigue.

There are many factors that can lead to fatigue. First, the cancer can cause fatigue, although the reason why is still unknown. Many of the treatments for cancer also cause fatigue in patients. Anemia, where the number of red blood cells in the body falls below normal, is often a side effect of chemotherapy, and results in fatigue. Chemotherapy can also result in a collection of toxic substances in cells, which will also lead to fatigue. In radiation therapy, fatigue can result because the body needs more energy to repair healthy cells that were damaged by the radiation.

Fatigue is often a temporary side effect. However, when it is present, it can often be hard to deal with. For treatment, doctors must analyze several factors that may have led to the fatigue before prescribing anything. These factors include information about the pattern of the fatigue, the type of cancer and the treatment being received for it, current medications, relaxation habits, eating habits, effects of fatigue on life and physical and psychological health.

There are a few different types of treatments being prescribed for fatigue. The first are psychostimulant drugs, which induce a feeling of well-being and help provide strength and decrease appetite. However, these drugs also have their own side effects, which include sleeplessness, euphoria, mood changes, paranoid behavior and possible heart problems. A second treatment for fatigue is a treatment for anemia. This is a red blood cell transfusion, where more red blood cells are put into the body. This also has side effects, such as infection, reaction to the transfusion, graft-versus-host disease, and changes in the immune system. A safer treatment than the two mentioned above is exercise, which often helps improve well-being and attitude, and increased physical energy.

With fatigue, it is important to lead a balanced lifestyle. Patients should not load themselves with activities that require too much time and energy. It is critical that patients receive enough rest and are not under immense amounts of stress.