Cancer and Fatigue

 

Photo: Tomáš Vendiš, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The intent to document ongoing cancer treatments for those diagnosed with the disease, but who have not yet been initiated into the daily grind of scans, chemo and radiation treatments, and the effect the disease has on pre-existing conditions and their prognoses. It was a good plan, but I didn’t foresee the crippling fatigue that chemo treatments have on the body. I spend far too much time lying on the sofa, soaking up YouTube and Great Courses + videos when I want to be writing, reading, or house cleaning. * Fatigue restricts cleaning up after oneself. When all the energy you can call on is expended to heat a can of soup, there is nothing left to clean the dishes.

I had thought going into this that I would find cancer treatments and facts about the disease enthralling and of interest to the blog-reading public. Not so. The facts are more expertly provided on many websites and receiving treatments is an exercise in boredom. It involves waiting for chemicals to spread through the body; waiting for treatment to start; waiting for a PET, CT, or MRI to complete its operation; waiting for the slow drip of chemicals; waiting for appointments and bloodwork. Take a book with you.

I have never appreciated friends as I do now. They have helped me with household chores, getting to appointments, acquiring and preparing food, and moral support. Keep your friends close and be mentally prepared to repay the favors in the event any of them fall victim to disabling disease.

Should that happen to you or a friend, you have my deepest hope for a full recovery and a long life.

* I don’t want to be housecleaning, but I need to be housecleaning.

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