Tiredness after radiation

[susan169]

I am a very active Realtor in Atlanta---------with tons of energy.  I sailed thru the lumpecomy----2 surgeries and
33 treatments of radiation.  I am 66 year old.  I finished radiaiton in early Dec............enjoyed the holidays and
once January arrived, I am sooooooooo tired or fatigued..........I am not overweight........but confused as to why
my body aches........My two cancers were DCIS stage o and stage 1.  I am very healthy-----------but do not want to
get out of bed these days.  I don;t seem to be depressed.........whats happening?

[katarina777]

I think it's lymphedema.

[susan169]

what do you attribute your right arm pain to?

[katarina777]

I am right handed, and now my right arm has about 305 less strength than my left arm, and I can hardly use my right hand because the fingers are so swollen and painful. I think lymphedema has arrived for me. My right shoulder also aches.
PT helps. I didn't go for four weeks and it got much worse.
If it's not one thing it's another. Thanks for asking.

[susan169]

I did see two Doctors this week-------the raditogist and the Oncolgist.  The Oncolgist
did a homone test and everything came back normal.  They both agreed the
fatigue was normal and I am now feeling better.  The oncolgist wants me to
take Evista instead of Tamoxifin.  The side effects on each drug are enough to
scare anyone--------but I will probably being the Evista Feb. 1---my birthday.  I wanted
to wait so I would not feel weird about my party.  Is anyone taking Evista that you
know?  HOW are you???thank you for reaching out and I really love the blogs as
no one understands unless you have personally experienced what it is like to have
breast cancer.

[katarina777]

Hi, just happened to stop by and here you are. How did it go? I don't know anything about Evista. Sorry. Did he(they) tell you anything about your tiredness that we don't already know? Or that we do know? Kat

[susan169]

Is anyone taking Evista?  My Doctor wants me to take it instead of
Tamoxifin?  Any thoughts?

[susan169]

Hi!  It's so interesting how each day I feel differently.  I think on my good energy days
I am doing way too much to catch up as I feel tired the next day------Oh just to have
my old life back.......oh well, I will count my blessings and get thru this.
I will let you  know what each Dr. says this week......I dread the Tamoxifin but
hopefully, I will be one of the lucky ones with little side effects.

[lhughes]

Hey guys...I finished radiation in the summer of 06 and had that tiredness of which you speak.  I thought initially it was just the "oh my it's now over" tired or from the every-day going through radiation.  It could be some of both (relief and exhaustion from the super hyper hoping-ness and just being DONE) and a side-effect of radiation.  It does come back.  I went to the gym for a while and that helped to regain some energy.  I was much better sometime around the new year (August 24th was my last treatment in 06).

I started Tamoxifen before the end of radiation and had to take Effexor for awhile (for the seriously bad mood swings) and then got off it last year.  I'm still having some hot flashes, but 2 years later things have settled down to a mild steam.  I ran around Friday (in 28 degree weather) in nothing more than a medium weight shirt, no coat.  Freaked a few people out...I just tell them I have my own internal heater.

It takes a while for your mind and body to get back to a new normal, but it does get there.  

Good luck!

[katarina777]

I had surgery on Dec. 4th, 2007. (I had chemo before that) I finished radiation sometime in the middle of February. And no, I did not gain weight from the Tamoxifen.

Please let me know what happens during your appointment. It's important for me, too, to hear how you are doing, as I am very interested. Some people I respond to never bother to respond back, even if I put great care and effort into my comment.

So, I really appreciate you talking with me, too. Ask away anything you feel like, OK? You can also write to me privately.

Oh yes, that mess kids make. i started late and still have two 'mess maker boys', 12 and 18.

It also helps to talk, I think. Bless you, Kat

[susan169]

Many thanks for your responses.  It is so helpful to chat with someone who has
been or is going thru about the same thing.  I felt so good Wed and Thrus and then
the tiredness and aching returned on Friday. I keep my adorable grandchildren every
Friday from noon until late Saturday,  Of course, they wilt me but I love every minute of it.
Jack is 2 and Caroline is 6.1/2.  They really mess the house but I clearn it after they
leave.  today I feel fairly good again.  I went to bed last evening about 7 and just
got up.  I too have trouble sleeping so even though that sounds like a long time,
I was not asleep the entire time.  I will share with you what the doctors say.
It will be almost 2 months from radiation when I start taking the Tamoxifin,
Have you gain weight from taking the Tamoifin?  when did you have surgery and
when did you finsih the radiation?

[katarina777]

Don't be surprised if your oncologist sort of thinks out aloud, and will bring up different thoughts over time. You see, they all don't know for sure what is best. Like mine debated between Aromatose inhibitors and Tamoxifen at first, then this last time he said maybe I should have my ovaries removed and switch..but then he thought the way it is OK. I just want to reassure you it's normal.

I bet your radiation doctor will tell you it's from the radiation and normal to have that tiredness. Your oncologist will perhaps say everyone is different.

[katarina777]

I started radiation about 6-7 weeks after surgery, and Tamoxifen about a week earlier, (before radiation) because I saw my oncologist then.

[susan169]

Many thanks for the input........I am seeing both the Oncolgist and the
Raditiongist next week and will ask why I am so tired and why my joints hurt when
this has never been in my life before.  Maybe I am expecting too much too soon.
I had 2 surgeries ======one in August and one in September and then
radition ended in December.  how soon did you start taking tamoxifin after
radation?

[katarina777]

But then, nobody is going to come to any bc cancer forum to share that they have no side effects from tamoxifen. It's only brought up when side effects are involved, right? So, there may be a good many who don't have those negative symptoms. It's just that I wouldn't know about those people and have never heard from them. cheers, kat

PS: A 2 year old? Don't they burst with energy. You must mean like myself, 200 year old. kat

[katarina777]

No, I haven't, sorry. But this was my experience. The first week, or so, I felt like a complete 'zombie', and I think my bones also hurt. Then, it got better.

I have all the menopausal symptoms; I cannot sleep, the hot flashes, moodiness, etc. The hot flashes got worse after a few month. I have been taking clonidine, a high blood pressure medication, for it which really helps. It aslo helps you sleep and is very sedating at first, but very short term. Unless your blood pressure is very low, you don't have to worry about it going too low. many people are given an antidepressant for the hot flashes, but it's very painful to get off it, even if it helps a lot while on it.
Many women also gain weight on Tamoxifen, but I did not.

Really have your Vit. D levels checked out. It's important. Please, keep in touch.

[susan169]

Many thanks for your insight..........I have the energy of a 2 year old but
not any more............I start taking Tamoxifin next week and so dread the side effects?
Have you heard of anyone taking Tamoxifin without side effects?

[boolie]

I know after I finished treatment with Radiation (for lymphoma) I was extremely tired.  My MD said that was a side effect.  

[katarina777]

Also, have your vit D levels checked if this has not been done. It is very low in many women with bc, and perhaps also other cancers, and mine was. It causes weakness and achiness as well.

[katarina777]

I do think that there is a very good chance that some, or all of your fatigue is related to your treatment, or specifically the radiation. I also had some late effects to either one or both chemotherapy and/or radiation. I am much more tired also now than I was during radiation, like you and for me it's been several month. (I also take Tamoxifen) Often, with radiation, late effects show up as many as ten years later.

So, what I mean is that I don't know the truth about this, (and most anyone won't know for sure) but that it is very possible.

With my strange later 'stuff', I was pretty much told, "we don't know...possibly, or unlikely, or very likely". (all responses suggesting that your own guess may be as good as anyone elses.) best, Kat