Fatigue is as common with cancer treatments as nausea, pain, inability to eat, and other typical symptoms. Fatigue is often caused by mesothelioma treatments (such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation), nausea, vomiting, pain, medications, not eating or drinking enough, lack of ability to sleep, and feeling stressed or anxious.
Fatigue can cause what feels like severe depression and inability to engage in daily life, and can sometimes lead to lack of motivation to continue treatment and living. If you feel this, immediate support should be given before the condition becomes worse. It is important for caregivers to be on the lookout for this as well, to be able to recognize it and address it for their loved one as well as for themselves.
Simply accepting that you will have less energy than before and also that this may persist can help. Understanding that feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, worn-out, heavy, and unable to concentrate are all signs of fatigue can help you to know how to respond and lighten up on expectations of yourself.
The first step to helping reduce fatigue is being able to name and describe it to your caregivers and doctors. Although rarely reported, it is a symptom worthy of attention from your health care team. Do not wait until it becomes severe. Recognize the symptoms of fatigue and talk to someone while the experiences are still mild.
There is no one approach to treating fatigue. Several areas will need to be explored, such as sleep, nutrition, medications, activity levels and abilities, pain management, and emotional distress. Once sources are identified, an individualized program can be created to help relieve those symptoms. Asking for help is crucial, as is finding on-going support. Talk to your healthcare team while symptoms are mild and make sure caregivers also take action to keep themselves rested and in good health.