Fatigue is described as an unusual tiredness that interferes with daily life and cannot be overcome by resting or a good night's sleep. It affects many patients with leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and myeloma. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network states that people with cancer-related fatigue may feel its effects for days, weeks or months. It is an important issue that can have a major impact on quality of life, with physical, emotional and economic consequences. Fortunately, there is a growing awareness about fatigue in both the medical and research communities, and options for patients to help minimize or relieve this symptom.
With fatigue, patients experience exhaustion or lack of energy for their usual activities. Difficulty talking, walking, concentrating, making decisions, and feelings of irritability, may all signal fatigue. Compared to normal fatigue that healthy people experience from time to time,
cancer-related fatigue is more severe, more distressing and less likely to be relieved by rest.
The reasons so many people with cancer feel fatigue are under study. However, there are steps that people can take to feel better. Medical treatment, moderate exercise, good nutrition, stress management, and certain lifestyle changes, help many patients to feel more energetic or better able to deal with fatigue.
This fact sheet addresses some of the common questions that patients have about the causes of, treatments for, and management of fatigue. Hopefully, knowing more about fatigue can help patients to have more energy to perform many of the daily activities they want and need to do.
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Fatigue ( 8 pages pdf files, 602 KB )
