8 WAYS TO FIGHT THE FATIGUE OF CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT

If you're going through chemotherapy treatment, you probably feel as if you've gone a few rounds in the boxing ring: beat-up and just plain beat. Fatigue is probably the main side effect of chemotherapy, and patients undergoing chemotherapy are in a triple bind. First, cancer itself is tiring. Second, 50%-90% of all cancer patients suffer from fatigue. Plus, anti-cancer drugs may sap your strength. But you can fight fatigue. Simple changes in diet and lifestyle can keep your body fortified while you battle the effects of chemotherapy and cancer. Read on for tips on staying strong...

1. GET ENOUGH CALORIES. This isn't the time to start a diet - even if you're overweight. Eating enough might be more important than eating healthy during chemotherapy treatment. Your body needs plenty of nourishment to help maintain strength and stamina. Check with your physician to find out how many calories you should be eating every day during treatment.

2. FORTIFY WITH SUPPLEMENTS. Poor nutrition can contribute to fatigue. To ensure you get all the necessary nutrients during chemotherapy treatment, take multivitamins and other supplements. Check with your oncologist - some vitamins and supplements may interact with your other medications. If chemotherapy has left you too exhausted to eat at all, ask your doctor about intravenous nutrients.

3. CONTROL NAUSEA. Feeling nauseated during chemotherapy treatment? Tell doctors right away and ask for a medication adjustment. There are many options for treating nausea, and many combinations of medications that can be tailored to the patient.

4. FORTIFY YOUR BLOOD. Fatigue can often be attributed to anemia. Anemia is a condition in which the blood doesn't contain enough red blood cells to ransport all the oxygen the body needs. Chemotherapy drugs can cause anemia by affecting the bone marrow, where red blood cells are produced. A multivitamin supplement with iron, one of the building blocks of red blood cells, can help reverse anemia.

5. MANAGE STRESS. Anxiety was linked to fatigue in chemotherapy patients in a 2008 study published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. If you are under stress, your immune system doesn't function well. So how can you relieve some of the anxiety of chemotherapy treatments? Try journaling or blogging about your experience a few times a week. This can help your change your feelings and thinking about the disease and improve their physical and psychological well-being.

6. IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP. Worrying about your chemotherapy treatments not only will give you insomnia, but will also sap your energy. Ask your doctor about medications or supplements that you can take temporarily to sleep better.

7. MOVE YOUR BODY. Take a 45-minute walk every day, rain or shine. Sunlight and fresh air, moving your body and talking to a friend reduces fatigue. Getting exercise not only fights chemo fatigue - it also might help you live longer.

8. ASK ABOUT STIMULANTS. Still exhausted after chemotherapy treatments? Ask your doctor if stimulants might help. Ritalin - commonly prescribed for hyperactivity, may give you more pep after chemotherapy treatment. Provigil - a medication for narcolepsy, improved cancer patients' alertness in a 2010 German study. Guarana - a plant from the Amazon, is an herbal energizer.

source: www.lifescript.com