University College Hospital. Coping with fatigue and tiredness. Radiotherapy Department Patient information series

Transcription

1 University College Hospital Coping with fatigue and tiredness Radiotherapy Department Patient information series 16

2 2 If you need a large print, audio or translated copy of the document, please contact us on: (Direct line) ext 73711/bleep ext 73711/bleep 1458 We will try our best to meet your needs.

3 3 Contents What is fatigue? 5 What causes fatigue? 5 Coping with fatigue 6 Helping yourself at home 7 Eat well 7 Get good quality rest 8 Useful contact numbers 10

4 4

5 5 What is fatigue? Fatigue is the medical word for feeling tired most or all of the time. Patients describe it in a variety of ways, using terms such as weak, exhausted, weary, worn-out, emotionally and mentally drained. This level of tiredness will vary between individuals. Although many people are able to carry on with their normal routine, others may find it difficult to cope. Fatigue is very common during treatment, and it can be just as distressing as other treatment side effects. Fatigue can influence a person s sense of wellbeing, their daily performance, the activities of daily living, relationships with family and friends, and compliance with treatment. This booklet is intended to give you help with coping with fatigue during your treatment. What causes fatigue? There is no single cause of fatigue. It is thought that many different factors may contribute to, or add to, feelings of fatigue. These include: Radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery can be very taxing on the human body. Your body needs more energy to cope with these treatments. Feeling sick, vomiting and diarrhoea may cause you to go off your food. This will mean that you have less energy in reserve. Pain and other symptoms such as breathlessness may cause fatigue. The emotional responses to the cancer and its treatment such as anxiety, fear, confusion, stress and depression may also generate feelings of lethargy and fatigue. Sleep problems or lack of sleep may make you feel exhausted. Relationship problems or arguments can cause frustrationand weariness. Anaemia (a low red blood cell count which causes a low haemoglobin) will cause fatigue. The doctors will be able to treat this. Other factors such as travelling to and from hospital, lack of family support, dependants, age, lifestyle, occupational and financial status can all contribute to feelings of fatigue.

6 6 Coping with fatigue There are many things that can be done to make the problem of fatigue more bearable. Here are some suggestions to help you cope. Some of the suggestions will be more effective for some people than others. Do not feel that you have to suffer on your own.share your feelings with your family and friends. They will understand if you are not able to do all the things that you usually do. Plan activities. Do the important activities first. Most people have more energy for the things they enjoy and feel best doing. Pace yourself. Aim to do what you know you can realistically achieve. Do not feel guilty if you are not able to achieve everything you intended. Accept that you are not fully fit at the moment. Keep a daily diary of your symptoms. This will be helpful both for yourself and the medical team to identify a personal pattern. Then you can plan activity and rest periods and feel more in control. Maintain your social life. A natural reaction in response to fatigue is to reduce activity. Try to maintain those activities that make you happy in your daily life. Regular light exercise has been shown to decrease fatigue. If you are used to regular exercise try to continue with this if you feel able. Even taking short walks in the fresh air may help to boost your energy levels. Before undertaking any gentle exercise please consult with your doctor. Do not be embarrassed to discuss your problems with the hospital staff. We are here for you. Consider having some complementary therapies such as aromatherapy or reflexology. The radiotherapy department provides reiki, aromatherapy and massage for patients during their treatment. Please ask a member of staff for further details.

7 7 Some local cancer charities will provide complementary therapies free to patients. If you wish to consider these therapies please discuss them with your radiotherapy doctor. Talk to your doctor. In a small number of cases some people need medication or a blood transfusion. Helping yourself at home There are a number of ways in which you can make life easier for yourself. Here are some suggestions: If others offer to help, accept. Spread chores out over the week and do a little at a time. Prioritise your tasks so that the most important ones are done first. When doing chores, sit down wherever possible. Get help with the shopping. Larger supermarkets will often provide you with in-store help if you go to customer services. If you have access to a computer, make full use of delivery and internet services. Eat well Eating a healthy balanced diet is important in the management of fatigue. Try to eat a good mixture of high protein foods (meat, milk, cheese), carbohydrates (bread, potatoes, rice) and fresh fruit and vegetables. Use ready prepared meals and snacks where possible. Pre-prepare food when you have the energy and freeze it for later. Take advantage of the times when your appetite is best. Drink plenty of fluids. Try to drink at least eight glasses of water/ squash per day. This will keep you hydrated and cleanse your body of any toxins. Please ask for a copy of the booklet Eating hints for patients.

8 8 Get good quality rest Getting the right amount of sleep at night is important. Short periods of rest are better than long ones. However, only take afternoon naps if they do not interfere with your night-time sleep. Here are some suggestions to help you get a good night s sleep. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Make sure that your bedroom is not too hot or cold. If you are disturbed by noise try wearing earplugs. Sometimes a background noise such as gentle music can be relaxing. Avoid drinking tea, coffee and alcohol during the evening. Have malted drinks instead. Have a light snack before going to bed. This will stop you waking in the night because you are hungry. If you cannot fall asleep, avoid lying in bed tossing and turning. Try reading a book or watching television. Audible tapes with stories may also be helpful. If you still have problems consider asking your GP for some sleeping pills. They can be very useful to help restore a poor sleep pattern.

9 9 We hope that you found this booklet useful and that some of the advice given will help you cope with fatigue during and after your treatment. If you experience fatigue and tiredness because of your treatment, it may take some time to resolve. Fatigue can continue to be a major issue for patients who are no longer on treatment. This post-treatment fatigue can last, with varying degrees, from several weeks to several years. If you have any worries please speak to your doctor, the radiographers or your nurse specialist/key worker. If you are still having problems or feel that you cannot cope, please speak about the fatigue with a member of your medical team. Remember that fatigue is a common side effect. You are not alone. Your body is giving you some very important messages, listen to it and seek advice. We are here for you and your needs.

10 10 Useful contact numbers Local Macmillan Information and Support Radiographer Mark Williams Direct telephone: Main switchboard: ext bleep 1458 Alternative switchboard: ext bleep

11 11 National Health Talk Online Cancer Research UK Carers UK Freephone: Wednesday to Thursday Macmillan Cancer Support Cancer Line freephone: Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 21:00 Textphone: Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18: National Library for Health Covers all aspects of health, illness and treatments NHS Direct Telephone: Available 24 hours NHS 24 Telephone: NHS Choices Patient UK Comprehensive, free, up-to-date health information

12 First published: July 2003 Last review date: June 2013 Next review date: June 2015 Leaflet code: UCLH/S&C/CD/RT/FATIGUE/2 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Created by Medical Illustration RNTNEH Unique Code: 28890