Hi there,

Welcome to this great forum but I am sorry to hear you feel so fatigued.

If you have not allready done so, may I suggest you contact your GP. I do know that radioterapy can make one feel tired but this usually wears off after a few weeks.

Please keep in contact and let us know how you get on, Brian

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I am very sorry to hear that you have fatigue following treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) over 3 years ago. Many people feel fatigued when undergoing treatment. As Woodworm has said most people improve within a few months after finishing treatment. However, in a small number of people the fatigue will not go away.

We have a section about fatigue on our website at this link including a page about how it is treated here. Another charity, Macmillan Cancer Support also have some information on their website and they have a booklet you can download or order here. You have already tried most things so I’m afraid these links may not contain much in the way of new suggestions. I am sorry to say that there is only a limited range of tips that may help.

I am assuming you have discussed your situation with your doctors and have been checked for other conditions that can cause fatigue such as anaemia, diabetes, depression and an underactive thyroid gland.

The last thing most people who suffer from fatigue think about is exercise but it has been shown to help some people. But it has to be balanced with getting sufficient rest. It is advisable to start off with a short period of exercise followed by a period of rest, gradually the time doing exercise can be increased. It is not a quick fix and a person may have to persist with it for a while before any benefit is felt. A balanced healthy diet is also recommended. I am not sure if there are any local classes or structured exercise programs you could join. Perhaps it would be worth asking your breast care nurse or your GP what if anything is available locally.

I am not sure if you are familiar with something called mindfulness. This is explained on the NHS choices website.  A couple of studies have looked at mindfulness in people after cancer treatment. The limited results so far suggest it could improve fatigue a little and may help people to cope better with the impact of living with fatigue. It is one of the things currently being researched so may be worth giving a try.

I am sorry that I cannot be more specific but hopefully it may help if other people share their experiences with you.

With kind regards,

Mary

I had treatment for breast cancer 3 years ago, chemo and radiotherpy.  I felt very fatigued the first two years following treatment.  I decided to loose weight, (I put 2 and a half stone on during treatment) eat a healthier diet, and do a bit more walking, which has helped grately.  I also think when treatment is over, you expect things to go back to normal.  It took me quite a long time to recover emotionally, which can be very physically tiring.  Have you discussed this with your breast cancer nurse or doctor.   I attended the Moving on Programme at my local hospital, this was very useful, as I could discuss things with other women.  It is worth talking to your doctor about this.