Will the fatigue ever go away (like after treatment is over)?

Some of the fatigue will go away after treatment, for example, after radiation therapy is finished. Some of it will go away after you heal from surgery. Some will go away after you are done with chemotherapy. If any of your treatment has removed or shrunk your tumor, you may start to feel better.

Some part of the fatigue might not go away completely. There are ways to deal with it. You must get enough sleep and rest. If you are having trouble sleeping, you need to talk to your doctor about it. It could be because of pain, in which case you need pain medication. There could be other things your doctor can do about trouble sleeping.

You probably need to take naps, or at least rest periods, frequently throughout the day. If you feel like napping, you should. You need to plan your days, so that you do whatever you feel you need or want to do during a period that you feel relatively less tired. Follow activity by rest or a nap. Do not plan to do too much. Let other people help you.

As you start to recover from your treatment, adding a little bit of activity may help your body feel more normal. You should discuss the timing with your doctor. Adding a short walk around the block might be good for you. Walking is wonderful, if you can tolerate it.

You also have to learn to say no when you are tired. Let your family and friends know that you may have to leave, or miss certain things, because you are tired. They should be able to understand.

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