|  | During your treatment you may experience chronic fatigue. This means exhaustion that doesn’t get any better, no matter how much sleep you have. This can be especially tough for a young person, as you see your friends in the prime of life while you seem to have been put on hold. There are lots of reasons for fatigue and it really can interfere with everyday activities. Biological causes behind fatigue can include anaemia, lack of sleep, poor nutrition or infection.
Anaemia: A lack of functioning red blood cells due to the cancer or its treatment. Symptoms of anaemia can be reduced by blood transfusions, and the number of these required varies from patient to patient.
Alongside these biological causes are psychological causes of fatigue such as depression. The important message here is that there are ways of combating chronic fatigue, whether it be transfusions that reduce anaemia, counseling to ease depression or advice from the hospital dietitian. Studies have shown that gentle aerobic exercise can alleviate symptoms and encourage better moods in people who have chronic fatigue that persists during and after treatment has been completed. |
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| | "I found it really weird watching someone else’s blood going into my vein. I almost didn’t want it, but I felt so much better afterwards"
"Some days people had to fight with me to get me out of bed. It was so frustrating not having the energy to do anything. The blood transfusions really helped though"
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