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Fatigue Anyone?
I just had my TURB done 10 days ago and await my first BCG treatment. T-1, Grade 3 tumor. I have had increasing general fatigue over the past few months and now it is at it’s worst. I run out of energy at mid-morning and feel like sleeping all the time. Soooo…is this a normal condition with this medical issue or do I have something else going on here?
Bob
T1 G3
Age 66
DX April 2008
TURB April 2008
Last BCG (#15) April 200913 Replies-
i hate to be the “downer” of the forum..but, today, the second day after bcg was no better than the first!…i had chills and sweats..not sure if i had a fever..i think our thermomater is no good…had hubby go get a new one…slept almost all day AGAIN…sheesh….ready for bed now too…hoping tommorrow gets better or a call to the uro is in order!…
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As a follow-up, I have been taking some Vitamin B-12 over the past week and am pleasantly surprised at the improvement in my fatigue. Not sure if it’s just the recovery period after the Cysto or how much the B-12 has contributed, but at least I can go into my first BCG treatment feeling a bit better. :P
Bob
T1 G3
Age 66
DX April 2008
TURB April 2008
Last BCG (#15) April 2009
Gina
Happy you are all most thru with the initial BCG, however, keep a close watch on your fever. Make sure your doctor knows that you had a fever and how high. You really don’t want to ignore that. After running low temps. (one time 101) my Uro suggested I take Tylenol every four hours on the day I receive my BCG. Tried that the last time and it worked. I just had a brief time (about 30 min) that I had chills.
Good luck – hang in there.
Nancy S
Nancy S
Ta CIS
dx Ta 11/06
dx Ta CIS 10/07
well today was my 4th treatment!…i must say i felt pretty bad…now 7 hours later i am doing a bit better!…extreme fatigue, i slept for six hours…other than getting up to use the bathroom…had severe chills too…laid with my coat and two blankets…still shivering…only TWO more treatments left!!….and i’m home free…..i hope! ;)
It’s interesting to hear of a couple others who’ve experienced the same fatigue. I’ve felt this condition worsening over the past 6 months as my tumor grew, at least in my opinion. So now that it’s been removed I guess I expect a sudden improvement, but I guess the ol’ body just doesn’t see it that way. Something I need to get used to, I suppose, considering the effects BCG might have on me. But I’ll take that if the treatments work.
Bob
T1 G3
Age 66
DX April 2008
TURB April 2008
Last BCG (#15) April 2009
Slab,
I can’t honestly say that I felt an INCREASE of fatigue with BCG’s. The fatigue and sleepiness had already been around a while. I would say that it was more like a MALAISE and sometimes a lack of energy on the day of treatment. But, that didn’t really happen until about the 9th or 10th induction.
I sometimes take two naps on Sundays, and then get up, go to bed and sleep for 9 hours.
I don’t know what’s going on, but my problem started before Dx and was not increased by the BCGs’
Keep us posted as to what you find out.
Best regards,
Rosemary
Rosemary
Age – 55
T1 G3 – Tumor free 2 yrs 3 months
Dx January 2006
slabman…i also experianced bouts with fatigue…prior to my being diagnosed…but as already mentioned i chalked it off to getting older…i am 51…i also had been struggling with anemia and continue to have low potassium levels…both of which can cause fatigue…prior to my turb my iron levels were at a more normal rate and my potassium was up to a “safe” level…still being on the low side…i do not want to discourage anyone…because i myself am not sure what is the cause of my current state…i have NEVER experianced fatigue of this severity…you mentioned taking pain pills…well, the fatigue i now am having reminds me of exactly that…being drugged…i am unable to wake…or even function at times….
personally i am thinking that as mentioned many times here…each case is different and each of us will experiance different symptoms…sharing what we experiance will encourage others who have the same issues…it is just nice to have a place where there are others who can “really” understand and empathize with us…thanks to all responsible for this wonderful forum!!!
In the interests of brevity I probably haven’t mentioned as much of my history as I chould have. In Dec 2006 I had elective back surgery, followed by a staph infection. So back to the hosp. for another surgery to cut out the infected bone down there. This was followed with 6 weeks of IV treatments twice a day. Soon after I started healing (1-2 mos) I would feel a dull pain in my lower abdomen when sitting up from bed or the couch. I put it down to a weakness in the lower gut due to the back surgeries, yet it just didn’t make sense. I ended up in the ER a couple more times, thinking the staph infection had not been eliminated. All the time that lower gut discomfort would continue every time I moved from a prone to upright position. I now feel that was the tumor growing in my bladder.
During the last months of 2007 I began to fatigue more and more. We were living/traveling in our motorhome and I’d have to stop right after lunch for a nap. My wife was so disgruntled over this ’cause she wanted to get where we were going and I was holding up our travel progress.
Finally, blood appeared in my urine 2 months ago and a family Doc gave me the usual Rx for a bladder infection and that seemed to cure it…or so I thought. Then about 3 weeks ago the blood came back big time. Scarey? You bet!
That led to a trip to the uro and an ultrasound. When the tech called in her radiologist to re-check my reading, I knew I was in trouble. As I left, she said to me “I’m sorry”. It confirmed to me something big time was up. What a feeling….I know all of you have experienced that as well.
So, while I have not received my first BCG as yet, I continue to have this fatigue, which has increased even more to the point of being tired ALL the time. Blood tests show I am NOT anemic, so that’s out. After that cysto I had a week to put up with a catheter…not a pleasant experience. I slept almost all day, although I was taking
Hodrocodone for my discomfort. Now that I’m off any drugs, the fatigue continues very strongly.Does any of this track with what others have experienced? I can only imagine my fatigue AFTER I begin BCG treatment.
Bob
T1 G3
Age 66
DX April 2008
TURB April 2008
Last BCG (#15) April 2009For what it is worth, I get really tired after a turbt & I need a lot of rest. I think some people are up and about easily, but it takes me some time. Good luck with your bcg & I hope you get good rest and are feeling better soon.
L.
Gina,
I too, am very tired the day after my BCG. Mine did not affect me until my maintenance round. I am only extremely tired the day after, then I am fine. Everybody reacts differently, my URO said the tiredness is a side effect of BCG. Good luck on the remaining three!
Nancy
Nancy S
Ta CIS
dx Ta 11/06
dx Ta CIS 10/07
rosemary….well your “theory”…could be correct..except, i AM old!! and prior to the bcg i was full of energy!…when i speak of fatigue, i am refering to more than just a “tired” feeling…it is an overwhelming need for sleep…prior if i napped, i could easily wake after a few minutes of rest…this is very different and i’ve never experianced this before!…it began the week of my second bcg treatment and has increased with my third!!…if it’s not the bcg than something else is very wrong…it has effected my ability to do my daily activities!…i mentioned the first few days of it to my doctor this week and she gave me a second antibiotic to take the day after my treatment!…sigh…the saga continues…
Slab,
Fatigue has been an incresing problem for me over the last 5 years or so. I attribute it to old age ;D
Actually, seriously, I don’t know if the Bladder Cancer or the BCG treatments are a direct cause. Some have suggested because of my frequent urination that it may be because of sleep apnea. That would make sense as 2 others in my family have been diagnosed.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoy my long naps in my chair. I’m usually asleep by 7:30 in the evenings and then get up and go to bed and sleep on for 8 more hours.
I’m also starting to wonder about chronic fatigue syndrome.
Let me know if you find out anything.
Best regards,
Rosemary
Rosemary
Age – 55
T1 G3 – Tumor free 2 yrs 3 months
Dx January 2006
Hi Slabman,
I don·t think the tumour itself, or the TURB physically cause fatigue, unless there may have been considerable blood loss. I presume your bloodwork prior to TURB showed adequate iron levels.However, coping mentally with the diagnosis of cancer definitely can cause anxiety and depression which in turn causes fatigue. At first, I don·t think one hour in the day went past without my thinking about it, but it gets better with time. What I found increased my energy levels was actually exercising more ! Daft though it may sound !I would check with your doctor that you are not anaemic, and that there is no reason why you shouldn·t up your exercise, but I can definitely reccomend it.
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