Eating during cancer treatment can be challenging, to say the least. Nausea, taste changes, constipation, and loss of appetite can all make food rather unappealing. Aside from the loss of interest in food, sometimes it’s a struggle just to find the energy to prepare and chew food, even something as simple as a sandwich.
I never really understood the severity of cancer-related fatigue until I had a patient say to me one day, “Have you ever had mono?” Yes, I sure had. Maybe I could relate in some way after all.
It was my senior year of high school. For six weeks, I would wake up, shower, and immediately go back to bed because the act of showering was so exhausting. I slept all day, and still managed to sleep all night. Those six weeks are still a blur to this day, but I can remember not caring about food at all. I just didn’t have the energy.
Whether the fatigue is due to cancer or another illness, it’s not a simple fix. Fatigue has so many causes, and often many at the same time. Chemo, radiation, medications, pain, dehydration, depression, loss of muscle, sleep deprivation, anemia, and not eating enough are just a few of the many things that contribute to the exhaustion associated with cancer.
So when cancer fatigue gets the best of you, what can you do?
- Drink enough water. As a general rule, drink half your weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, aim for 75 ounces per day.
- Fight the fatigue. Believe it or not, staying in bed all day may make fatigue worse. Make an effort to get up, shower, get dressed, and keep a schedule. If you need to take a nap, do so, but set an alarm so you sleep for no more than one hour.
- Move more. Get outside if weather permits and take a walk around the neighborhood, as you are able. If you can’t get outside, get up and walk around the house every hour. According to the National Cancer Institute, three to five hours of activity per week may be enough to help fight fatigue. (This equals 30-45 minutes each day.)
- Eat small, frequent meals every three hours. Skipping meals is like driving your car on empty. Your muscles and brain need food for energy!
- Choose soft or liquid nutrient-rich foods that require little preparation, cooking, and chewing. Yogurt, cottage cheese, applesauce, baked potatoes/sweet potatoes, peanut butter with banana, 100% juices, milk, protein shakes or smoothies, and hot cereals are all options that require little effort.
- Talk with a counselor. If you are feeling sad or unmotivated to get off the couch, depression could be part of why you are so tired. Ask your oncologist or nurse for a referral to a counselor to give you strategies to help.
