Fatigue & The Long Road to Recovery

Quirky tried everything to help her cancer-related fatigue, have a read of what’s worked….

It has been a long road with fatigue. But now and only now have I started to feel less fatigued.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago and had treatment which consisted of chemotherapy, Herceptin, and radiotherapy. Herceptin particularly, can have side effects on the heart and it slows you down.

The Haven & Their Nutritionist 

I went to The Breast Cancer Haven in West London and saw a nutritionist. They advised me to ditch caffeine altogether as it exacerbates fatigue, so I stopped drinking coffee and tea. I drink lots of herbal teas and water instead – with and without lemon.

I have not looked back as the downer you get from caffeine was affecting me terribly.

Retreats & Diet

I have been on a few health retreats after rads and The Raw Retreat was definitely the best for me: the environment, the food, the setting.  It wasn’t a typical detox retreat.

I’ve always been a raw food fan anyway – there is just so much you can do with uncooked food.

Since the retreat, I’ve been able to manage my fatigue by diet – eating really healthily. I eat fish, fruit and veg on a daily basis and find this has really helped me. So tonight, I will have baked beetroot, onions, leeks, celery, courgettes, and red cabbage in olive oil, lemon and chillies with fresh herbs.

I don’t usually restrict myself to recipes and the recipes I do find off the internet I usually add extra ingredients – things like lemon, fresh herbs etc. I love cayenne pepper.

I also eat lots of nuts – great for bursts of energy.

Other Ideas

I was going to the gym, but now I’m walking lots which has really helped.