Skip to main content

Setting the record straight

It seems based on recent discussions on the MCL message board, and a review of my first post on fatigue, I may have led some people to interpret I believe fatigue to be psychological. So let me set the record straight.

FATIGUE IS NOT PSYCHOLOGICAL!

There are many factors which can contribute to the feelings of fatigue, which are psychological, e.g. depression from having a terminal illness, but that doesn't mean fatigue isn't real. It is real. I know, because I experience fatigue every day. I just try not to wallow in such feelings, and rather attempt to do something about it.

There is no doubt in my mind that as we get older our bodies don't respond as they did in the past. There is also no doubt that cancer patients, who have undergone chemo and/or a transplant, have had such havoc wreaked upon their bodies, they will certainly experience bouts of fatigue.

The point I was trying to get across to everyone was in the absence of something more sinister, your fatigue can be overcome. You just have to work at it.

Certainly it's won't be easy, but the more you sit around doing absolutely nothing, believing there is nothing you can do, the easier it will be to keep sitting around doing nothing, and the harder it will be to overcome those feelings of fatigue.

Just start out slow, and gradually increase your excercise. And if you get tired afterward or later  in the day, take a nap. There's nothing wrong with that. Lots of people do, even healthy people.

If you do that, I believe you'll start feeling a lot better about yourself, and there is mounting evidence to prove that.

Comments

Becky said…
Did you recently convert to scientology because you are starting to sound like Tom Cruise.
Marc said…
I am? Oy! :(

I just don't know any more. Maybe my MCL, or two transmissions going bad, in two cars, within two months, has driven me to the point of insanity.

I think I need a vacation!

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...