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Why Do Chemotherapy Patients Have Fatigue?

It's common for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatment to experience fatigue. There are a variety of reasons why cancer patients feel exhausted and weak during the travails of chemotherapy.

  1. Low Blood Count

    • Chemotherapy can affect bone marrow and cause a drop in production of new blood cells. This drop can cause a patient to become extremely fatigued.

    Anemia

    • Since red blood cells carry oxygen, a decrease in these cells due to treatment results in anemia and less oxygen traveling throughout your body. This causes fatigue and also can cause shortness of breath.

    Neutropenia

    • Neutropenia occurs if chemotherapy inhibits bone marrow to make new white blood cells. When the white count recovers, energy is restored.

    Pain

    • Chronic pain is a common cause of fatigue for cancer patients because it limits movement, appetite, sleep and enjoyment of life. Patients are exhausted due to the energy used to manage the pain.

    Fevers

    • Cancer patients are more likely to get infections during treatment. Infections cause fever, and this increase in body temperature will make your body work harder, leaving the body fatigued.

    Stress

    • Patients becomes concerned about the future when facing cancer. These worries can be exhausting at times, especially at night, which means you may not get the proper sleep your body needs, leaving you worn out mentally and physically.

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