Tiredness resulting from pelvic radiotherapy

It is common to start to feel very tired towards the end of the course of treatment and the tiredness may last for weeks, months or even a year or two after the treatment has ended.

Sometimes tiredness can be minimised by carefully planning your day, getting help with jobs in the house and making sure you sleep well. It is important to take time to allow yourself to recover after the treatment and not try to do too much. However, if you are able to gently exercise, this can help you to feel less tired. This may be the last thing you feel like doing. You may feel so tired that doing any exercise seems ridiculous.  But sometimes, the less you do, the less you feel like doing.

Light to moderate exercise every day can help people to feel better and can give more energy. Many people with cancer can get 'out of condition' while they are going through treatment and when they are recovering afterwards.  If you are run down and unfit, one of the best ways to feel more energetic is to build up the amount of exercise you do. Just a short walk every day can help. You can try to increase the distance you go each time. Your doctor or nurse can give you information about exercise.

Cancerbackup’s section on fatigue| has tips on dealing with tiredness.