Feeling tired and lacking energy is often from both the cancer itself and therapies given. Some of it may be correctable, but some may require learning how to deal with the feelings of chronic fatigue.

Understand your "pattern" of fatigue. It may help you deal with it better, as well as alert us to potential correctable causes.

• Is your fatigue constant, or does it come on with exertion?

• What time of day does it occur?

• When does it happen in relationship to your therapy?

• Do you have shortness of breath or chest pain with it?

Fatigue with therapy:

It is common to experience fatigue with chemotherapy, usually starting a day or two after receiving it. There is no simple means to prevent this, but you can learn how to deal with it. Some hints are below.

Despite the results promised in advertisments, "Procrit" or erythropoietin, may help in specific instances, if anemia (from chemotherapy or certain malignancies) is the cause for your fatigue. It however, can take weeks to work and is not for every patient.

Fatigue with radiation is also very common and will often "peak" following completion of radiation. This is difficult to accept when you are finished with therapy. Just know that it will get better with time.

What you can do to help:

• Plan activities for when you feel the best.

• Plan rests with even daily activities such as bathing or dressing.

• Encourage regular sleep.

• Try regular exercise, even if only a short daily walk.

• Plan frequent small meals rather than larger "three squares a day."