Is Fatigue another symptom? Or is it unrelated to AN?

[Melissa778]

I am newly diagnosed and I have a real problem with fatigue.  Is this a symptom associated with AN or am I just fatigued along with the AN???  I have two children (5 and 2) and I work about 55 hours a week....So maybe I'm just burnt out....but man, the fatigue just wipes me out!  I'm worried that once I do decide what course of treatment I want to go with that I'll be so burnt out it will take me forever to bounce back.  Does anyone else have fatigue issues?  Is this the AN, my hectic life, or a reasonable combination?  LOL 

[Kaybo]

Daydreamer~
I don't really remember being overly tired BEFORE I had surgery, but I didn't have 2 kiddos to chase after.  I did teach 1st grade and lead a very busy lifestyle, though.  I will say that AFTER surgery, I would get VERY tired (& still do - mainly at night).  The Dr.'s have said it is b/c my body is working double to compensate for that balance nerve.  Let me stress again, though, that every AN and surgery/recover is VERY DIFFERENT!!!  Maybe if you are so tired now, you will be less tired later?? Just a thought -- hopefully someone else will have a better comment...
K

[leapyrtwins]

My fatigue pretty much came after surgery when I could have slept for weeks.

Although, I seem to remember having sleeping issues after being diagnosed.  I think they were more related to everything on my mind - trying to decide on treatments, etc. - rather than the AN itself.

[marie]

I had awful fatigue before the surgery.  I was teaching in high school , had three children, and on many weekends we worked on old houses we bought to fix up and rent out.   This was back in the 1960s when doctors gave people diet pills (that they now call  speed?).  I was taking diet pills just to keep me awake.  I don't remember having  the extreme fatigue after the surgery.  I recuperated and went on with what we were doing . (I did quit teaching as I lost my strong voice). 

[Jim Scott]

Hi, daydreamer:

I vote for a 'reasonable combination' of AN-related fatigue and your hectic lifestyle.

Fatigue generally is present when the AN presses on the brainstem.  Just before my diagnosis, I was very fatigued and couldn't do much of anything.  That's when I realized that something was very wrong.  Sure enough, an MRI showed a large AN tumor that was pressing on my brainstem.  MY neurosurgeon was noticeably alarmed and immediately scheduled surgery (that had to be postponed, but thats another story).  Your body may be trying to compensate for your balance loss and of course, raising two toddlers and working 55 hours a week is tiring, even for a perfectly healthy person.   I would respectfully suggest you try to slow down a bit.

Post-op, it's anyone's guess.  Going into surgery or radiation rested and healthy certainly can't hurt.  Whether you have surgery or radiation, some patients bounce right back within weeks.  Others take months or even years.   Your recovery will likely take awhile and you'll have to slow down a bit, so doing so now is probably a good strategy.

Jim

[matti]

I will be 10 years post op this year and still get quite fatigued while driving, reading, computer work etc...  I know it's my body working double time to compensate for the loss of balance. I take frequent breaks and close my eyes for 10 minutes or so while reading or on the computer and that seems to help some.  I can do physical work for 10 hours and not tire, but reading 10 pages of a book and I am totally wiped out.

I also felt very fatigued prior to surgery and was told it was due to the AN pressing on my brainstem.

I second the vote for a "reasonable combination" 

Cheryl

[ppearl214]

Hi all,

Please see this thread;

http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=3462.msg37212#msg37212

this is a common situation for brain tumor patients, regardless if malignant or benign. In that thread, there is a link to a brochure (you will need Adobe Acrobat/Reader to open it... you can download for free at www.adobe.com).  It is a brochure by Dr. Peter Black of Brigham woman's in Boston as well as Nancy Conn Levin.

This brochure has been shared with many here over time and has been found helpful in understanding why we sometimes experience enhanced fatigue and ways to counteract it... I hope it helps.

Phyl

[tatianne]

daydreamer I have the fatigue as well...its definitly worse when im experiencing extra stress or activity, however, I feel like the AN is definitly contributing to it.