Will I ever feel good again? In chemo treatment for NHL

The good news is you will feel good again. The bad news is that it probably won’t be until after your treatments conclude. I had high dose MTX for NHL which required me to be admitted into the hospital for 4 days each time I had a chemo treatment. Then I had an oral chemo 7 days after the infused chemo at home. For the first three month, I had to be admitted every two weeks. After the first three months, I went monthly. I was super tired all the time. First I would say listen to your body and rest as needed. I would also say to push yourself. Keep mowing that lawn and trying to do things that were part of your routine. It will keep your spirits up that you are able to accomplish tasks. Once it’s all over, the work begins to build yourself back to where you were. You can do it….everyday keep putting one foot in front of the other and move forward. Wishing you well @puddknocker.

Your comments are very encouraging. I will be getting two hearing aids next week, and I believe that will relieve a lot of my frustration.

My heart goes out to you @puddleknocker. I know exactly the level of fatigue and frustration you’re feeling while undergoing your chemo for lymphoma. The chemo is doing it’s job, helping to rid your body of fast growing cancer cells. But unfortunately, it isn’t discriminatory and also affects other cells in your body…Red/White and platelets. By mid month after a treatment you’re feeling down mentally and physically.
After that low ebb, called the nadir or neutropenic stage, your blood counts start increasing and you begin to feel a little more human again…just in time for another round. But as you’ve no doubt noticed, each round will take progressively longer to recover from. As member, @mepowers mentioned, once those treatments end, the recovery process begins slowly and steadily. It will take time for you to be feeling back to your old self.

In the meantime it really is important to try and maintain a reduced level of activity and if you can, a daily walk can be very beneficial. Making sure you stay well hydrated is another critical factor. However, listen to you body!! It’s ok to push yourself a little but follow what your body is telling you to do. If you need to rest then take a time out. It’s ok if some days you only feel like sitting around and reading. The housework and chores can wait. It’s also ok to ask for help! That was humbling for me and one of the hardest things ever! But people are more than will to jump in when you ask. Some days you’ll have energy and overdo…the next few days you may need to rest to make up for it.

I know it’s so difficult to imagine ever feeling whole again when you’re in the thick of chemo. A few weeks ago it was the 4th anniversary of my bone marrow transplant after months of treatment for AML. Just for kicks I looked back through random journal entries I made as went through all of that medical hoopla. There was one entry with a reference to watching the minute hand on the wall clock in my hospital room, hoping I could make it thorough one more minute until the hand swept around again…then 5 minutes and so on. You could not have convince me back then that I’d ever feel ok again. Even though my doctors and nurses assured me I would, it wasn’t until I met someone who went through the same journey I had. Two people actually, who really gave me hope that I would recover. I did recover fully and now I try to do my best to help others through their cancer odyssey.
Here’s a little of my story:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/newsfeed-post/mayo-clinic-connect-brings-together-2-women-with-leukemia-46-years-apart/

“We never know how strong we can be until strong is the only option.” You’re finding this out on a daily basis. You’re going to get through this one day at a time. I’m so happy you found this forum where you can talk with others who have been where you are…we’ll take your hand and help you over the rough spots. Air hug!