Tips for cancer caregivers experiencing fatigue

Fatigue experienced by cancer caregivers is different from cancer-related fatigue experienced by patients during cancer treatment, says Carmen Escalante, M.D., director of the Cancer-Related Fatigue Clinic at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
While cancer patients may still experience fatigue after rest, caregivers are likely to feel less fatigue after rest. Escalante recommends that cancer caregivers take time to relax, communicate their needs and ask for help.

“If you can’t take of yourself, you’re not going to be able to take care of your loved one,” Escalante says.

For more information on fatigue treatment, visit MD Anderson’s Cancer-Related Fatigue Clinic: http://www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/care-centers-and-clinics/specialty-and-treatment-centers/internal-medicine-center/fatigue-clinic/index.html