7. Chronic Fatigue: The Energy Thief
It’s more than feeling tired after a long day; it’s a persistent lack of energy that seems to pervade every aspect of life. Chronic fatigue can be a complex symptom to pinpoint, yet it is often reported among individuals diagnosed with linitis plastica. When the body is fighting a malignancy, resources are diverted from typical functions, which may lead to unshakeable exhaustion.
Linitis plastica, at its core, is a cancerous condition. And cancer is notorious for its metabolic greed. It hogs nutrients and energy, sometimes disrupting the body’s ability to produce and utilize adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecular unit of energy. Chronic fatigue can be one of the first signals that the body’s cellular energy cycle is compromised, even if you don’t feel “sick” in the traditional sense.
Circadian rhythm plays a role, too. The natural clock that dictates when you feel awake or sleepy might go awry. This could lead to disrupted sleep patterns and exacerbate the fatigue. It’s a cycle of fatigue breeding more fatigue, further sapping the body’s already diminished resources. It can turn routine tasks into monumental efforts, and compound stress, making everything more challenging.
But the subtlety of chronic fatigue is what makes it so nefarious. In the modern, fast-paced world, fatigue is often written off as the product of stress or overwork. It’s an insidious symptom that’s easy to rationalize away. It can lurk for months or even years, often masked by or blamed on lifestyle factors like a busy schedule, which makes it uniquely deceptive. (7)
