5. Fatigue: When Tiredness Isn’t Just About Lack of Sleep
Let’s talk fatigue—but not your run-of-the-mill, stayed-up-too-late kind of tiredness. This is fatigue that clings to you like a second skin. No matter how much you rest, it seems impossible to shake off. It’s as if an invisible weight is pulling you down, sapping you of all vitality.
Fatigue is often underestimated, chalked up to a busy lifestyle or emotional stress. But when it’s one of the symptoms of stage 2 colorectal cancer, this persistent exhaustion becomes an entirely different animal. It’s an enveloping kind of tiredness that doesn’t fit the narrative of your daily life.
Interestingly, this fatigue often has a biochemical reason. Cancer cells can release substances into the bloodstream that affect the central nervous system and sap your energy. It’s like they’re throwing biochemical ‘curveballs’ that your body finds hard to catch.
Another fascinating aspect is the interplay between fatigue and other symptoms. You might find it accompanies unexplained weight loss or persistent abdominal discomfort. In isolation, each symptom can be misleading, but when they start to cluster, they form a constellation of signs pointing to something more severe. (5)
