I have now been on Imatinib for two and a half months. Initially, I was walking about 1 - 2 miles a day and gradually increased this to 3-4 miles every other day without ill effect. I had a complete haematological response fairly quickly and started to feel I had more energy, especially after exercise. So far so good…
However in the last week I have found it increasingly more difficult to walk the distances I would like, and feel very tired after short 2.5 mile walks. This a definite retrograde step for me. I have also started having mild headaches during the day, particularly after exercise and feel quite tired a lot of the time. I have also noticed a distinct sensitivity to low temperatures and drafts, which is new to me!
Have any of you veterans out there any experience of any of these symptoms, and if so how long did they last? Until October I was fairly active, walking, cycling and regular gym work outs. I should be most interested to discover how others have fared in this stage of their recovery/journey. Are these common side effects of TKIs, I wonder or should I be expecting something else? I do appreciate that everyone has differing side effects both in content and severity. Perhaps I am just being too impatient.
Many thanks!
David