I wanted to give you all a bit of an update - it has now been a little over 2 1/2 yrs since my last chemo treatment (and still no evidence of disease! woohoo!). I believe that the symptoms of my "chemo-brain" have lessened, somewhat, though they've not disappeared, by any means. Actually, I'm not really sure whether my brain fog has cleared some or if I've figured out how to better compensate for it, but I don't feel quite as confused and scared as I did at first. It still makes me sad when l forget things that I "know" I know...work is still challenging sometimes...my short-term memory completely fails me at times, but all-in-all, things are better, I think. One thing that has helped is that I write everything down now. I carry a small notebook in my purse along with a little calender on which I can keep track of appointments, moods, etc. I double-check everything I do at work or at home (whether it's balancing my checkbook or turning off the oven, it's just a way of life now). I also let the people closest to me know that my memory isn't what it once was and that they should never hesitate to remind me of things they think I might have forgotten...chances are, I have! But I think the main thing that has helped me is that I've come to accept my "new-normal" self and stop stressing about it so much. I'm much gentler with myself now, instead of beating myself up over forgetting something, I accept it and figure out what I can do to help myself remember next time. However, I really think that there should be more information made available about the possibility of these types of side-effects from chemo. I've had medical professionals actually laugh when I say "chemo-brain", thinking that I'm joking...they had never heard of such a thing. Can you believe it? Anyhow, I just wanted to pop in and say hi to my warrior-sisters - be kind to yourselves.
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I wanted to give you all a bit of an update - it has now been a little over 2 1/2 yrs since my last chemo treatment (and still no evidence of disease! woohoo!). I believe that the symptoms of my "chemo-brain" have lessened, somewhat, though they've not disappeared, by any means. Actually, I'm not really sure whether my brain fog has cleared some or if I've figured out how to better compensate for it, but I don't feel quite as confused and scared as I did at first. It still makes me sad when l forget things that I "know" I know...work is still challenging sometimes...my short-term memory completely fails me at times, but all-in-all, things are better, I think. One thing that has helped is that I write everything down now. I carry a small notebook in my purse along with a little calender on which I can keep track of appointments, moods, etc. I double-check everything I do at work or at home (whether it's balancing my checkbook or turning off the oven, it's just a way of life now). I also let the people closest to me know that my memory isn't what it once was and that they should never hesitate to remind me of things they think I might have forgotten...chances are, I have! But I think the main thing that has helped me is that I've come to accept my "new-normal" self and stop stressing about it so much. I'm much gentler with myself now, instead of beating myself up over forgetting something, I accept it and figure out what I can do to help myself remember next time. However, I really think that there should be more information made available about the possibility of these types of side-effects from chemo. I've had medical professionals actually laugh when I say "chemo-brain", thinking that I'm joking...they had never heard of such a thing. Can you believe it? Anyhow, I just wanted to pop in and say hi to my warrior-sisters - be kind to yourselves.
April 7, 2011 - 11:13amThis Comment
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