Have You Heard of Chemo Fog (Chemo Brain)?

Memory Loss After Chemotherapy

Many chemotherapy patients have expressed memory loss as a side effect of chemotherapy. This can occur during chemotherapy or after chemotherapy is finished. Some refer to it as chemo fog or chemo brain.

brain after chemo

1. Symptoms

Some of the symptoms of Chemobrain may include short-term memory loss, trouble finding the right word, and difficulty managing daily activities according to cancercare.org

As I talked with a patient that had chemotherapy, he mentioned that he had trouble traveling to places that he may have been to numerous times. Because of the chemo fog, he just cannot remember the directions. This was frustrating to him too. Unfortunately chemotherapy damages the good cells of the body as well as the cancer cells, which includes cells in the brain as well.

What Can You Do?

1. Create New Brain Cells

There are things that can be done to create new brain cells. Dr. Susan Hardwicke, PhD. Who had stage 3 breast cancer, youtube series part 7 talks about how important movement is in increasing new brain cells. Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Just as you eat daily to feed your physical body, reading the Bible daily feeds and renews your mind.

Part 7 Talks about creating new brain cells

2. Keep a List

The brain can only retain so much at a time. Try making a list and referring to it rather than taxing your brain to remember.

3. Calendar

A Calendar is a visual aide and can be quite beneficial. Especially for appointments, goals, or whatever special event you want to remember.

Note:

After talking with one chemo patient. He noted that the chemo fog is not there all the time, but rather it comes and goes.

4. Focus

There has been much emphasis in the past on multi-tasking. Mothers have a lot to do with children and family, but with chemo fog you want to focus on one thing at a time.

5. Reading

As mentioned earlier, reading renews your mind. Whether you read the bible or read a novel this will help your brain. Remember to find what interests you to read.

6. Puzzles or Word Finds

Puzzles or Word Finds keeps the mind active and stimulates it as well.

7. Exercise

Exercise, but not to the point of fatigue. Exercising is a stress reducer. Just as exercise is profitable for the body it is equally profitable for the brain.

8. Organization

Staying organized will help and reduce your clutter. So what if it takes you longer than it used to in getting organized. Take your time.

9. Medications

Make a written list of all your medications and vitamins that you may be taking and keep in your wallet or purse. Then if needed at the hospital or at a doctor referral, you have that information readily available.

10. Doctor appointments

If possible take your spouse, relative, or friend with you to the appointment. There may be things that you miss when the doctor talks.  Possibly your relative might think of other relevant questions to ask the doctor. That cliché “two heads are better than one might just be true.  

Photo Caption:

Commons, wikimedia.org., This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 10 Generic license. 

Sources:

Improving your Concentration: 3 Key Steps

 Romans 12:2

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