CSN Home » Other Discussion Boards » Caregivers

Chemo brain



Total items found: 4

ewedee
Posts: 6
Joined: Aug 2009
November 21, 2009 - 1:00pm

My husband with colorectal cancer going through chemo has Chemo Brain. I am near tears trying to communicate with him. He snaps at me, thinks he told me something, doesn't remember things I say. I have had to come up with new communications skills and I can't always remember to do them which frustrates me and ultimately him. Has anyone gone through this with the person you are caring for and living with? How have you handled it? I read about it on the American Cancer Society web site and they gave some suggestions to deal with it. It is an actual sypmtom, of chemo therapy.

grandmafay's picture
grandmafay
Posts: 1312
Joined: Aug 2009
November 21, 2009 - 1:13pm

Chemo brain is real. My husband and I learned to laugh about it. I have fibromialgia and I have days with what is called fibro fog. It is similar to chemo brain. It is very frustrating both for the person with chemo brain and the caregiver. We found that it helped us to identify it. That might not work for others. Fay

ewedee
Posts: 6
Joined: Aug 2009
November 22, 2009 - 11:43am

Thank-you Fay for your comments from the other side of the fence. I showed my husband the American Cancer Societys info on chemo brain and he seemed to understand the problem. We will try to work better at communication. Keeping list of things he needs to do or what I tell him posted somewhere might be the answer.

Judy

bailey1459's picture
bailey1459
Posts: 986
Joined: Jul 2009
November 21, 2009 - 7:16pm

My husband went on adderall and chemo brain went away overnite! He says it is a miracle drug. He goes to work each day and says his concentration level is amazing. We definitely saw an improvement immediately and the full effects with concentration and overall attitude does not happen for about two weeks. My husband takes one everyday and knows without it he is in a constant fog. He is stage IV esophageal cancer

Sherri

ewedee
Posts: 6
Joined: Aug 2009
November 22, 2009 - 11:40am

Thanks Sherri. I will write the name down and if he gets any worse I have something to talk to the doctor about. I love it when we can talk to the docs and know what we are saying - not that they always agree with us.

Judy