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idarubicin and memory
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Feb 15, 2011 - 9:35 am
Hi, I am new to the site and have a question. I was diagnosed with APL in 2007 when I was 21(i am now 24)and have been in three years remission I just ended the pill maintainence program in August. I did an induction round of Idarubicin, then two more consolidation rounds, I was then put on two rounds of Arsenic as well as the 2 years of ATRA methatrexate and mercaptapurine. I have had a couple of problems since being back in school. The first is that I have had a tougher time remembering things when I study and appoinments. This is difficult because I am a PreMed student and have already retaken my first year back classes and a couple others and I cant really afford to do that anymore. My question is has anyone else had similar problems? and what can be done? The other problem is I put on considerable weight when I got back, before I got sick I could lost weight with diet and exercise, now I am working out 3x a week 1.5 hours and am only taking in 1500-2000 calories which is what I need (I am a 6'1 24yo male). When I was talking to my family practice dr about this she said that cancer patients sometimes have trouble losing weight and the meds affect memory some. has anyone else experienced these problems? |
Joined: Feb 2011
Memory issues... check.
Though doctors have ignored it for years, patients have dubbed it "Chemo Brain" and today it is getting more recognition as an actual side effect.
I was also dx with APL in 2007, at 29. Your youth will put you in a better position for recovery, though it sounds like we were on different protocols. I had arsenic as part of consolidation before the last two rounds of chemo, and only a year of maintenance, same mix. I did cut it short on the 6-MP though, liver wasn't very happy.
Now that you're done with the meds, you should start to see some improvements, though it may take a while. I still have trouble with word recall and public speaking, but it's getting better. My best advice is to play some games to exercise that grey matter. Specifically games that require cognitive function like sudoku. Start at the beginners level, trust me. I have an app that times me, which is nice to see when the times get shorter on the more difficult levels. Any brain games the require math solving on the fly also help.
It takes a while, but it starts to work better over time. If you don't have a smart phone yet, get one. This way you can keep track of all your tasks, apts, etc. I would be lost without mine. If it doesn't get put on my calendar, it's like it never happened. I even used mine as a pill reminder since the short term memory was so bad. Also it comes in handy when waiting around the dr's office. These should be prescribed before you leave the hospital.
Also, if you haven't opted for PCR tests instead of a marrow biopsy, I'd recommend it and your rear will thank me. Turns out us APL'ers can check our status with a blood test that's actually more accurate then a biopsy. I'm now at 6mo checkups, but after this year the doc said it would be up to me.
As for weight, the nausea helped keep that down fo