mental fuzz three days post chemo

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dbhadra
dbhadra Member Posts: 344 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
Hi all:

Had my second round FEC this Friday; went as well as could be expected, no problems. Neulasta shot Saturday, Sunday flat out asleep, run over by truck feeling, today not much better and now a huge mental fog has descended on me and I feel like I can;t talk, type, or think, Can;t pull words out of my brain, I call it the alien invasion phase. This happened first round but not as severe, I think, can;t remember!

anyone else have this odd mental disorientation?

Laura

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  • Katmy
    Katmy Member Posts: 93
    #2
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    Yes, day 3 is like being
    Yes, day 3 is like being being just a body. My mental ability is listless and I find that I cannot talk to much. Not much cognition-so my thoughts don't go anywhere. After my 3rd infusion, the mental fog lasted into the 4th day. I get my 4th treatment next week. I wonder how long I will be absent. My family and I gauge the days by 18 wheelers, pick up trucks, and motor cycles.

    Thank goodness that phase does not linger too long! We get the world back and it gets us. Yay.
  • DebbyM
    DebbyM Member Posts: 3,289 Member
    #3
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    Katmy said:

    Yes, day 3 is like being
    Yes, day 3 is like being being just a body. My mental ability is listless and I find that I cannot talk to much. Not much cognition-so my thoughts don't go anywhere. After my 3rd infusion, the mental fog lasted into the 4th day. I get my 4th treatment next week. I wonder how long I will be absent. My family and I gauge the days by 18 wheelers, pick up trucks, and motor cycles.

    Thank goodness that phase does not linger too long! We get the world back and it gets us. Yay.

    I didn't have chemo Laura,
    I didn't have chemo Laura, and, I am so sorry you feel like this. Can your oncologist help you with meds?

    Prayers and hugs,


    Debby
  • tgf
    tgf Member Posts: 950 Member
    #4
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    DebbyM said:

    I didn't have chemo Laura,
    I didn't have chemo Laura, and, I am so sorry you feel like this. Can your oncologist help you with meds?

    Prayers and hugs,


    Debby

    chemo brain
    Welcome to the world of chemo brain. It is EXTREMELY frustrating ... as many of us know. I still find myself unable to come up with a word ... and end up describing what I'm trying to say ...

    I know several months ago ... or maybe over a year ... (I don't remember ... ha!) ... there was a discussion topic about chemo brain and some of the experiences some of us had had ... and it was really pretty funny. Putting wrong items in freezer/microwave, asking the same questions over and over ... forgetting words ... etc. etc. I work full time ... and did all through treatment ... so I just had to explain to everyone that chemo brain REALLY does exist ... and they were just going to have to be patient with me ... and my fuzzy brain. I would take notes ... and forget what I meant by the notes ... etc. etc. but everyone was and is GREAT! And ... I've taught myself I just have to laugh ... because otherwise I would be crying ... a LOT!

    hugs.
    teena
  • susie09
    susie09 Member Posts: 2,930
    #5
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    tgf said:

    chemo brain
    Welcome to the world of chemo brain. It is EXTREMELY frustrating ... as many of us know. I still find myself unable to come up with a word ... and end up describing what I'm trying to say ...

    I know several months ago ... or maybe over a year ... (I don't remember ... ha!) ... there was a discussion topic about chemo brain and some of the experiences some of us had had ... and it was really pretty funny. Putting wrong items in freezer/microwave, asking the same questions over and over ... forgetting words ... etc. etc. I work full time ... and did all through treatment ... so I just had to explain to everyone that chemo brain REALLY does exist ... and they were just going to have to be patient with me ... and my fuzzy brain. I would take notes ... and forget what I meant by the notes ... etc. etc. but everyone was and is GREAT! And ... I've taught myself I just have to laugh ... because otherwise I would be crying ... a LOT!

    hugs.
    teena

    Hoping that you start to
    Hoping that you start to feel better very soon!


    Hugs!
  • dbhadra
    dbhadra Member Posts: 344 Member
    #6
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    Katmy said:

    Yes, day 3 is like being
    Yes, day 3 is like being being just a body. My mental ability is listless and I find that I cannot talk to much. Not much cognition-so my thoughts don't go anywhere. After my 3rd infusion, the mental fog lasted into the 4th day. I get my 4th treatment next week. I wonder how long I will be absent. My family and I gauge the days by 18 wheelers, pick up trucks, and motor cycles.

    Thank goodness that phase does not linger too long! We get the world back and it gets us. Yay.

    @Katmy
    How many treatments do you have altogether? I am scheduled for four, but my onc is now saying that we may go for more - I guess if it is working well, want to continue to shrink to get clean margins.....

    I like the 18 wheelers, pick up trucks and motor cycles....this 2nd one was a little better than the 1st since I knew what to expect ...the first one took me completely by surprise as I had had 12 weeks of Taxol and that was not bad at all...this FEC is rough!

    Better today than yesterday, and hopefully, better tomorrow than today!

    Laura
  • Gabe N Abby Mom
    Gabe N Abby Mom Member Posts: 2,413
    #7
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    My cocktail was TAC, 6
    My cocktail was TAC, 6 rounds 3 weeks apart. I called it a chemo fog, and it lasted 4 to 5 days after each treatment. My infusions were Thursdays, that was usually a good day. It would take till Monday or Tuesday for me to come out of the fog and participate in life again. The 4th and the last treatments were the worst for me...for different reasons I didn't have the same mental readiness on those treatments.

    Hang in there. I'm glad to hear you're doing better.

    Hugs,

    Linda
  • dianebraun
    dianebraun Member Posts: 51
    #8
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    Oh, how I remember the foggy
    Oh, how I remember the foggy days! My last chemo was in July, Taxotere/Cytoxin cocktail. The hair does come back, mine is wavy, a bit curly in the back and most people like it better now than it was before chemo. Hang in there! The fog is temporary. Try to do "routine" things, and it will be much better and easier for you. Good luck. This too will end....perhaps not soon enough, but eventually you will get your brain back..and your hair.
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #9
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    dianebraun said:

    Oh, how I remember the foggy
    Oh, how I remember the foggy days! My last chemo was in July, Taxotere/Cytoxin cocktail. The hair does come back, mine is wavy, a bit curly in the back and most people like it better now than it was before chemo. Hang in there! The fog is temporary. Try to do "routine" things, and it will be much better and easier for you. Good luck. This too will end....perhaps not soon enough, but eventually you will get your brain back..and your hair.

    Oh yeah
    Like Linda, I had 6 rounds of TAC. All through chemo my thinking was foggy. I love to do crosswords and Sudoku puzzles, but forget about it during chemo! I just couldn't think of the words or numbers--it was just too frustrating to figure out. I knew it was from the chemo, so I didn't let it get to me--I just knew it would be temporary. And, it was.

    I,too, tried to do simple "mindless" things--like watching old movies, going for walks with my dog when I was up to it, listening to music, etc.

    This, too, shall pass dearheart. Good luck to you.

    Hugs, Renee
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #10
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    I did not do chemo
    but just wanted to say thinking of you...

    Denise
  • 1acme
    1acme Member Posts: 77
    #11
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    hi dbhadra
    I am on AC/Taxol chemo and yes it does effect my memory, which is not much I can do about it right now. Plus English is not my first language so it is making even harder to remember ANY words :o)

    However, I would like to share with you. I am on NEUPOGEN (cousin of NEULASTA) and somebody told me to use on daily basis REACTINE for day and BENEDRYL for night (so you can sleep).
    I do not know how but this is making SE of Neupogen "very tolerable". I am sore/stiff in my bones/joins but pain is very tolerable and I can actually function a bit around house.

    I think that this is the best "investment" that I made in pills.
    They work magic for me.

    Good luck
    Helen
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #12
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    disneyfan2008 said:

    I did not do chemo
    but just wanted to say thinking of you...

    Denise

    Hoping that this will pass
    Hoping that this will pass soon.


    Lex
  • Annette 11
    Annette 11 Member Posts: 380
    #13
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    I know the feeling!
    Laura, I remember the feeling of fog and I couldn't make up my mind about the simplest things and get frustrated then emotional and then the tears. My poor husband. It will pass but unfortunitly the feeling was with me 3-4 days after chemo then would be ok until the next chemo. Wishing you well.
    Annette

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