chemo brain?

biz
biz Member Posts: 60 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1
I'm on my second treatment now. Should chemo brain be setting in already? I've been on my computer for about a half an hour all the while wondering what that bubbling sound is. I had forgotten that I put soup on the stove.

My nausea seems to be better this time. Hooray! Also my water is tolerable at barely warm. Last time it had to be steaming hot.

The number one best thing is that the wart (of seven years) on my hand is going away? Chemo or co-inkydink?

My best to you all, especially on the East coast.
-Biz

Comments

  • wolfen
    wolfen Member Posts: 1,324 Member
    #2
    Biz
    Had to laugh at this one. Reminded me of the time(back when JBG was about two years old), I had put eggs on to boil. Was watching TV and kept hearing a popping sound. Have you ever scraped boiled eggs off the ceiling with a broom?

    Luv,

    Wolfen
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #3
    Yup
    Mine started right away and it really bothered me. One time my granddaughter was to go with me to meet my daughter at Pizza hut for lunch. She was waiting outside her house for me to pick her up and I'd forgotten all about it. Made it to Pizza Hut ok, but without my granddaughter. Wow did that make me feel louzy.

    Kim
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #4
    Annabelle41415 said:

    Yup
    Mine started right away and it really bothered me. One time my granddaughter was to go with me to meet my daughter at Pizza hut for lunch. She was waiting outside her house for me to pick her up and I'd forgotten all about it. Made it to Pizza Hut ok, but without my granddaughter. Wow did that make me feel louzy.

    Kim

    Biz...chemo brain can get real bad...
    as in you forget and start talking about your girlfriend while the wife is in the room with you....J/K...

    It is sometimes very aggravating, but this too shall pass.......buzz
  • johnnybegood
    johnnybegood Member Posts: 1,117 Member
    #5
    Buzzard said:

    Biz...chemo brain can get real bad...
    as in you forget and start talking about your girlfriend while the wife is in the room with you....J/K...

    It is sometimes very aggravating, but this too shall pass.......buzz

    hello Biz
    nice to meet you.my chemo brain started right away.the thing i hated about it was when i was talking and i would forget the words to say.they would not come out of my mouth.this time im on a different chemo and i still have chemo brain but it is not as bad.good luck to you....Godbless....johnnybegood
  • karen40
    karen40 Member Posts: 211 Member
    #6
    Chemo Brain
    Oh yeah, I'm at the the point where I have to make out a very precise and detailed grocery list or I'll forget about 30% of what I went to the store for. What can be worse than that ? Forgetting the grocery list!!! How is that possible? I don't know. I did it twice already.
    Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Lol!
    Karen

    P.S. I'm glad to hear that your nausea is getting better. As for the wart, just checked, I still have mine. Dang it! I deserve some perks. Lol!
  • yoga
    yoga Member Posts: 87
    #7
    karen40 said:

    Chemo Brain
    Oh yeah, I'm at the the point where I have to make out a very precise and detailed grocery list or I'll forget about 30% of what I went to the store for. What can be worse than that ? Forgetting the grocery list!!! How is that possible? I don't know. I did it twice already.
    Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Lol!
    Karen

    P.S. I'm glad to hear that your nausea is getting better. As for the wart, just checked, I still have mine. Dang it! I deserve some perks. Lol!

    the postive side of chemo brain
    My husband and I haven't been anywhere since our wedding last September - I had just started treatment. This summer we headed away for a week to the East Coast (Canada) . . . . . about three hours into the 12 hour drive I realized that I had forgotten my wig and my makeup!!!!! Too late to go back. Makeup was easy to replace (gotta draw on those eyebrows!) - but the wig?!? Egads!! So . . . . . I wore my funky hat whenever I could and the rest of the time I just held my head up high. Turns out nobody stared or made comments. The experience certainly helped my selfesteem and fostered my inner strength. Guess chemo brain worked in my favour this time.

    As for warts - I had a small one for about three years - after 25 chemos it is gone. A little perk for a year's worth of treatments.

    Ahhh . . . . . the joys of cancer.
    yoga jo
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    #8
    chemo brain
    I still have it, but it's not nearly as bad as it was while I was on Folfox. I would be talking then forget midsentence what I was even talking about. I know two ladies named Margaret... there was one day where one of them called me and I was chatting a good ten minutes thinking I was talking to the other Margaret before she said something that made me think "what is she talking about, her daughter doesn't live back east like she just said, she lives right here in town... OH....it's the OTHER Margaret!" I was thinking all this and never let on that I didn't realize who she was. Don't know if she thought I was sounding spacey!
    Also, I couldn't help my kids with their math homework anymore- not even my 2nd grader, and I was a teacher for many years! I have since gotten that back, thank goodness! (I'm now actually homeschooling my two daughters for part of the week- they go to a modified school that has class 3 days/wk and homeschooling 2 days/wk).

    I also screwed up our checkbook register- entered a few debits accidentally as credits- oops! My husband had to take over for awhile. I'm back doing the banking again and have no problem now, thank goodness.
    I know it's frustrating- it will probably get worse before it gets better, so keep a notepad handy! I found when I was thinking of something I needed to remember to do the next day, I'd forget it within a few seconds (literally) unless I wrote it down right away. Again, as I said, my mind did come back & I am still on chemo (Gemzar/5FU/leucovorin/Avastin now). Hang in there & come here to vent anytime you get frustrated!

    I did find that taking B vitamins and antioxidants on my non chemo days helped me a bit. Taking Sam-e was also helpful to me.

    Best wishes-
    Lisa
  • Connie43
    Connie43 Member Posts: 44
    #9
    chemo
    At least now I can always blame the chemo when I do something stupid.
  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    #10
    Chemo Brain
    Hi -

    I definitely had the problem back in 2005 when I was on Xeloda/oxaliplatin/Avastin. At the end of every day at work I had to make a list of items to follow up the next day or I would forget them. It did resolve when I finished my 6 treatments.

    When I went back on Xeloda and Avastin in 2009, I only noticed a bit - nothing really worrisome. Then I continued on Avastin only for almost 2 years and that had no chemo brain effects.

    But, in my experience chemo brain is real and at least for me oxaliplatin was a major culprit.

    Take care,
    Betsy
    Stage IV, diagnosed 5/2005
  • ldot123
    ldot123 Member Posts: 272
    #11
    Betsydoglover said:

    Chemo Brain
    Hi -

    I definitely had the problem back in 2005 when I was on Xeloda/oxaliplatin/Avastin. At the end of every day at work I had to make a list of items to follow up the next day or I would forget them. It did resolve when I finished my 6 treatments.

    When I went back on Xeloda and Avastin in 2009, I only noticed a bit - nothing really worrisome. Then I continued on Avastin only for almost 2 years and that had no chemo brain effects.

    But, in my experience chemo brain is real and at least for me oxaliplatin was a major culprit.

    Take care,
    Betsy
    Stage IV, diagnosed 5/2005

    Yep
    Yes Chemo brain is a reality that doctors don't seem to discuss. It fades after a while but as I near 60, the usual seniors moments have taken it's place. LOL
  • marqimark
    marqimark Member Posts: 242 Member
    #12
    chemo brain
    I had chemo brain.

    Lost my glasses, they are here in the house some where. Had to buy a new pair last November.

    Totaled the car last July and dented the mom-in-laws in Aug. The wife decided I shouldn't drive until I finished Chemo.

    uh what were we talking about

    Mark
  • karen40
    karen40 Member Posts: 211 Member
    #13
    Does one ever completely recover from "chemo brain"?
    I'm glad to hear that chemo brain gets better but does one ever fully recover? In all seriousness, it can be pretty scary. Part of the time,I feel that I am functioning quite normal and other times I feel as if I have real brain damage. I either don't remember or can't access certain happenings. I loss simple words in conversation and I am most definitely having a hard time retaining any new info.
    Is this normal?
    Very frustrated,
    Karen

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