Chemo brain

ewedee
ewedee Member Posts: 6
edited March 2014 in Caregivers #1
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.

Comments

  • grandmafay
    grandmafay Member Posts: 1,633 Member
    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
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  • ewedee
    ewedee Member Posts: 6
    unknown said:

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    Chemo brain
    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
  • ewedee
    ewedee Member Posts: 6

    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

    Chemo brain
    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