Anyone else still feel "dumbed-down" several years out from treatment?

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  • ldpettit
    ldpettit Member Posts: 128
    #22
    karinna
    I have one more chemo left and YES, I feel dumbed-down. My mind doesn't work as fast, my attention span... short now a days. I even forget to check on this site VERY often... I think if I don't get notices someone comments or I don't get an email of a new post... I just space it. UGH frustrating and then one day I remember to come on here. Feeling dumbed down shortens my patience because I just get overwhelmed at times. This chemo seems to do a number on a body. I take vitamins and even juice (not every day...) and it still seems I can't get a handle on the "old me".
  • sweetvickid
    sweetvickid Member Posts: 459 Member
    #23
    ldpettit said:

    karinna
    I have one more chemo left and YES, I feel dumbed-down. My mind doesn't work as fast, my attention span... short now a days. I even forget to check on this site VERY often... I think if I don't get notices someone comments or I don't get an email of a new post... I just space it. UGH frustrating and then one day I remember to come on here. Feeling dumbed down shortens my patience because I just get overwhelmed at times. This chemo seems to do a number on a body. I take vitamins and even juice (not every day...) and it still seems I can't get a handle on the "old me".

    Balance
    I lose my balance easily so after two weeks I called the Doc. We checked out my inner ear and then did the brain scan which came back clean. Finally was able to prove to my husband that I don't have a dirty mind!LOL anyway Onc doesn't know why and said go see my GP. Of course Onc also said she has never seen this before and doen't think it is related to chemo. Luckily the nurse followed me out and said I wasn't the first person after chemo to tell her that I have problems with balance and she didn't know why the Dr said that.
  • anniem123
    anniem123 Member Posts: 19
    #24
    Brain fog
    I was going to college when i found out I had cancer. i took one semester and the summer off to do surgery and chemo. I couldn't remember things, concentrate and felt really dumb. Did not have this problem before chemo. I researched chemo fog, what it is and how to help it. In some people it only lasts a short while. while others years. I asked my dr. to prescribe me aderral. Its a drug for people with ADHD. But it also helps chemo brain fog. After some convincing he wrote me one. What a life changer. Back to feeling normal again (at least in the memory and brain area)Look into something like that and see if your dr. will prescribe it. Good luck
  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #25
    pinkkari09 said:

    Same here sister:( it just
    Same here sister:( it just keeps getting worse with every chemo too. I'm on my 9th different kind of chemo since August 2009. I graduated college with highest honors after the first go around with chemo, that was amazing. Today, I couldn't pass elementary, lol, and I too have loved ones who understand and can laugh with me when I do stupid stuff.

    I hear you and understand
    I hear you and understand totally. But, let me say that it will get better. It just takes time, years even, but, you will start to feel better.

    I don't know if we ever get back to the way we were before bc, but, I think we just have to do the best that we can with the way that we are now. I guess I look at it as I am alive, I beat bc and I am going to live a full, long and healthy life.

    I won't let the beast steal my happiness.

    Hugs, Kylez
  • debsweb18
    debsweb18 Member Posts: 191 Member
    #26
    MsGebby said:

    I happen to be one of
    the luckier ones. NO chemo. Even though the oncologist wanted me to start the very first day I met with her. Thank goodness for Oncotype DX testing. It showed I didn't need it. I am taking Arimidex now. I started in March of this year. Even though chemo was not a treatment (radiation times 36 was) I went through, I feel the hormone therapy does affect my cognitivity. Brain fog is all too familiar for me. I swear if my head were not attached to my neck, I wouldn't know where to look for it.

    I wanted to say "thank you" for your kind response to my most recent post about the lung nodules. I am here for you if you need someone to vent to and just share with.

    Peace, Love and Happiness

    xoxo
    Mary

    I'm a newbie here.
    Mary,
    I was diagnosed just over a year ago. I had the same experience-Onc wanted me to do chemo. I did some research and had to ask for the Oncotype DX test during prep for mastectomy (this after a lumptectomy-margins weren't clear). Results came back 9- so no chemo. Ended up firing onc. Had 36 rad treatments. During my last visit with my Radiation onc last week (yeah!) I asked him about the fogginess. He said hormonal changes and just going thru everything could cause it. Do you work? I've been working on a very difficult project since returning to work and thought my problems with understanding some documents were because of the nature of the project (a lot of it is). However, I have trouble keeping all of the information straight and now wonder if it's because of brain fog. For those who work, how do you handle the brain fog?
  • debsweb18
    debsweb18 Member Posts: 191 Member
    #27
    Rague said:

    Just ADD here
    I never noticed a difference in 'brain power' while on chemo or since. BUT then I'm ADD (not ADHD - there is a difference) so have dealt with that all my life.

    Yes - females can be ADD and old women can still be ADD contrary to what some Drs still think. When I decided about 6 mths ago I wanted to go back on meds for it, I was really scared that I'd get one of those sorts but I decided that as meds do improve my life, I'd give it a go. The Dr I got (my PA helped me get her) is great and all my worries were unfounded.

    Wondering if there has been any research done on the chemical changes in the brain of those who continue to have 'chemo fog' and the possible help from ADD/ADHD meds? Might be something to talk to your Drs about if a problem. Bupropion is an anti-depressant but is also used for ADD - there are many different options available.

    Winyan - The Power Within

    Susan

    Also ADD
    Susan,
    See my post above. I also am ADD and use to take Adderall. Then took Bupropion during my divorce 7 years ago. It was great. I did see an article not so long ago about the use of Ritalin (wouldn't recommend this one) for brain fog due to cancer treatments. Have you gone on meds? What kind and did it help? I'm also thinking I need to go back on something due to difficulties keeping things straight at work since diagnosis.

    Deb
  • Lynn Smith
    Lynn Smith Member Posts: 1,264 Member
    #28
    anniem123 said:

    Brain fog
    I was going to college when i found out I had cancer. i took one semester and the summer off to do surgery and chemo. I couldn't remember things, concentrate and felt really dumb. Did not have this problem before chemo. I researched chemo fog, what it is and how to help it. In some people it only lasts a short while. while others years. I asked my dr. to prescribe me aderral. Its a drug for people with ADHD. But it also helps chemo brain fog. After some convincing he wrote me one. What a life changer. Back to feeling normal again (at least in the memory and brain area)Look into something like that and see if your dr. will prescribe it. Good luck

    I feel your pain
    I feel your pain and going through so much.Seems in the beginning it wasn't as stressful.Lucky for me Stage 0 no chemo or radiation(kinda not sure about this though)and take tamoxfin.I was leery of taking it but have now for 2 1/2 years.Got 2 1/2 years to go.(Counting)But now it seems more and more stress to the max.I am cancer free but I feel it lurking somewhere and the stress is eating me up.Seems more and more people are getting on my last nerve too and really this isnt me it's them.Son lives at home, his daughter moved in last month and now mad at me and went back home. I am 65 and husband 70.We want our space but don't know when that will happen.Not sure it ever will.

    We don't have money problems we do good but retirement is soon and will need to watch our savings.Hard when everyone moves in and you live their life too.It's not your life its theirs.

    As I mentioned I'm 65 and I was always the one people depended on to remember.My classmates came to me, my friends, relatives and husband.Now my husband asks me what is the matter with you.You are so forgetful.I think I need to slow down.I never stop and I know I don't eat when I should.I am a bundle of nerves and nothing tastes good.I see my doctor in a few weeks and she will be suprised I've lost weight.I told my friend today over the phone I lost and Oh is your cancer back.I didnt want to hear that.Seems what people always think when we lose.

    I want my memory back, I want my life back, I want to stay cancer free, I want people to quit assuming I am sick and would love new neighbors.I never tell people on here about my neighbors.I prefer to leave that alone.IT"S HORRIBLE and people have actually prayed and cried when I tell them what I put up with. Some problems have been reported to authorities.It's that bad and we live in a nice area.

    I feel I need a antidepressant but I have a heart condition and my heart races(I'm on meds for that) If I was ever to decided to go off it even gradual I don't think my heart could stand it.Really Don't. Of course doctors don't think that but I've told doctors things before and they dispute me only to go back later and they realize I am right.

    Right now I want to slow down, eat and drink more fluids, take a vitamin, and get more rest.I dont sleep good but when I do lay down I fall asleep quick.When I wake up I lay there and just think about things.

    I don't want to feel like this at all.I worry it's going to break my body down and my cancer will come back even at Stage 0.But we all feel that way.Doctors tell us it's there and we know it.

    I'm going to read more of these.I am amazed how many must feel as I do.I am a bundle of nerves.

    Lynn Smith
  • Bar_B
    Bar_B Member Posts: 27
    #29
    Chemo-brain
    ...is how it is diagnosed by Mayo Clinic where I got my treatments. My symptoms included forgeting simple things, words, names, grocery list, feeling "out of it," etc. I was a teacher's aide for Junior High Math and Reading but got too embarrassed by not being able to think straight and remember simple things. Now I am home with my dog, Millie, and my garden. Hubbie still doesn't "get" it and that is a big struggle for me. I hope you can find support and encouragement here.
  • DebbyM
    DebbyM Member Posts: 3,289 Member
    #30
    sweetvickid said:

    So glad you posted this topic!
    I finished chemo (18rounds) the end of Jan 2011. Thought chemo was a kind of joke...boy was I wrong! My brain still doesn't work right and the Dr. informed me that the effect wears off quickly. I don't think she believes me.

    I let my Human Resource certification lapse so I am taking a class to get ready for the test. I don't think I am going to pass it.

    It really does get depressing. I did college in my 30's did my BSBA in 3 years, maintained a 3.45 gradepoint, traveled 3 hours round trip, and even worked third shift. Now I feel like a space cadet.

    I can't seem to remember a
    I can't seem to remember a lot anymore. I wish I had stock in post it pads as I use them constantly. LOL
  • Kristin N
    Kristin N Member Posts: 1,968 Member
    #31
    faithm said:

    chemo
    I feel exactly like what I am, POISONED!! I am foggy brained, full of nerve pain, and have very little hair now (my scalp shines all over and I did have very thick, course hair.
    I can only hope it will be better, but it's been three years now.
    People say be thankful I'm alive. I did survive, but my life is completely different and I'm not lively.

    I think many of us feel this
    I think many of us feel this way at times. I guess I have just come to accept that I am different now than before my bc diagnosis. Just glad to still be alive!
  • jonahrex98
    jonahrex98 Member Posts: 23 Member
    #32
    Lightheaded said:

    dumbed down
    I've got you beat; I finished chemo in Dec. of 2003 and I believe that I am still suffering from the side effects. I had a lumpectomy, 3 treatments of CMF - then 6 wks of radiation - then 3 more rounds of CMF. I took Arimadex for about 3 years after that. Quit taking because I believed it was making my bones and joints hurt worse than they already did. Today I still have trouble dropping words or can't remember, I also have trouble with balance, it's like I'm drunk. I won't even walk around the block alone. I have checked out "ChemoBrain" on line, if you haven't, do so. I saw a Neuroligist last year trying to get to the bottom of this feeling. Had a brain MRI, they thought that perhaps it was my inner ear. Crystals out of alaignment - not so. My neurologist and my surgeon, whom I just saw for annual check up, agree that Chemobrain is real, but I don't think they know what to do about it. Post Chemotherapy Cognitive Impairment (PCCI).

    Chemobrain Diagnosis
    I am a ten-year survivor, and I am consumed by constant research on this subject. It's effected my home life and work life. I just feel like I'm running in circles trying to get doctors to properly diagnose me. I am presently seeing a neuropsychologist, and had a brain MRI. He said it was negative. I have a future appointment to discuss my recent neuropsychological test results. I have a feeling that they will be negative too. Then where? I would be so grateful for any future posts from you.
  • jonahrex98
    jonahrex98 Member Posts: 23 Member
    #33
    Bar_B said:

    Chemo-brain
    ...is how it is diagnosed by Mayo Clinic where I got my treatments. My symptoms included forgeting simple things, words, names, grocery list, feeling "out of it," etc. I was a teacher's aide for Junior High Math and Reading but got too embarrassed by not being able to think straight and remember simple things. Now I am home with my dog, Millie, and my garden. Hubbie still doesn't "get" it and that is a big struggle for me. I hope you can find support and encouragement here.

    Chemo-brain
    I have all of the same symptoms and need to stay home too. I look and act like a bumbling idiot thanks to Chemobrain and Chemo-induced Peripheral Neuropathy. My family and friends, and even the doctors, think its not chemo-related and that I must be imagining things. I am only 45, and my career is over. I had respect from my peers until after chemo ten years ago. I really need to retire on disability and need this diagnosed. Any advice?
  • sea60
    sea60 Member Posts: 2,613
    #34
    YES!
    Read my recent post "Tongue-tied". I really think I now know what ADD and Dyslexia feel like. I work in a very intense job where systems, procedures and programs are always changing. Sometimes it's a real struggle to keep up. And conversations find me mixing words or getting tongue tied.

    It's just so unfortunate that this is a common side effect of these very harsh drugs we have to take. I don't like to complain and want to try and see the positive but I just feel it's not fair with everything one goes through, to now have to deal with the foggy brain.

    I always try and eat "brain" food like salmon, ginseng...etc...to try and help. And LOTS of prayer ;)


    Hugs,

    Sylvia

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