When does chemo brain "go away"

Snowkitty
Snowkitty Member Posts: 295
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Finished chemo Sept 2 this year. I still feel like the dullest knife in the drawer. It gets old. Plus the eyes are still a bit fuzzy off and on. This can't be the new normal for me, can it????

I told the kids a long time ago that when my mind goes, to put a pillow over my head. Is it time for the pillow?

Cindy

Comments

  • tgf
    tgf Member Posts: 950 Member
    #2
    put the pillow away
    No ... it's not time for the pillow ... but it is time to take it easy and try not to worry about how those brain cells are (or are NOT) working. It does get better ... but it takes time. You've got to remember what your body has had to endure these past months ... so the "fuzziness" is not going to go away overnight. I know it's a bit frightening at times. My surgery, chemo and radiation were finished by last March ... and quite honestly ... I still don't feel as "sharp" as I thought I was before all of this started ... but it gets better every day. Maybe it is a new normal ... but at least I'm here ... and so far so good cancer-wise ... so ... as long as I can still work, remember my grandkids names ... and find my way home at night ... I'm a happy camper!

    It will get better ... I promise.

    hugs.
    Teena
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #3
    Officially, it takes a year for chemo to totally exit....
    BUT, I found about 3-4 months, and things got MUCH better!!!

    I still have my moments, but I am 55 years young, so that could also play...

    A suggestion: when my beau completely lost his short-term memory as a result of some drug snaffu in the hospital, he regained alot of it by working Sudoku puzzles...I work them all the time...have a book in the toilet (that STAYS there...lol).

    Hugs, Kathi
  • mariam_11_09
    mariam_11_09 Member Posts: 691 Member
    #4
    I finished chemo on 8/26 of
    I finished chemo on 8/26 of this year. The Onc. told me that there are various side effects from chemo that can peak 3 - 5 months AFTER chemo. As for the chemo brain, I find that some days I am back to my normal self and other days I am crawling around in the gutter in a fog. I do find that when I get a really good nights sleep the next day I feel I am back to my normal self and when I don't I am in that fog again and can't focus on anything. It just takes time and for each of us it is different.

    I think physically and pyschologically we need to be very kind and patient with ourselves.

    take care.
  • patti anne
    patti anne Member Posts: 101
    #5
    mariam_11_09 said:

    I finished chemo on 8/26 of
    I finished chemo on 8/26 of this year. The Onc. told me that there are various side effects from chemo that can peak 3 - 5 months AFTER chemo. As for the chemo brain, I find that some days I am back to my normal self and other days I am crawling around in the gutter in a fog. I do find that when I get a really good nights sleep the next day I feel I am back to my normal self and when I don't I am in that fog again and can't focus on anything. It just takes time and for each of us it is different.

    I think physically and pyschologically we need to be very kind and patient with ourselves.

    take care.

    1.5 yrs
    I finished chemo a year and a half ago and there are times, in mid sentence, that I completely forget the word/words I was going to say. I still blame it on chemo. :)
  • weazer
    weazer Member Posts: 440
    #6
    patti anne said:

    1.5 yrs
    I finished chemo a year and a half ago and there are times, in mid sentence, that I completely forget the word/words I was going to say. I still blame it on chemo. :)

    1.3 yrs for me!
    I too finished chemo about a year and three months ago, and I still have my moments!
    Even with my vision, mostly when I'm over tired!
    I'm 51 I think : ) and that might play into it a bit, I'm not sure but I'm just Happy to be alive.
    Take care sweetie...Karie
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #7
    weazer said:

    1.3 yrs for me!
    I too finished chemo about a year and three months ago, and I still have my moments!
    Even with my vision, mostly when I'm over tired!
    I'm 51 I think : ) and that might play into it a bit, I'm not sure but I'm just Happy to be alive.
    Take care sweetie...Karie

    Cindy--don't worry--it's not your new "normal"!
    I finished chemo in May--and I still can be a feather head at times. My problem is telling a story or making a point--and then completely loosing my train of thought--sometimes mid-sentence! When I'm with friends or hubby--I just laugh, but with others, it's sort of embarrassing. Also--I've lost two debit cards and my checkbook. Good thing I have a saint for a husband!

    Things will get better.

    Hugs, Renee
  • Chefrox
    Chefrox Member Posts: 32
    #8
    missrenee said:

    Cindy--don't worry--it's not your new "normal"!
    I finished chemo in May--and I still can be a feather head at times. My problem is telling a story or making a point--and then completely loosing my train of thought--sometimes mid-sentence! When I'm with friends or hubby--I just laugh, but with others, it's sort of embarrassing. Also--I've lost two debit cards and my checkbook. Good thing I have a saint for a husband!

    Things will get better.

    Hugs, Renee

    Brain Fog?????
    Everytime I come in I see something new....Brain Fog....geez I was hoping to continue college through all of this but I may have to put that on the back burner.....I'm gonna be 60 graduating from college Again....LOL
  • faith_trust_and_a_little_bit_of_chemotherapy
    faith_trust_and_a_little_bit_of_chemotherapy Member Posts: 319 Member
    #9
    Chefrox said:

    Brain Fog?????
    Everytime I come in I see something new....Brain Fog....geez I was hoping to continue college through all of this but I may have to put that on the back burner.....I'm gonna be 60 graduating from college Again....LOL

    Chemo what?
    I know a couple of 5+ year survivors that still...

    uh huh.

    What the Hell, we're still here.

    Rejoice!
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #10
    faith_trust_and_a_little_bit_of_chemotherapy said:

    Chemo what?
    I know a couple of 5+ year survivors that still...

    uh huh.

    What the Hell, we're still here.

    Rejoice!

    Um, and who are you all again????
    6 years, day after Thanksgiving, that I heard those 3 words!!!!!

    I agree, we ARE still here...YEA!!!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • bluwillo
    bluwillo Member Posts: 113 Member
    #11
    Chefrox said:

    Brain Fog?????
    Everytime I come in I see something new....Brain Fog....geez I was hoping to continue college through all of this but I may have to put that on the back burner.....I'm gonna be 60 graduating from college Again....LOL

    Stay in school!
    I spent 8 or nine months of my last degree program while doing the mast, chemo and radiation. I found that school saved my soul! It made me focus, I found that my pride could override that stupid chemo crap. I decided, come hell or high water, I would finish school, with no grades below 3.5 allowed.

    I only missed 3 classes during the whole thing. I know I would have gone insane were it not for the concentrating school required. Of course, once I finished treatment, chemo brain totally set in! so then I went back into the workforce...which really requires me to be on my toes. True, there are some days I totally blank out in the middle of directions from a lawyer, but my concentration is starting to come back.

    I knew if I just shut down and decided to just wallow in the cancer, that darn beast would win. I kept telling cancer "I don't have time for you, if I keep busy enough, and run fast enough, you will just go away, cos you can't keep up with me!" So far, it's worked.

    Don't let cancer be your life. Let it have a few days every couple of weeks or so, but remember, it's YOUR life, not cancer's. Keep rockin' it while you have it!!! (Oh, and I'm 55, finished school last April. You're just a spring chicken!)
  • faith_trust_and_a_little_bit_of_chemotherapy
    faith_trust_and_a_little_bit_of_chemotherapy Member Posts: 319 Member
    #12
    bluwillo said:

    Stay in school!
    I spent 8 or nine months of my last degree program while doing the mast, chemo and radiation. I found that school saved my soul! It made me focus, I found that my pride could override that stupid chemo crap. I decided, come hell or high water, I would finish school, with no grades below 3.5 allowed.

    I only missed 3 classes during the whole thing. I know I would have gone insane were it not for the concentrating school required. Of course, once I finished treatment, chemo brain totally set in! so then I went back into the workforce...which really requires me to be on my toes. True, there are some days I totally blank out in the middle of directions from a lawyer, but my concentration is starting to come back.

    I knew if I just shut down and decided to just wallow in the cancer, that darn beast would win. I kept telling cancer "I don't have time for you, if I keep busy enough, and run fast enough, you will just go away, cos you can't keep up with me!" So far, it's worked.

    Don't let cancer be your life. Let it have a few days every couple of weeks or so, but remember, it's YOUR life, not cancer's. Keep rockin' it while you have it!!! (Oh, and I'm 55, finished school last April. You're just a spring chicken!)

    Work, of all things....
    kept me sane and focused.

    However, for my own amusement, I tried to do SuDoku whilst in the depths of chemotherapy. My brain was shot to Hell. I could get up and commute to work daily, but figure out which @#$%! number belonged in which @#$%! little box and.....pffft. About a month after I finished chemotherapy, I bought the same exact SuDoku book and there was no problem.

    Be gracious with yourself.
  • sea60
    sea60 Member Posts: 2,613
    #13
    faith_trust_and_a_little_bit_of_chemotherapy said:

    Work, of all things....
    kept me sane and focused.

    However, for my own amusement, I tried to do SuDoku whilst in the depths of chemotherapy. My brain was shot to Hell. I could get up and commute to work daily, but figure out which @#$%! number belonged in which @#$%! little box and.....pffft. About a month after I finished chemotherapy, I bought the same exact SuDoku book and there was no problem.

    Be gracious with yourself.

    Sorry to say
    after almost 5 years I still have this. My job requires me to remember a million things so it can be a struggle. Every morning before I get off my truck I pray that God enables me to have a sharp mind to do my job.


    Plus, I think the menopause has a lot to do with it.


    Hugs,

    Sylvia
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #14
    sea60 said:

    Sorry to say
    after almost 5 years I still have this. My job requires me to remember a million things so it can be a struggle. Every morning before I get off my truck I pray that God enables me to have a sharp mind to do my job.


    Plus, I think the menopause has a lot to do with it.


    Hugs,

    Sylvia

    I finished last january. I
    I finished last january. I find mostly short term memory is affected the most and worse when I am stressed or tired. I was really concerned early on, I couldnt remember if I took my meds or just thought to. Since then it has gotten significantly better. I also find though that I can concentrate much better on a single thing, but that too much all at once is well too much. Some of this is aging and I am slowly getting back to my pre cancer mind set.
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #15
    carkris said:

    I finished last january. I
    I finished last january. I find mostly short term memory is affected the most and worse when I am stressed or tired. I was really concerned early on, I couldnt remember if I took my meds or just thought to. Since then it has gotten significantly better. I also find though that I can concentrate much better on a single thing, but that too much all at once is well too much. Some of this is aging and I am slowly getting back to my pre cancer mind set.

    I struggle with chemo brain everyday ... some days
    are better than others. I now embrace my situation, and laugh - cause I can use it to my advantage with family and friends - just a side bar to the upside of chemo brain.

    What I found that helps me -- is using my left hand to brush my teeth (I am right handed), puzzles larger ones in the beginning, now on to smaller sizes - and doing thing opposite of what I would do normally - example: grocery shopping - I enter my supermarkert in the opposite door - start at the opposite end of the store - forcing meself to thinkkkkkk .. driving my car to the far end of my walk, and starting there ending up at home - where in most cases my husband or son drive me back to pick up my car .. I changed the side of the sink I washed or rinsed off my dishes .. little things like this, and it is improving my mind set, sharpeness and outlook regarding 'chemo brain'. In fact, I am now reading more complex books .. as I have moved from the 'See Spot Run' series! LOL It has been such a difficult journey, no doubt.

    Strength and Courage

    Finish 1 year of TCH on 8/20/10 ...

    Vicki Sam
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #16
    VickiSam said:

    I struggle with chemo brain everyday ... some days
    are better than others. I now embrace my situation, and laugh - cause I can use it to my advantage with family and friends - just a side bar to the upside of chemo brain.

    What I found that helps me -- is using my left hand to brush my teeth (I am right handed), puzzles larger ones in the beginning, now on to smaller sizes - and doing thing opposite of what I would do normally - example: grocery shopping - I enter my supermarkert in the opposite door - start at the opposite end of the store - forcing meself to thinkkkkkk .. driving my car to the far end of my walk, and starting there ending up at home - where in most cases my husband or son drive me back to pick up my car .. I changed the side of the sink I washed or rinsed off my dishes .. little things like this, and it is improving my mind set, sharpeness and outlook regarding 'chemo brain'. In fact, I am now reading more complex books .. as I have moved from the 'See Spot Run' series! LOL It has been such a difficult journey, no doubt.

    Strength and Courage

    Finish 1 year of TCH on 8/20/10 ...

    Vicki Sam

    What a GREAT idea!!!
    I will try entering the grocery a different way, too!!!

    Although, the stores actually help you with that...lol...every so often they rearrange things. This is to keep the public from being able to just get the one thing they need...they are forced to go down the aisles and look, hopefully picking up impulse buys along the way....HORRIBLE for we brain-inpared!!!

    Laughter is the BEST...you got it!!! Even after almost 6 years, I STILL used the 'chemo card'...and am planning on using it for ever!!!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • Sharon968
    Sharon968 Member Posts: 10
    #17
    patti anne said:

    1.5 yrs
    I finished chemo a year and a half ago and there are times, in mid sentence, that I completely forget the word/words I was going to say. I still blame it on chemo. :)

    Chemo Brain
    Oh My, I was supposed to start Chemo next week, but I am having to put that off due to infection during expander placement that I am still trying to recover from. I will hopefully start soon so we can move on, but Oh my, I have done this for years...forgetting words mid sentence and while telling stories, etc....I'm nervous now...I may be in big trouble! I have heard that stress will cause this too. None of us are stressed...right? haha. Good luck to everyone.

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