The Young Breast Cancer Survivor's Network had our first
focus group this past week. Our group consisted of about 8 women who were
varied in age, but all had received a diagnosis and finished treatment before
the age of menopause. Many issues were discussed in the group, but one that
seemed to provide the women with the most trouble was "chemo brain."
I had heard this term a few times before, but I have never learned the full
effects that this takes. I decided to do a bit of research on it, and wanted to
share my findings with you all. There is little research on this topic, as it
is a new phenomenon that has been discovered. It was only once more and more
people came forward with this problem that doctors realized it wasn't something
imagined or made up by the patients. Since patients report mild to moderate
cognitive impairments, it is hard to truly research this phenomenon, and come
up with an exact cause (other than just because they received chemo.) Some of
the symptoms of chemo brain include, but are not limited to: having trouble
recalling things, memory lapses, taking longer to finish tasks,
trouble multi-tasking, and trouble with word finding/ word association. These symptoms can be short term and get
better with time, or continue even months and years after treatment is over.
Some tips listed on The American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) to help with
this include:
- Write things down. Keep track of appointments and schedules, to-do lists, important dates, phone numbers and addresses.
- Exercise your brain. Take a class, do word puzzles, or learn to do something new.
- Exercise your body. Regular physical activity is good for your body; it improves your mood, makes you feel more alert, and helps you feel less tired.
- Get enough rest and sleep.
- Eat your veggies. Studies have shown that eating more vegetables can help you keep up your brain power.
- Set up and follow routines. Put the things you often lose in the same place each time you're done with them. Try to keep the same daily schedule.
It is most important to remember that chemo brain is
real! Patients are not “losing their mind” or “going crazy.” This is an unfortunate
side effect of the life-saving treatment they have received.
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