Coping With Chemo Brain

I was diagnosed with breast cancer December 29, 1999. I underwent chemotherapy (CMF) in 2000 and began to experience the frustration of short-term memory loss. Family and friends assisted me with helpful hints to keep my life organized and frustration at a minimum. I wrote the following article for the Komen Central Valley Newsletter. Other Komen Affiliates have reprinted for their readers as coping with chemo brain is rarely discussed.

This is for my friend K.H. and all others who are battling cancer and undergoing chemo.

Memory and concentration problems often plague women and men who have undergone chemotherapy. The majority of research that provides statistics about short term memory loss in conjunction with chemotherapy is studies of women treated with chemotherapy for breast cancer. The simple description for this memory loss is called chemo brain. By definition this phenomenon can be are explained as cognitive dysfunction.

As reported online by breastcancer.org in an excerpt from Cancer, June 2004, ” a number of studies on this topic have found that about 20–30% of women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer had some problems with cognitive function. But so far the studies have not explained exactly how chemotherapy might be affecting the brain.”

Other factors that can affect memory and concentration during and after chemotherapy are emotional stress, depression, early onset of menopause and sleep deprivation.

When I underwent chemotherapy almost 10 years ago, I had not read about chemo brain, nor did I have a clue that chemo could be a contributing factor to short term memory loss. It began around my third chemotherapy treatment. Prior to chemo, I never kept an appointment book, I always remembered appointments and birthdays and my brain was like a mini phone book. Imagine my surprise when I briefly forgot my own phone number! One day I said to a co-worker, “Please hand me that, a, a….that thing”, when I clearly meant a pencil, but couldn’t remember what it was called. The final straw was when I forgot my PIN number while attempting to use my ATM card. Cashless, I came home and began an internet search on memory loss. This is when I first learned the term chemo brain. Three days later, I remembered where I hid my PIN number. I also had forgotten where I put the key to my safe and file cabinet. I had fleeting moments in the following weeks where I forgot my online passwords. It was then I realized that I should write everything down and hand it over to a trustworthy person for safekeeping.

When I was undergoing chemotherapy, my family and friends assisted me in writing following rules to help keep my life organized and relatively frustration free. No matter how mundane these organizational tools seem now, I can assure you, they will prevent great frustration:

· If you must, write your PIN number in ink in the palm of your hand before going to the ATM.

· Choose a Daily Planner with notebook paper that you can keep in your purse. When a thought strikes you as important enough to remember later, write it down. If you have a “to-do” list, write it in this notebook. Document important dates, birthdays, anniversaries etc.

· When scheduling follow up Dr’s appointments, write the appointment in the calendar portion of the Daily Planner while scheduling with the receptionist. They may ask you if you’d like an appointment card—go green and decline the card. In my experience, I would lose the card and have to call for the correct date anyway.

· When opening mail, always sort through your mail in the same location daily. Always put your bills in one place and organize by payment due date. If you don’t have auto bill pay for your credit cards, house payment or insurance withdrawls, consider scheduling auto bill pay. If you choose not to do that, make a chart of dates that online bills should be paid.

· Immediately shred junk mail.

· If you elect not to convert to auto bill pay, bookmark all credit card, mortgage etc sites.

· Copy all these bill paying sites and include passwords to these sites by creating a simple Excel spreadsheet with this information. Make a copy of this document and give to someone you trust. Password protect this file. What if you forget the password? Give this password to the same person you trust.

· On the same Excel spreadsheet, list the place you are likely to hide important documents ie; social security cards, passport and PIN numbers. Same goes for where you may hide a safety deposit box key, extra house and car keys.

· If you do not have a computer and hand write your list, at least tell that trusted someone where you’ve hidden it.

· If that is the case, refrain from bill paying etc. late at night as that trusted someone may not appreciate a call at 11:00 PM.

· If you are still a check writer, immediately document the check. If you strictly use ATM for purchases, continue to use a check register to document.

· If you take medication, purchase a pill organizer (preferably the kind that organizes pills for the week and separates AM and PM dosage)

· If a friend or family member is unable to accompany you for Dr’s appointments, take notes.

· Maintain a sense of humor regards these bouts of short-term memory loss. Someday these stories will provide excellent party conversation.

· If you can’t remember anything else, remember that laughter is the best medicine! The short term memory loss will pass. Your experience and advice will someday help someone else.

Now, have I forgotten to mention anything?