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Does anyone other than me suffer long term cognitive problems from chemo? I am three years cancer free but still am having memory problems and forgetfullness! I could chalk some of it up to middle age but even I know that its more than that. I have not asked my ongologist about it yet because up until now it has been the least of my worries. Would like to hear about others with this problem or other long term chemo side effects. Thanks and PEACE!
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Unfortunately, this is indeed quite normal. Any number of people who undergo chemotherapy will experience what many cancer survivors frequently refer to as "chemobrain" or "chemofog." Women and men who experience chemobrain typically say that they feel that they are not able to concentrate, have a hard time remembering things, have trouble finding the right word when speaking or writing, or can't multitask the way they used to.
This type of cognitive dysfunction is a problem that cancer survivors have been talking about for years. Only recently, though, have researchers begun studying the impact of chemotherapy on cognitive functioning. But it's not an easy area to study. Part of the problem is sorting out which problems are due to chemotherapy and which are due to having a serious illness like cancer that can result in physical debilitation, depression, sleep disruption, hormone shifts (not just sex hormones, but thyroid, melatonin, etc.), and fatigue--all of which can affect cognitive functioning.
Published in the January 15, 2002 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center found that even standard-dose chemotherapy can negatively impact the cognitive functioning of cancer survivors up to 10 years after treatment. The study determined that people treated with chemotherapy scored significantly lower on tests for memory, concentration, and psychomotor functioning (ability to integrate different types of information) than patients who received only radiation or surgery.
For older women, the impact of chemotherapy may be compounded by the natural aging process, which, in and of itself, can be related to the development of cognitive problems. There is some evidence that verbal fluency and word recall changes for some women but not others as they age and their estrogen levels fall. So it is possible that the problems some women think are due to chemotherapy might just be what they'd be experiencing anyway at their age and stage of life. For younger women, the cognitive side effects related to chemotherapy may be compounded by the fact that chemotherapy can put them directly into menopause, which in and of itself causes hormonal changes that can affect cognitive functioning.
There are a number of theories as to why chemobrain may occur. One is that some types of chemotherapy can cross the blood/brain barrier. Another is that the cognitive problems are created by free radicals, the toxic elements that many types of chemotherapy produce. And yet another is that some people have a genetic background that makes them more susceptible to the effects of chemotherapy. Most likely it is not just one factor but many factors that combine to set the stage for chemobrain to occur. However, we still have a lot to learn before we will be able to explain why this problem affects some people and not others or why these problems persist after treatment stops.
As the search for the cause of chemobrain continues, researchers have begun looking at ways to alleviate its impact. Studies now underway are exploring whether Ritalin, which is used to improve fatigue, or Procrit (as long as it is used according to label), which increases red blood cell count to improve energy can improve cognitive functioning. This research is still very preliminary, however, and these drugs should only be used as part of a clinical trial.
You should definitely speak with your doctor about the problems you are experiencing to try to rule out other causes. Your doctor should review with you whether depression, the use of medications that are sedating, or sleep problems that are causing fatigue could be factors in the cognitive problems you are experiencing. Developing coping strategies such as making lists, using a tape recorder or Dictaphone, carrying a personal calendar or diary, or taking notes during conversations can also be helpful.
Doing puzzles to stimulate your mind may be helpful. So can reducing stress--which not only can result from such cognitive problems but can also cause them--may also be helpful. Support groups, meditation, and yoga may offer benefits as well.
That was amazing, now if I can just remember some of it! LOL! Thanks so much for your answer, I will be reviewing it with my doctor. For me it seems to get worse instead of better. So I will feel better if we are able to rule out other causes. You should go for a medical degree, that was a more in-depth answer than I will get from my doctor. Keep up the good work, for alot of us this is a great source of Info! PEACE!
I have memory problems. I always thought it was related to a depression I suffered secondary to the cancer. I am 31/2 yrs cancer free. I also do not have the energy I had pre chemo
I also would like to say that YES it does go away but
I have found it does lessen, I am in remission for 3 yrs. now, you actually can look upchemo brain on the
computor. I also still don't have the energy level that
I once did but that I blame on the radiation. I have had
a number of people tell me the same thing.
You are not imaging this and you are not old.
Be well.
Barbara
i am going through chemo now my daughters call me marble mouth i have to go threw the whole circle to get to what i want to say. i realize this know already and since they up the dosage because of weight it was worse this week. i can tell you what helped get it under control quite nicely. but, we can't talk about that .
I am now 4 years cancer free, and sometimes I think things are worse now , I remember nothing, my memory loss actually consist of not remembering many events that happened before chemo, my children just dont understand, also I forget things that are told to me within minutes sometimes, i say it has to do with the chemo and radiation, but who knows, I have never discussed this with my doctor, but i think i will now
it has a lot to do with the treatment you got. i was not like this before it is worse the days of treatment i was just treated this past week. but there are things that will make it better.
It feels good to read these posting and see that I am not alone. My kids call me Ten Sec. cause I forget things in 10 seconds. Post its work wonders!! I am 4 yrs out of treatment and yet I still have problems. Just glad to be here. I can deal with no memory.
I am 2 years out of chemo and 18 months out of Herceptin chemo brain is still a major problem my hubby says it's like being married to the girl in movie "50 First Dates" the funny thing is I can remember things that happened long time ago but no short term memory it's very aggrevating but I also have horrible neuropathy in hands and feet and extreme fatique. I did talk to my dr and he said it is all chemo related nothing they can really do and probably something I will have to live with. I'm just so glad I have managed to stay in remission so just try to live day by day and write lots of notes to myself.
LOL
cindybear
I know how you all feel, I am almost a 4 year survivor. Chemo does really mess with your mind. The chemo fog has lifted but my memory is terrible. My concentration is also pretty poor. Maybe some of it is age related (I'm 51), but I hate to think what will happen when I get a little older. I write a lot of notes to myself. I also was on Herceptin for a year, I didn't get the neuropathy, just the memory problem. I am seriously thinking about talking with my dr to see if they can't prescribe a drug to help me concentrate better. I get distracted very easily, and I hate it. It nice to know that there are others have the same difficultly that I am. You don't feel alone.
I am 48 yrs old dx'd Chronic Myloid Leukemia, I take a chemo in mpill form and will have to take the rest of my life. The CML specialist in Oregon hads been doing research with the chemo fog (chemo brain).
In past years they said chemo did not cross over the brain barrier but have found that it does. The results, is we all have a concentration problem as if we have ADD. If you multi task or are having a stressing moment you lose track of concentration, it is most alarming. Thus taking the ADD drugs will help, or do only one task at a time and will find concentration is better. In time if you are not on the chemo in some it goes away. Hope this helps.
God Bless to all.
Anita
Dear chemo1-
The post by gpawelski sums up the chemobrain situation well. I had chemo and a sct in '95 and while my chemobrain has improved, I still suffer from problems.
I focus on possible helpful therapies like supplementation, nutrition and exercise. I think these helps me and I have documented the articles as much as possible on beating-myeloma.org. All of my many side effects have improved. Some more than others and i will continue to work at it. Hang in there to all.
David Emerson
beating-myeloma.org
"Chemo brain".... Uhhh.... I think that's what I have. Can't seem to remember much that happened within the last, uhhh....... What was the subject???
Cognitive dysfunction is a potential side effect of chemotherapy and erythropoietin (EPO) was thought to be protective. However, a new study out of Princess Margaret Hospital and University of Toronto failed to demonstrate a protective effect of epoetin-alfa (Epogen, Procrit) against the development of delayed cognitive dysfunction after chemotherapy.
PMID: 18561284
http://cancerfocus.net/forum/showthread.php?t=294&highlight=anemia+drugs
Thanks all! Its good to know I am normal!? Also I get over-whelmed easily . But as happytobehere put it, I am thankful to be alive and will live with the side effects.
I am a year and a half out of treatment, and still feel the effects of chemobrain. I don't know either if it is age related or whatever. (I'm 49, but not yet in menopause.) I am sorry to hear that so many of you are also trying to deal with it too....but I'm glad I'm not alone!
This is a little off subject, but I'm gonna be 50 on Saturday (7/12/08), and before I got breast cancer, I dreaded turning 50. Now, I'm grateful that I made it this far! One of the good things to come out of the cancer...lol. I appreciate life, and time, in a way that I did not before my diagnosis.
I wish you all good health and happiness.
Love,
Rose
Rose Happy Birthday! I will be 50 in December. Before cancer I would have dreaded yet another year older, now I am eager for them to come because with each passing one I know that I am still here. It sounds selfish, but I did not want to die at 46 years old. I am hoping for at least 96 years old before I kick the bucket! CELEBRATE! You are a survivor!
oh my gosh....i feel like i have been reading things i've written but forgot!! lol I have had all these things...forgetfulness, lack of concentration, can't think of words, have trouble finishing sentences, depression, anxiety....the gammet! i call myself the "unintentional multitasker" because i forget what i'm doing then start something else, and after about 10 minutes i've got 5 different things going in various stages of completion.
i have been going through counseling, taking meds, experimented with the ADD meds (2 of my 4 kids are ADHD so the symptoms were easy to recognize - and yes i got my own rx's)....seems like they work for a while then they don't. i feel like i've been running in circles! everyone just kind of laughs me off when i talk about 'chemo brain', the fatigue, all that stuff. it is SO nice to know that I'm not imagining this or making up excuses!
regardless, like everyone else i am thankful to be here and am trying to learn how to deal with it. i'm 3 1/2 years out of tx and praying that the symptoms lessen with each passing year. i'd be thrilled to learn that researchers are actually taking us seriously and doing studies on the cognitive effects of chemo, instead of just passing it off. if they could do anything to help us (and future patients), wow....to be able to mentally function like i used to would be another gift!
Have a blessed day everyone!
Melissia
Wow for the first time I have found a place where I feel I belong...I have spoken to my Dr. and other people about how I have been feeling and now I know I am not crazy! I am at 3 1/2 yrs free and still dealing with the long term effects of chemo and radiation. My family has been so kind to understand that my short term memory is not what it used to be. So they help me out a lot and wait for me to find the words. My Dr. on the otherhand says he has never heard of what I describe. Some days are better than others, and yes post it notes are my best friend! But with a new job and everything that comes with life you learn to deal with memory issues and sometimes just trying to find the correct words to use.
I am alive and enjoying my family and yes walking on the beach everyday if I can!
Peace and many blessings to everyone!
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