Thursday, November 30, 2006

I've got my excuse

They're finding evidence for "chemo brain". I'm not saying I have chemo brain or even these types of effects all the time. But I do have days where it seems really hard to string thoughts together, focus my attention, or recall things. I haven't figured out any particular trigger for these not-so-sharp days. Diet, stress, enough sleep, weather? Like other labels, it might just be easier to use "chemo brain" as my excuse.

4 comments:

Tess said...

I'm not a doctor (of medicine, that is), but wouldn't you think that they would have studied this voraciously already?!

L*I*S*A said...

My mom can testify that there is truth to it. She was VERY forgetful during her run with chemo. She still has moments, though thankfully they are fewer and far between. No more chemo for her...she's in remission. :)

kat said...

I asked my own oncologist about chemo brain, and he basically shrugged it off. He's kinda laid back like that. Based on his reaction, I'm not surprised that it hasn't been studied that much. I mean, just look at the article - doctors assumed patients were just whining about it.

Of course, knowing these effects would have NOT changed my mind about having chemo. That would be silly.

Strangela said...

Things like this make me realize how amazing (and complicated) the human body is. To think that it can even withstand chemotherapy, which is designed to kill cells, right, is crazy. To think about your stories of how horribly sick the chemo made you and yet a short time later you are working very successfully at a full time job and grad school is hard to believe.

I imagine being a doctor or nurse is amazing, of course only if you could get past how disgusting the human body can be too!!