What is brain fog like? How can I better understand as a caregiver?

Posted by julymt @julymt, Jan 5 2:31pm

Can any of you give examples of what your brain fog is like. My significant other is the patient and I have noticed a couple of things. I don't want to be harsh on them if they are struggling with brain fog. I'm not sure they realize it. They asked me how to spell a very common relative's name recently which was a concern to me.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Bladder Cancer Support Group.

Profile picture for Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung

@julymt, this is such a good question that I made it into its own discussion to gather thoughts from people going through cancer treatment can share what brain fog is like (sometimes called chemo brain). Here's some info from Mayo Clinic
- Chemo brain https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chemo-brain/symptoms-causes/syc-20351060

I'll start off the discussion.

Brain fog, like most side effects of cancer treatment, is different for each person. People can experience things like:
- trouble focusing, even on simple and common tasks. It's like the mind is on slow speed and then gives up
- difficulty finding words. With brain fog, a person might know what they want to say, but just can't seem to find the words
- fatigued. I describe fatigue as different from tired. It's like the mind and the whole body is wearing a heavy led suit covered in cotton balls. (Not sure if that makes sense. It's a heaviness within a fog.)

Sometimes, as a caregiver, you might notice that someone appears to be making an extra special effort to concentrate on something that should be almost automatic, like the spelling of a name they know.

Is your significant other currently on treatment, like chemo?

Jump to this post

@colleenyoung ~ I'm so glad you picked up on this topic. I hadn't thought about it for a long time, but I was caregiver to my husband through 4 separate cancers over the course of 17 years (Agent Orange), and one thing that I noticed over time was an increased lapse in common-sense thinking. He had chemo for the first two cancers but not the last two. Still, the slow lapse could have been caused by chemo -- there's just no way to know. Coping with brain fog, no matter how it presents, is heart-wrenching.
@julymt, you have my prayers and respect for the concern you show for your significant other.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.