Hello @ponygirlnd, I had radiation directed at base of one ear for SCC 13 years ago at University of Michigan. The old radiation oncologist (head and neck specialist) at the time said I would have some memory loss as the primary brain injury from the photon radiation to certain areas affected. At the age of 72 it is hard to know what was radiation and what may be just age. New radiation "gifts" this year are neck fibrosis and facial and neck muscle atrophy, which I am addressing with my Mayo team next week. Since my surgery involved removal of much of the temporal bone of the skull, dizziness and balance were a big challenge back then. The medical staff....mostly the great nurses.....kept telling me that we can retrain the brain, create new pathways, and cause improvement. Nerve tissue is slow to heal though, and it took time, but by challenging myself physically I have overcome many of the issues. I don't know if you have had any therapy or had discussions with your medical team about this because we can lose touch with them over the years, but can you pursue it? I also recommend reading about Lion's Mane mushrooms for nerve growth and repair. I think that supplement has helped me.

ThankYou Sue! What a gift that someone has responded.I did not have any rehabilitative follow up. My cancer was treated at Dana Harbor Institute in Boston and I live on the northern Canadian border of Maine so it is quite a trip and thank God for angel flights. I am a retired equine learning facilitator and do ride so balance is only part of the issue not all of it however I have been falling off horses all my life so I do have some TBI/post concussion and I believe that the radiation has made that worse with scarring and other factors. I am 71 now and stay as active as possible, but have downsized to two horses and a cat in a small house from 12 horses and ponies and six kids in a big old house. Pain is a huge issue. Chronic pain which there is no understanding of TBI and related issues in this area. I traveled to Minnetonka Minnesota to the functional neurology center for some diagnostics and rehab and still do my homework which is painful to my eyes, but I do what I can do. I started having TBI issues of flooding about six years after my cancer and radiation. This was well before any significant head injury and includes hyperacusis. Great website in Canada: nbia.com has some nice videos that I couldn’t relate to at the time and help family understand what I was going through. Meanwhile, getting old it doesn’t work lol doctors just keep telling me to keep doing what I’m doing now; caring for a little farm with two horses and riding whenever possible with friends that come by. Outdoors is my medicine and volunteer work as well. I guess there is no cure for surviving cancer treatments? But I am sure so many people live with greater burdens. Will check out the mushrooms, don’t forget the beet root!