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“Surviving” Life After Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer | Last Active: Sep 18, 2021 | Replies (60)

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@merpreb

@elizm - You eloquently described exactly what a lot of people do. I think that it's important to be helpful but that doesn't m ean offering advice, medical advice. I wish you well on your recovery. What kinds of things are you doing to help lessen, if possible, with chemo brain? I watched cooking shows.

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@merpreb
Chemo brain has been humiliating and humbling. The first year (2018) was the worst where I would show up for appointments, for example, either on the right day but the wrong time, or the wrong day but the right time, and sometimes the appointment just slips my mind completely. This past year, it comes and goes, and is not quite as challenging. Yes, my life is littered with Post-It notes. Although math was never a challenge for me, I found even easy calculations to stump me during the first year-and-change. Word choices can be frustrating, as can multi-tasking and a tendency toward procrastination.

I've read that chemo brain can last up to five years, however, I've noticed a lessening over time (thank goodness). My oncologist and NP have no suggestions except to keep on keeping on. (I had extensive nerve damage with chemo, so I suppose that all of this is unsurprising to them.) My personal "treatments" are exercise and reading, hoping they will help retrain what's left of my brain.