← Return to Cancer Related Brain Fog: How do you cope with it?

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@lisman1408

I don’t have any real medical evidence and can only speak for myself and my experience with AI meds and tomoxifin. My husband is not very supportive of my side effects and sometimes even makes fun of me when I can’t think clearly. Thus, I just keep my mouth shut and deal with these challenges as best I can. Last year I was on Anastrozole for about 6 months, and the cognitive side effects were awful. My doctor switched me to Tomoxifin for a few months last spring in an attempt to relieve the cognitive issues. But for me the Tomoxifin was just as bad. Then she gave me a break from all cancer meds to see how I responded. I was off meds for 4 months this past summer; my memory and ability to think clearly was much better. I began taking extemestane in late September. So far, I think it’s better than the other two meds, but there are some challenges with it also. I had some joint pain with Anastrozole and that was also relieved during my break from meds this past summer. I’ve practiced yoga for about 25 years and that also helps. However, my yoga practice is also more difficult now, and sometimes I just don’t do it at all anymore because it’s not as enjoyable with the joint pain. I’m hoping that since my side effects were much better during my break from meds, that when I finish the next few years of taking them, that I will return to my old self again. But I’m not counting on that...

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Replies to "I don’t have any real medical evidence and can only speak for myself and my experience..."

@lisman1408
I'm so sorry that your husband is not supportive and makes fun of you. Perhaps he is frightened of the cancer and thinks that joking may alleviate the stress of it all - men just don't think like women. I was on anastrozole and letrozole with extreme pain and switched to exemestane which, while still giving some pain, is not as extreme; however, I find that being in a therapeutic water exercise class helps considerably. If there is something like that in your area or a heated pool where you could walk back and forth and do simple exercises, just see if you can try it. I hope things go better for you.