Cognitive changes after chemo

My husband is being treated for Ampulary cancer, stage one after Whipple. He has not rallied after the surgery which was performed 6 months ago. He spends his time in bed and the quality of his life is much less than he would accept if he was thinking in his right mind. I am totally lost as far as what I can do for him. He told me today that he doesn’t want to communicate with anyone bc he is depressed(taking 2meds to combat this and I have requested consultation with a psychiatrist who is familiar with the needs of cancer patients. ). Does anyone have any experience with a situation where the patient fails to respond to treatment even though the prognosis is fairly positive?

Baeph,

Your story opened my eyes as none have before. I had to look up Ampullary cancer. My experience with a cancer diagnosis. My husband had 3 heart attacks by the age of 38, (family genes on both sides) leaving him with 2/3rds functioning heart muscle. In 2006 we went to visit his family before holiday prices increased. He was 49 then and no male had lived to see 61. After seeing everyone we made an "I will IF you will pledge". I thought he was the one that needed a checkup more than I did. Within 30 minutes after mammo I was told I had breast cancer by my gynecologist with no surgery/treatments until 01/17/2007. To get to my point...the cancer diagnosis was within a few days of Thanksgiving. It was like a bomb went off in my head. I could not wrap my head around how to deal with it. No holiday dinners for us that year. I fell inside my head and could not get any clear and positive thoughts even though I have strong faith. Looking back it was due to My Lack of Control and all the what-ifs. I was/am a highly functioning "A" type personality. I was/am still the CFO of our household and at the time all I could do was think of how to help my husband if cancer took me. In your opinion because you know him better than any psychiatrist may your husband have any of these fears within? I fought hard to keep it from my loved ones and Did Not Speak of it. Heck, I barely spoke to anyone. I cannot tell you how often I pretended to be asleep so not even my husband would Hover over me and ask again & again if I needed/wanted anything! Time does heal and in my case, it was not speaking with a psychiatrist. I felt empowered again thru forums like this. Do you think that would help him to get his empowerment back? I'm here to tell you that life can be good again!!! Keep the faith and take it one day at a time. For me, the last thing I wanted was to see another dang Dr. I was told 04/2021 that they were highly suspicious of recurrence however for me I do not fear cancer any longer so I waited until my mammo confirmed breast cancer recurrence. 05/25 I had a double mastectomy that's still not healed (dehiscence). I wake up every day knowing how blessed we are. I've added you and your husband to my prayer list.

Such a helpful post, @bcwarrior

@baeph, I hope you saw the post above from BCwarrior. You might also be interested in the helpful posts that members offered in this discussion:
- Trying to understand my friend's chemo brain: How can I help? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chemo-brain-or-fog/

Chemo brain or brain fog is real! I'm thankful my oncologist & nurse brought this to me & my husband's attention during our education session before starting chemo. It is still frustrating to deal with. I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for treatment for breast cancer ( Invasive Lobular Carcinoma) but sounds like it takes quite some time to get back to normal.

@amp, it is so helpful when your cancer team acknowledges and understands brain fog. What tips helped you being to cope with the cognitive changes? And to help things get better?

Ah yes, the dreaded chemobrain. Most, if not all of us undergoing chemotherapy experience this. While the causative mechanism is yet unclear, it most probably is related to neuroinflammation. It is frustrating but generally it resolves a bit after the chemo regimen is discontinued. Many people have feel it's as if they've suddenly developed Alzheimer’s. They find it difficult to carry-on conversations with spouses family members and friends as they can not find the words, have difficulty following conversations or are forgetful of what they were talking about. Fortunately, as I mentioned it does resolve with time post therapy but you may not be as sharp as you once were. I am retired medical scientist and my daughter's used to think I was brilliant. Now they they think I'm fairly smart. So relax you will get through this. In the interim, exercise your brain. Read, do crosswords, suduku, puzzles or whatever you like. These activities helped me. Hopefully they will work for you too.

Another type A here. I’m 4 years out from my mastectomy and still working to rid myself of the chemo side effects. My oncologist told me I had more side effects than any other patient he’s ever seen. One is “brain fog’. I take Prevagen and ginkgo biloba. They work differently, hence my taking both. Prevagen is expensive, but my recovery didn’t pick up speed until I started with it. Some patients seem to eventually no longer need anything. I’m not so lucky. I’m better, but at 69 age can become a factor. It’s hard, because my brain is how I made my living and the key to my former career in Technology. But I’ve adapted, lots of sticky notes. As I have said for decades, you cannot control what happens in your life, only your attitude about it. Hope your recovery goes well.

I finished my chemo 2 years ago following breast cancer. I had severe chemo brain for several months. Neuropathy in hands and feet continues today. However, I have noted a significant change in my cognitive function. Fog, memory loss, tremors in my hands, major fatigue and weakness. Hope this helps anyone who is experiencing any of these symptoms.