In the last seventy days, I've had nausea, vomiting, digestive issues, watery eyes, insomnia, hair loss, fever, migraine, body aches, rash, anemia, sore fingernails, fatigue, mouth sores, and loss of taste buds (just to mention a few). One of the strangest side effects I've experienced, though, is chemo brain. It sounds silly, but it is a documented condition officially called "cognitive disfunction" by doctors.
Signs and symptoms of chemo brain include:
- Being unusually disorganized
- Confusion
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty finding the right word
- Difficulty learning new skills
- Difficulty multitasking
- Fatigue
- Feeling of mental fogginess
- Short attention span
- Short-term memory problems
- Taking longer than usual to complete routine tasks
- Trouble with verbal memory, such as remembering a conversation
- Trouble with visual memory, such as recalling an image or list of words
Let me tell you, for someone who is usually right on the ball (mentally), dealing with these little bouts of chemo brain is frustrating. I'm usually sharp, organized, focused, and I've never had a problem finishing what I start. These days I have a hard time even coming up with the right word to finish a sentence. Thankfully, like most chemo side effects, it should be temporary. But in the meantime, if I forget something important, I'm blaming it on chemo!
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