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| Your Brain After Chemo Image © Perseus Books |
Idelle Davidson is a breast cancer survivor and award-winning health journalist. In this book, Your Brain After Chemo, she teams up with Dr. Daniel Silverman, head of Neuronuclear Imaging at Ahmanson Biological Imaging and on the faculty at UCLA. Ms. Davidson starts the book off with a bang, giving you her story of shock at diagnosis, her immersion into radiation, her participation in a 2005 Herceptin treatment program, and her emotional ride through chemo and chemo brain. Chemo brain, sometimes called chemo fog, is a common side effect (one of many) from taking drugs that fight cancer, but also affect the your brain, causing temporary problems with memory and concentration. Many patients discuss these symptoms with their oncologist or their infusion nurses, but more than half of all patients' pleas for help are met with indifference, a dismissive attitude, or no advice on how to cope.
While I did find it hard to separate which side effects I had were from chemo, the premedications, the post-medications, medical menopause, or the cancer, I was pretty sure that the cumulative effects of chemo were building up in my brain. I tried to keep my regular work schedule at a major university during chemo, but it was quite hard. Even when I changed to weekly low-dose Taxol, the reduced cognitive skills bothered me greatly, and the fear that these might become permanent symptoms were very worrisome.
Your Brain After Chemo, as the title implies, documents how the lingering effects of chemo brain affect many patients, and give the reader "an "evidence-based how-to manual for people facing the prospect of the reality of a decline in thinking abilities after cancer and chemotherapy." It's not just all in your head, and you can do something about recovering your mental acuity. I'm going to read this book cover to cover, and get back to you soon, with a full review! Meanwhile, here's what the New York Times had to say about this book.
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Very interesting piece but was wondering if you could clarify something. The NYT article briefly mentions Tamoxifen and I am curious if “chemo-brain” afflicts women taking it.
I have been experiencing a lot of brain freezes or moments where I can’t remember what I’m saying. it is a little embarrassing, but so far, nothing too tragic. I did not have chemo, so I am curious if the Tamoxifen creates a similar cognitive disconnect.
Thanks in advance for your insights.
Hi Beth,
Great question! Other readers have asked about this and other aspects of Tamoxifen side effects, so I am going to do some more research on it and do some more writing about it.
I had chemo and then Tamoxifen just like you. I was not sure if the extended chemo brain symptoms were due to lingering effects of the chemo or to the Tamoxifen! But what you describe has also happened to me. It took me longer to recall things, but with a conscious effort, I could get details to come back to me. It does get better! Tamoxifen can make you feel like you’re in menopause, which also can come with some cognitive impairments, which I think and hope! are temporary.
I think the new book Your Brain After Chemo has a section on that, so we’ll soon see!
- Pam
I too am suffering with forgetting things I finished chemo november 2008 and now own tamoxifen and i am struggling at a new job.any recommendations i need to be shown things 20 times and i was never =like that before.
Tania
Tania,
In this book I’m reading, there are several strategies for us to help recover our wits!
They have suggestions about diet, exercise, medication, etc.
I’m going to finish reading it, and when I review it, will share some of these solutions.
Here’s some highlights:
- get the best quality regular sleep that you can
- get out into nature and interact with it somehow
- drink modest amounts of caffiene
- use some American Ginseng (1000 – 2000 mg/day) water extraction gingseng – not alcohol extraction
- exercise to improve circulation
- try acupuncture
- avoid saturated and trans fats, lower your cholesterol
More to come!
- Pam