Someone asked how I was doing with the "chemo brain". Well, it's still there, but not as bad as it used to be. I think exercising my brain going back to work full-time has helped greatly to diminish the effects of chemo brain. I still need to concentrate hard when doing complex tasks, there's no auto-pilot. There are times when I am about to do something, and for the life cannot remember what it is. With a lot of mental effort, I can usually remember in the end. I have difficulty in large groups where a lot of people are talking.
Mental activities require extra effort, making for very tiresome days at work. Yet I believe that mental effort is what is going to get me out of the chemo brain cycle in the end. As long as I remember to take my time, I should be OK.
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From the Ted Mann Family Resource Centre:
A survey of cancer patients several years ago reported that 32% reported debilitating tiredness every day, 21% on most days and 14% at least once a week. Only 20% reported that they hardly ever experienced debilitating tiredness. Twelve percent of the patients sampled in the survey actually said that they would rather be dead than have the severe fatigue that they were experiencing.
Cognitive dysfunction is typically characterized by impairments of neurological functions including short- and long-term memory, mood and depression, attention span, word association and/or comprehension and motor function.
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From the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center:
• Multi-tasking: becoming overwhelmed when more than one thing is happening
• Concentration: easily distracted
• Generalized slowing: misses points in conversations, difficulty keeping deadlines
• Increased effort: no auto pilot
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