Cataracts, memory and concentration

Myra,

I finished chemo in February, 2009, and April, 2009, my eye doctor told me that I was beginning to develop cataracts in both eyes.  I have always worn glasses, and my vision was fairly good.  20/40 corrected.  I noticed, in April, 2009, that my vision was blurring a lot.  I never seemed to have that problem before, and I was also having trouble focusing on the television, as well as reading.

I had new glasses made in 2009, and just made another appointment, two weeks ago, for a check up.  My vision is so much worse than last year.  I am really concerned.  My eye doctor told me, last year, that she would not do anything about the cataracts yet.  They were small, and not 'ripe'.

I am 57 years old, and before the chemo, like I said,  I never had these vision problems, not like this.  Also, I have been telling my doctor that my memory is not what it was.  I have other health problems, but it was not until the chemo was over, that I noticed this change as well.  As a matter of fact, I probably would not have noticed it much, until my son said something to me about it.  He is worried.

I told my doctor, and he said I needed time to recover.  Well, it has been a year, and my memory is still not what it was before the chemo.  I really depended upon almost exact memory, since I worked as a paralegal for more than twenty years.  However, today, I can hardly type up a document without using a form, which is NOT me, believe me.  I used to have all of these documents memorized!

Then, I saw an old acquaintance, while shopping.  She knew me, and we talked for fifteen minutes.  After I walked away, I told my son that I did not know what her name was!  I knew her face, but could not remember her name!  This was not the first time that this happened to me (after chemo).  

I never thought there was any relationship between chemo and these new developments, so I never discussed it with my oncologist, but I have an appointment for April 1, 2010, and I am going to talk to him about it.  Thank you for the heads up.  I realize we tend to down play things because we, naturally, do not want to worry, but maybe there is some connection between these symptoms.  Stranger things have happened.

I will post when I talk to him.

I almost forgot about the flashing lights, pandazankar.  I guess I thought it was because the cataracts were developing, so I didn't give them any serious thought. 

I am going to make a list to take with me to the eye doctor and oncologist, so I don't forget anything.

That 'word thing' used to happen, occasionally, when I was going through menopause.  My sister started to have it too, during menopause.  I think what concerns me the most is that it is not just words now,..it's names of people I used to know, and things I did everyday,..forms, etc..   Menopause started early for me, (a year or so after the lumpectomy 15 years ago), when I was 42, and finished up a few years ago.  

I don't know what herceptin is, but I wonder if the chemo is the common denominator, and maybe our ages???  Lets update when we talk to our doctors.  Then we will have more information. 

This is a great site.  I am so thankful I found all of you!!! 

I was diagnosed with breast cancer about a year ago.  Went through chemo and radiation and completed treatmen in May.  Have had vision problems for over a year and thought it was due to giving up hard contacts, I went to optometrist this spring and could not get vision corrected so went to someone yesterday for a second option and found I have cataracts in both eyes.  I don't know if this is somehting new or previous Dr. had missed them but new Dr. did say he has seen this before, a link between cancer treatment and cataracts and that treatment can exacerbate cataracts.  At 62, this could also be due to age - hope to learn more when I see an opthamologist in a couple of weeks.  One of those things I wasn't told to expect though. 

As far as memory and concentration, I have noticed a slight change in both and work with two breast cancer survivors who have expereienced this also.  What hit me the hardest was low energy which seems to be returning to normal at last.

I didn't have chemo, but i did have 3 major surgeries (overnight in the hospital) plus 2 "procedures" with full anaethesia in 14 months -- and my eyes have been blurry ever since. My optometrist was sure he'd find cataracts, but he didn't, so he sent me to a retinal specialist. I have something called "retinal scarring" or "cellophane retinopathy" -- it's like a membrane over the retina. Unless it gets very bad, there's nothing to be done. Luckily it doesn't get really bad in most people, and mine seems to have stabilized. Everyone says it's age -- but i wonder if all the anaesthesia didn't help it along ....

And i got chemo brain from Femara. Badly enough that i went off it. I could take the rotator cuff and wrist problems that i also got -- but i need my brain. I *think*  i've recovered, but of course i'm getting older (67 now), and those word blocks are not going to go away, ever again.  But at least i know when i'm forgetting something! At the worst of the blur, i didn't remember a major project that i'd started a month earlier. Not that i didn't remember the details -- i didn't remember setting it up. Or that it existed. Or what it was, when i did remember that there'd been a project That was scary!