Memory problems....

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hi5
hi5 Member Posts: 374
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer
Memory problems....
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  • hi5
    hi5 Member Posts: 374
    edited February 2008

    I can't even blame it on 'chemo brain'.... didn't have chemo...had rads and am now on tamoxifan and synthroid ( hyperthyroid after rads) and coversyl plus ( for high blood pressure) and and and....

    I find that I will be in the middle of a conversation and forget the simplest thing...a word that I have known forever!!!  Anyone else notice this. 

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  • JapanLynn
    JapanLynn Member Posts: 471
    edited February 2008

    Hi, Hi (sorry--couldn't resist)--

    I'm in your situation...no chemo, but rads and tamoxifen after a lumpectomy.  I have a real problem with word retrieval sometimes...it's embarrassing.  Also I just feel foggy-brained in general most of the time...can't read anything longer than a magazine article for the most part, and just don't have the focus I used to have.

    Hopefully this will pass in time for both of us.  I'm three months post-treatment.  What about you?

    Lynn

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  • hi5
    hi5 Member Posts: 374
    edited February 2008

    Lynn:  I completed rads in August 2006 but have had several surgeries since for reconstruction and hyster and ooph.  That word retrieval is an inconvenient truth at times isn't it.

    Are you on any other meds 

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  • JapanLynn
    JapanLynn Member Posts: 471
    edited February 2008

    Right now, tamoxifen is the only prescription med I'm on...taking a handful of supplements a.m. and p.m., though.  Maybe it's partly stress/anxiety with me--who knows?

    Here's hoping we both get a little sharper in the near future. :-)

    Lynn

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  • phoenix9873
    phoenix9873 Member Posts: 35
    edited February 2008

    I was glad to see this thread, because I was just going to say the same thing....lol...I have had chemo and Rads but I was wondering if it was the Tamoxifin myself. It has the same symptoms as chemo, only to a lesser effect, or at least it seems so to me. The nausea, joint pain, memory problems and last but not least fatigue. Anyone else find this to be true?

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  • abbadoodles
    abbadoodles Member Posts: 2,618
    edited February 2008

    Geez, girls, so many drugs can cause fuzzy brain.  Have you been reading the latest on Lipitor, the most widely prescibed med in America today?

    And, of course, there's age (menopause)........Oh, sorry, we shouldn't go there on Valentine's Day! LOL 

    Tina

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  • gsg
    gsg Member Posts: 3,386
    edited February 2008

    |

    v

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  • ashaby
    ashaby Member Posts: 278
    edited February 2008

    When I was perimenopausal, my word retrieval was shot, and now the Tamox has plunged me into menopause and I believe I'm a blithering idiot. But I still know how to have fun!



    Basha

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2008

    Tina, I take Lipitor.  What have they been saying about it?  EEEKS!

    Shirley

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  • Sierra
    Sierra Member Posts: 1,638
    edited February 2008



    Hi Gals:



    I am at 8 years

    and have memory/concentration

    and chemo fog as they now call it



    Am going to get some tips

    at my treatment centre

    by a specialist soon



    absolutely, I forget names of people

    what I was doing, walking from room to room

    and it is not getting better



    On top of it, I am trying to secure some employment

    just 2 days.. so, not too alert



    I do take BP meds



    and have had insomnia of late



    Hopefully, we can get back on track

    best to you



    O/T I am also getting a box for the light

    SAD syndrome



    Hugs





    Sierra

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  • abbadoodles
    abbadoodles Member Posts: 2,618
    edited February 2008

    Shirley, it was all over the news here a couple of days ago.  Apparently it is rare but acknowledged.  Here's a read:

    http://cholesterol.emedtv.com/lipitor/lipitor-and-memory-loss.html

    Of course, many docs and experts don't want you to believe a word of it.

    Sierra, nice to see you pop up again.

    Tina

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  • Sierra
    Sierra Member Posts: 1,638
    edited February 2008





    Hi Tina:



    Hope you are doing well

    and Valentines was good to you



    not on much anymore

    LOL>>> busy with family



    stay on a good path

    and keep New England in good shape

    my fav states..





    Sierra

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2008

    Thanks, Tina.  I don't know what to blame my problem on.  I recently had an MRI which showed small vessel disease.  That can be a problem. 

    My cholesterol is under control by taking 10 mg of Lipitor which is not much at all.  Now I need to do some big time life style changes in order to hopefully stop the SVD.

    Thanks.

    Shirley

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  • JoyRebecca
    JoyRebecca Member Posts: 787
    edited February 2008

    What were we talking about?? LOL

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  • hi5
    hi5 Member Posts: 374
    edited February 2008

    hi oy... we have been talking about difficulty retrieving words which led to a discussion on the problems of Lipitor etc. etc.

    lipitor is one med that I am not on.... although my sugar and cholestrol are high I am hoping that I can clear things up with exercise and diet... wish me luck, friends.

    I find that I can be discussing a particular topic, and in the next sentence forget the name of what I was talking about.  I am supposed to start back to work 'work hardening' after two years of being on leave.... and am hoping to leave the teaching profession and get back into real estate.... I must remedy this situation.  lol 

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  • sccruiser
    sccruiser Member Posts: 1,119
    edited February 2008

    hi5,

    I'm so glad to see there are others on this board with the same problem that I have! I've been too embarrassed to say anything. DH listens to me, and corrects me if I put the wrong word in a sentence. I didn't have chemo, but rads, SNB & lumpectomy led to development of Lymphedema. Got worse after I had LE breast taken off and TRAMflap recon. On so many meds, at least 5 for pain. And have been going into outpatient for neck & back injections (they give me Versed).



    I too start a sentence and can't think of a word. Or I'll say the wrong word in a sentence. Like, mmm,

    the cat carriers are in the little house (cuz I can't come up with shed). drives me crazy.



    I am now retired so I don't have to worry about saying the wrong things at work. Would have been awful as I was taking the notes for at least 4 meetings a week. Sometimes I wrote down what I could and left blank whatever word I couldn't spell, or an idea I missed altogether, hoping that someone would remember when I sent them a draft w/blank spots. Most of the committee members were really helpful and understanding.



    I was going to try work hardening also. Had a FCE (Functional Capacity Evaluation) done with recommendation of not more than 25% job. Employer gave me a choice: resign, go on 39 month reemployment list, or retire. Luckily I could retire and keep my lifetime medical benefits. Now get retirement, LTD & SSDI.



    Going to do some volunteer work and spend lots of time with Alexis (my 9 month old granddaughter). She makes life alright. :)



    grace

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2008

    ...now I have to go back and read what your question was... LOL

    Yes.  Memory problems are horrible.  I didn't do chemo, but did rads and am on tamox.

    I had a mammo today at 1:00.  I remembered it this morning and then forgot all about it until 1:30.

    I forget simple words...I forget what happened yesterday...I have to be careful to not confuse things that I think about and assume that I said them out loud to someone.

    It's terrible.  Of course, I just turned 46, maybe it's just the timing?? 

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2008

    I was at Sam's the other day. I was writing my check before I got in line.  I forgot what year it was!!!!!  Ok..the beginning of dementia/Alzheimers.  Cry  Yell  (It is 2008 isn't it?).

    Shirley

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  • JoanofArdmore
    JoanofArdmore Member Posts: 1,012
    edited February 2008

    Shirley--2008, 2007, what's the difference?

    I read recently that always losing your car keys is NOT indicative of the beginning of alzheimer's disease.

    Forgetting what to DO with car keys..yes.

    So--I guess I'm still ok.Kind of.I do get these weird spells where I forget which way to turn the water faucets...(WHICH way for hotter?)

    And my WRITING has become very bad.Maybe from being online all these years, maybe from arthritis in my right hand.But I feel-"Why bother making LETTERS when I can just make a squiggle and a line?"

    hmmmm.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2008

    Hi5:  yes, I've had the same problems and I also did not do chemo.  It's a known fact that loss of estrogen causes these issues so having the ooph and hysterectomy would definitely put you there.  I had the same procedures done and am also on Tamoxifen, another known cause of cognitive dysfunction.  Hugs to you, I know of what you speak.  It sucks and I don't know how to fix it.

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  • celia088
    celia088 Member Posts: 2,570
    edited February 2008

    I think that loss of memory such as word recall are also symptoms of aging and lack of estrogen.

    gsg, are you speaking in ancient runes lol??  

    l

    v 

                                                              

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  • NarberthMom
    NarberthMom Member Posts: 615
    edited February 2008



    Maybe the secret as to why women are smarter than me is estrogen ... once you take that away, we dumb down to their level - LOL!

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited February 2008

    There ARE things we can do about it, and I did find they worked to a considerable extent. (And after I went off the AIs after five-and-a-half years I'm seeing a huge improvement.)

    Puzzles (crossword, logic, sudoku, etc.) really do help, but you have to start off with really easy ones so you don't stress yourself out.

    Making notes and lists helps some, though then you have to remember to look at the list, which always brings up the problem of remembering where you put it in the first place. Undecided

    Memorizing helps improve things. I had some poems and Psalms I liked and thought it would be nice to have by memory, so I worked on those. Sometimes I couldn't learn even a whole sentence in a day, but I plugged away, always reviewing the parts I'd already learned over and over throughout the day. It's especially nice if the words are encouraging (like Psalm 91, my favorite all through treatment)!

    I also registered for a writing class at the nearby university so I could challenge myself. Writing is easier because you can leave a blank (as grace says) and come back to it the next day and generally a word presents itself then. Or if it doesn't you can turn your whole sentence around and use another word entirely to get your meaning across. In-class discussion was worrisome, as I sometimes lost my way mid-sentence, but it was SOOOO gratifying and relieving to notice that the same thing happened to perfectly healthy YOUNG college students in my class. The difference between them and me was that they didn't obsess about it! Embarassed As soon as I started relaxing about it, things improved.

    Also, started volunteering at the local hospital working with patients, who could care less whether you remember anything they tell you as long as you're willing to listen and comfort. And who better to do that than those of us who know what it's like to wait for scary diagnoses or treatments? Just being busy with interesting things and then sharing my experiences at home with the family helped the recall and speech both.

    Of course, a sense of humor helps too.Tongue out

    Be well!

    Binney 

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  • badboob67
    badboob67 Member Posts: 2,780
    edited February 2008

    Count me in as one who struggles with memory issues. I didn't do chemo, but was slammed into menopause by ZOLADEX and ARIMIDEX. I also have those "thought I did it" moments...like, I could have sworn I already posted on this thread...

    It used to always bother me how my dh seemingly "forgot" things on purpose like errands, chores, meetings, or appointments. Then, when I had all the estrogen sucked out of my body I had an "AHA!" moment:  So THIS is what it's like to think like a man! No WONDER they forget birthdays, anniversaries, and taking out the trash! Multi-tasking is no longer an option so now I know why men seem to have "one-track" minds, too.  I mentioned that to my rads onc and he nearly fell out of his chair laughing. 

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2008

    I still blame it on chemo and the AI's(thats my story and I'm sticking to it!) Geeze, I forgot my sign in and could not get the BC.org password em due to my filters. Took me 6 months and then it came back like a flash(weird) I do crosswords, read alot and keep a calender book at all times. I don't think it is age as much as we are just too darn busy and SOMETHING has to be forgotten. As long as I can get home every day, I am good. Hi to all of the long term gals, howdy to sooo many new folks and sorry to see the names on the angel list of some who were active back in 2005 when I started. Best to all. Jenene/AZ

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  • Mary-Lou
    Mary-Lou Member Posts: 2,230
    edited February 2008
    I understand....Brain Fog Smilie
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  • hi5
    hi5 Member Posts: 374
    edited February 2008

    How interesting... I forget where I put my purse, misplace things, word and everything.... I don't think it's necessarily an age thing.... how old is everyone.  I am 59.... took grad course for 4 semesters...currently took a short leave. 

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2008

    Binny, you're right about things you can do to help ... now if I could just get off this computer and go do a sudoku puzzle!  lol

    Hi5, I'm 43.  It's definitely the sudden loss of estrogen with me as well as the medications I'm on.  My brain is foggy and I can't focus. Words are lost in mid sentence .. I walk in to a room and forget why .. All tasks seem like too much.  I even have trouble checking my daughters 3rd grade homework sometimes!  sigh ...

    Badboob67, I can relate to your AHA moment! .. "So THIS is what it's like to think like a man!"  Toooo funny!

    AZmom, I didn't know you before but still want to say welcome back!  You share my twin sister's name, only with a different spelling!  Odd how we'll remember something out of the blue that we've been trying to for a long time.  You wonder where was that file all this time in my brain?

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