Forgive my forgetfulness

I've always had a great memory. I was known for remembering birthdays, phone numbers, tasks on my to-do list, events in the past, appointment dates, etc. Lately, though, I've noticed a marked decrease in this mental capacity - and it annoys me.

My poor sister-in-law, whose wedding is this Saturday (woo hoo!), must think I'm mental. I've forgotten a couple of appointments for fittings (good thing she had the foresight to mention them a few times), and she's had to repeatedly remind me about hair and nail appointments times. Lucky for me, she's been patient.

On the other hand, this forgetfulness frustrates me. I've actually completely missed two scheduled appointments with a therapist and a dentist in the last six months. It's so unlike me.

I know the culprit of my forgetfulness: two rounds of chemotherapy.

I'd heard about chemo brain, and experienced a bit of its mind-numbing effects during and after my first six treatments in 2009. But my grey matter rebounded quickly, and I felt I regained my mental prowess. After my second round of six treatments last summer, I experienced a noticable decline in my memory skills; one that continues today.

Ironically, the July 2011 issue of Chatelaine, which I was reading in the hot tub on the weekend, described chemo brain and its long-term effects.

""Chemo brain" may be more than just a short-term side effect of cancer treatment - new research shows it lasts at least five years. Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle followed 92 patients for five years and found that in about 40 per cent, mild verbal-memory deficits and motor-skill problems carried on to the five-year mark."

It went on to say that after chemo, many people are slower at processing information and have problems multi-tasking and solving word problems, but most tend to improve after five years. However, if this stupid cancer keeps reoccuring, with chemotherapy being the treatment, I'll never regain that lost brain function.

I'll just have to get even better at note taking and tracking appointments. Chemo brain is real, I just have to find ways to work with it. It will not defeat me.

Tina

P.S. The same issue of Chatelaine said the Journal of the American Heart Association reported one or more cups of coffee a day reduces your risk of stroke by 25 per cent. Yum! I reduce my chance of stroke every day, yet I can't keep thoughts from slipping out of my memory. Go figure.