hi everyone,I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2015 and did surgery, TAC chemo (5 months), radiotherapy and I take aromatase inhibitor medication for a 10 year period. After my treatment was complete I noticed my mind would really struggle to stay focused and in general I forget things much more than previously. I have always been in a professional office environment and done well in my career. I wanted to go back to work for a sense of purposes as I love to work. I went back to work full time in 2017 and started a new job, this was the right timing as it was after the treatment was over and my appearance was back to normal (hair grown back etc).When returning to work again this is when I have really noticed how much I struggle with retaining information, it’s so hard for me to remember anything new that I learn whereas previously I was able to learn things and remember them with no issues.I have to practice three times as hard to remember anything and even then, it may fly out of my mind in an instant.Am I the only one to experience this? I am only 39 years young so I can’t blame it on old age.If anyone out there can relate I’d love to know tips on helping this ailment, it’s hard enough going through such a traumatic life experience and then integrating back into the workplace and keeping up with everyone else (I haven’t shared that I am a cancer survivor as this is something very private to me) so when Im trying so much harder than everyone else to remember things, it seems so unfair...I’d like to know if this is common for others post treatment or maybe just my issue.Thanks in advance, I feel like this is a genuine problem in my life now when externally I look fine and no one would know...

BRAIN FART BRAIN FART BRAIN FART!! have them every day lovey, I found accepting that I don't have the memory I had prior to chemo is the best thing now for me, I write everything down, leave empty packets of stuff on the front seat of my car or in my bag so I don't forget to buy it, do a job straight away or write it down, my desk at work is always covered in notes but I'm ok with it now, I'm 45 and finished chemo oct 2016 and just accept that this is my new normal. I also find humor helps me to not beat myself up about it too. Margie:)

Hi @Bowie2015, I also have become one of the memory impaired due to Tamoxifen. I asked my oncologist about the lack of memory and she advised (like @kezmusc) getting onto the mobile phone app called Elevate. It is a brain training app that has numerous puzzles and you complete them each day - takes less than 5 minutes and I have found it has made a huge difference. I no longer walk into a room to get something, get there and can't remember what it was I was looking for, leave room and then repeat x 16!!! I have just completed some study and whilst I did remember some things I had definitions that had to be verbatim and had to write lines (like the old punishment from school) so that I remembered them - thankfully I passed but honestly brainwise compared to where I was this time last year - I now feel like a genius!!! Bwahahahaha OK maybe not, but a whole lot better!! All the best, hope yours gets back to a normal you feel comfortable with and can cope with. It is incredibly frustrating. Xx Cath

I know how you feel. I've always been a fairly 'high end' thinker with an excellent memory. I studied while I was in treatment and have changed careers. I started my new job 5 months ago-- the people who recruited me knew me before I got thrown back into the mincer. I am really struggling and I think it's getting worse. Ive done the cancer thing twice in ten years and I think my brain is ruined.I'm no longer as tired as l was, but by mid afternoon I'm unable to remember things. I forget people's names. If I'm working on a report I get all muddled up and start going in circles. I work mainly from home and I'm too embarrassed to bill for all the time I'm spending on my projects. I spend hours of my own time rereading things, editing what I did the day before and trying to set myself up so I don't make idiotic mistakes. It is horrible and I want it to stop.

I can so relate to AllyJay 's and Zoffiel's comments. My first experience of reduced memory and cognitive function came with natural menapause. Going on HRT really improved that for me as did the addition of fish oil tablets.of course, a breast cancer diagnosis 2 1/2 years after starting HRT ruined that for me.I found just going off the HRT while waiting for surgery and during recovery put me right back to the struggle with words, names and sentence structure. It was much worse when I was tired, to the extent that I could no longer continue a conversation. I either stopped all together or made no sense. This is still the case today, after chemo and starting on the Femara.I try crosswords puzzles and word games to keep my mind ticking over a little. Am working on training my horse using new methods that I have to memorise and am reading again alot. It has improved slightly 5 months after finishing chemo, I can now remember what I have gone to the shops for if it is only a few things, but I always carry a list, which I have to refer to often.I really hope it does improve, I get quite depressed when doing a crossword puzzle and the words that I know are floating just out of reach do not come, and I get a feeling of thinking through a thick fog.Knowing we are all battling it is a little reassuring but no less frustrating.

I finished chemo in 2011 and still struggle sometimes, although I'm 53 so maybe its a symptom of getting old LOL :wink: One of the biggest problems I have is that I cannot seem to concentrate on one task for too long, even following a shopping list is a challenge and if I'm shopping on my own, its not uncommon for me to come home WITHOUT things on the list. Its a good thing my husband usually shops with me otherwise we would be living at the shops getting the stuff I missed!As with others who have commented, I keep notes on my desk at work and on the kitchen bench and empty packets around to remind me of things. It is a bit frustrating however in the scheme of things and how they could be, I can cope with having an empty head sometimes. :smile:

Has your memory been affected post treatment?

23 Replies

Romla
Member
8 years ago
It may be treatment but also if you have had a long absence from the work environment it can take a while to crank up to the pace - I remember how difficult it was after maternity leave.Also at 39 you could be perimenopausal and that can play havoc with memory.The only real memory issue that has ever worried me was 6 months on statins to lower cholesterol- I thought I had developed dementia but 3 week off them and was back to normal. If you are on hormone therapy like Tamoxifen that may cause memory issues too. As a suggestion I trained myself to carry a notebook and use it so I did not forget things plus I also I make a point of putting things away in the same spot , filing things when they came in - generally being orderly and keeping on top of things helped.I also preferred to come to work a little earlier and leave a little later so that things were organised before I started or left. Finally Fish Oil might help with memory as Might consuming more fish - seems to improve my mental acuity anyway.Hope this helps - I am retired so apart from family pressure my life is a little slower so memory lapses are less intimidating if and when they occur.
Afraser
Member
8 years ago
You are not alone in this. Some other women who access this site have experienced similar problems and may be able to give advice. Common or not, it's an issue about resuming a normal life and must be particularly difficult when people want to keep their cancer experience private. I fully sympathise with the wish to resume work (I was lucky and could work through treatment) but many find it harder than they imagined. You feel it's all over and it must take a lot of patience and determination to accept that you are not yet 100 per cent there. You may also have other responsibilities outside work. Take it as easy as possible. Time can do a lot, very best wishes.
JanineG
Member
8 years ago
Hi Bowie. 2015 really isn't a long time ago. My breast care nurse said being diagnosed with breast cancer is like being in a horrendous car crash. The trauma and rehabilitation will take time. I was diagnosed at the same time as you though I didn't have chemo. I had a lumpectomy and radiation. At first I was prescribed tamoxifen and I found that made my thoughts quite muddled and sometimes I would forget words. I was then changed to Arimidex ,(post menopausal),and mentally I'm me again. Maybe talk to your oncologist. I found stress and exhaustion made my memory nonexistent.
Be kind to yourself , I get the impression your new collegues don't know what you have and are going through? Maybe they will be more supportive than you think. Just a thought.
All the best. Xxo Janine

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Has your memory been affected post treatment?

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