What is chemo brain?

A term commonly used to describe thinking and memory problems that a patient with cancer may have before, during, or after cancer treatment. Signs and symptoms of chemo brain include disorganized behavior or thinking, confusion, memory loss, and trouble concentrating, paying attention, learning, and making decisions.

Is chemo brain a real condition?

Chemo brain is a common term used by cancer survivors to describe thinking and memory problems that can occur during and after cancer treatment. Chemo brain can also be called chemo fog, cancer-related cognitive impairment or cognitive dysfunction.

What is chemo brain and how long does it last?

A cancer journey can be overwhelming. Commonly called “chemo brain,” it’s often described as an overall mental fogginess, and breast cancer patients may find that it lasts for six months after chemotherapy ends, according to a study published in the December 2016 Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Does chemo brain qualify for disability?

However, it’s difficult to get disability solely because of chemo or radiation treatments because of the SSA’s time requirement. The SSA requires that you are unable to work for at least one year. Often, the negative side effects of chemo or radiation are temporary and fluctuate over the course of treatment.

What does chemo brain feel like?

Chemo brain symptoms include: Difficulty remember dates, names, phone numbers, etc. Trouble concentrating. Difficulty multitasking. Taking longer than usual to finish routine tasks.

Does chemotherapy affect brain function?

For some people, treating their cancer will mean they might have trouble with thinking, memory, planning, and finding the right words. Chemo brain seems to happen more often in people who get high doses of chemo, and is more likely to happen if the brain is also treated with radiation therapy.

How do you reverse chemo in the brain?

Treatments for chemo brain may include:

1. Cognitive rehabilitation: This might be part of a cancer rehabilitation (rehab) program.
2. Exercise: Exercise can improve your thinking and ability to focus.
3. Meditation: Meditation can help improve brain function by increasing your focus and awareness.

What drugs cause chemo brain?

In a new study explaining the cellular mechanisms behind cognitive impairment from chemotherapy, scientists have demonstrated that a widely used chemotherapy drug, methotrexate, causes a complex set of problems in three major cell types within the brain’s white matter.

What foods help chemo brain?

The MIND diet specifically encourages people to eat from these 10 healthy food groups: leafy green vegetables, a variety of all other vegetables, berries, whole grain, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, wine and olive oil. As to whether mind-boosting foods like these can help chemo brain, more studies need to be done.

What is the most toxic chemotherapy drug?

Doxorubicin, an old chemotherapy drug that carries this unusual moniker because of its distinctive hue and fearsome toxicity, remains a key treatment for many cancer patients.