Fixmychemobrain is a real-life twitter user name and it expresses the way many patients feel after going through chemo. Their minds are foggy, their memory is bad, they forget names, and have trouble concentrating. It is not just in their head, studies are showing that the chemicals used in chemotherapy may have a detrimental effect on brain cells and nerves (note: all chemo-therapies differ). This condition is now being recognized as chemo brain.
Admitting there is a problem is the first step (talking about the doctors here, not the patients). The next steps are to visit some helpful websites like Health After Chemo and Cancer.Org. Educate yourself and more importantly, educate those around you, many caregivers and family members think that once treatment is over, cancer is over. Some of the effects of chemo can last for a year or more after treatment. The more people you have on your team, the better. Stay informed, ask for help, and you may not have to carry a chalkboard around your neck (like post-stroke Anthony Hopkins in Legends of the Fall) forever.
The National Cancer Institute website says that, “Cancer patients are at great risk for developing insomnia and disorders of the sleep-wake cycle.” It is extremely important to address sleep disorders because, “Anxiety and depression, common psychological responses to the diagnosis of cancer, cancer treatment, and hospitalization, are highly correlated with insomnia.”
We can’t know which comes first, the insomnia or the anxiety and depression. Or can we? Recent findings, like the study featured in this TIME magazine article, show that dreaming (usually only done in stages of REM sleep) has a helpful emotional processing function that helps us cope with our waking life. If we are not getting enough sleep, we don’t enter REM sleep and can’t benefit from this effect. The price we pay in our waking life, according to the article, is irritability, depression, and anxiety. Lack of sleep can also have and effect on pain tolerance, the ability to make decisions and read emotions in others. All of those side effects are things that can make cancer treatment near unbearable and even worse, have lasting psychological repercussions. Many patients continue to suffer from anxiety and depression long after their physical treatment is finished. Sleep problems could very well be a factor.
Sleep dissorders can be prevented and they are something that you should discuss with your doctor as soon as possible.
As more and more cancer survivors become outspoken about treating the whole patient, external appearance is becoming recognized as an important component of the patient experience. If you are going through treatment for cancer, don’t overlook the benefits of participating in a local Look Good, Feel Better event. You will not only learn how to wear a wig, create the look of fluffy eyelashes where you have none, and cover up chemo-induced skin blotches from a kind and talented beauty professional but you will meet other survivors and leave with a bag of fabulous (name brand) products.
This special service, started by the Personal Care Products Council Foundation in conjunction with The American Cancer Society and National Cosemetology Association, is in it’s twentieth year. Check out a list of products and services provided especially in support of LGFB’s Anniversary and then visit their program finder and start feeling better!
A study was done, and the results are in. They were presented at ASCO’s annual meeting today.
“Conclusions: Ginger supplementation at daily dose of 0.5g-1.0g significantly aids in reduction of nausea during the first day of chemotherapy.”
All patients were prescribed antiemetics such as Zofran®, Kytril®, Novaban®, and Anzemet® in addition to the ginger. The ginger was given in capsule form.
They are not sure how it works, but other studies point to the anti-inflammatory effects of ginger in the gut.
Dr. Julie Ryan, the lead author of the study said that the ginger should also theoretically work in cookies or soft drinks if the ginger is not artificial flavor.
Personally, I would stick with the capsules or fresh ginger, and take the dose of 0.5g-1.0g s. Dr. Ryan said the two lower doses of the spice appeared to be more effective than the 1.5-gram dose.
A gram equals about half a teaspoon of ground ginger, dried or fresh. Go score some.
I RECENTLY TOLD Elizabeth that I did not really have much to say about cancer anymore. After thinking about that statement, I guess that is not entirely true. I did just pass the 10 year cancer survivor milestone in November. And this week, starting tomorrow, I get to go through the experience of thyroid cancer follow up scanning. The technical term for the procedure is called the ‘uptake scan’. The patients call it a pain in the ass. Literally. My schedule over the next four days includes:
Monday - injection of thyrogen in one ass cheek
Tuesday - injection of thyrogen in the other ass cheek
Wednesday - radiation treatment, scan
Thursday - scan and blood work
All the back and forth, plus the injections is not ideal, but I suppose it is better than the alternatives. For one I could be dead, that would suck. The other alternative to the injections is to go on a low iodine diet for several weeks. For all you folks out there on Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers or what ever the diet fad of the month is, try going on the low iodine diet for 2 weeks and you will drop the pounds like you’ve never dropped them before - and it’s free.
So that’s my rant for the week. Hopefully the scan will go well - it’s been 7 years since I’ve had one (I know, bad Matt).
