Chemo fog

For the past months or almost a year, I have been urging Ranjan to read or to brain games. Initially before we knew he had Hodgkin's, we though he was depressed and his psychologist and I urged him to read. But no matter how hard I tried, he barely did and sometimes got quite angry at my insistence. I could not understand what was wrong and continued to buy him books I thought he would enjoy. The pile next on his bedside table is proof of that.

Then we discovered the cause of his problems and began chemotherapy. I continued to try making him read books, but was not successful. I also realised that he had difficulty in concentrating and though he looked better in many ways, his reading ability seemed to be slipping. During my research on the multitude of side effects to chemotherapy no one ever tells you about I came across many blogs by survivors where they talked of chemo brain or chemo fog. It even has a medical name: Post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment (PCCI). It is now considered as a real, measurable side effect of chemotherapy that appears in many patients. Something the docs omit to tell you of course.

Chemo fog can manifest itself in many ways: from fatigue and a feeling of mental daze, to trouble with memory and attention span. Must keep a gentle vigil. The question is how long does it last and what can one do about it.

Chemo fog is due to the cumulative effects of the toxins poured into you with abandon. The toxin may target your cancer cells but also take a walk allover your system riding merrily on the blood they are injected in, and leave traces wherever they feel like: hence blue nails and chemo fog.

Chemo fog it is said is temporary and one can find ways of working around it. The obvious solution is lots of post its to remind you of things and lists. Can't quite see Ranjan doing that, I will have to become his walking POST IT!

But jokes apart, the obvious question is:how long does chemo fog last. The scary answer is that it can last longer than one would think. A study published in the journal of oncology suggests that it may last more than five years. Karen L. Syrjala, co-director of the Survivorship Program at Fred Hutchinson and the study’s lead author writes. “The real issue here is that recovery from cancer treatment is not a one-year process but a two- to five-year process. People need to understand the extent to which the cells in their bodies have really been compromised by not only the cancer, but also the treatment.” Good grief! Yet it is important to know, particularly for me and the others who support him. There is miracle we can expect after chemo 12! It will be a long and winding road with many ups and downs.

I am sure there are many ways to make things easier for Ranjan and for all those around him who care.The first is to accept that this is going to be a long haul. And then to find out what measures can be taken to help quick recovery. The picture above is a great starting point. I guess it gives a comprehensive view of life will look at after December 27th. What is needed is a good and potent cocktail of mental and physical exercise laded with a healthy diet and sprinkled with supplements. Not to forget a dash of spirituality and oodles of love. Sounds great. Now one has to workout the recipe and make sure Ranjan gets hooked.

There are on going many studies on the subject. There are on line training programmes, as well as studies on the efficacy of supplements such as Gingko Bilboa. I am sure that there are several other options that I will need to find.