Nov 12, 2017
TRANSCRIPT
This is Episode 014 of Glioblast-O-Cast. How do I deal with brain fog and forgetfulness?
Hello, and welcome to Glioblast-O-Cast, the podcast about my life beyond glioblastoma. I'm your host, Meg Turecek.
In this episode, I will answer the question, how do I deal with brain fog and forgetfulness? On my show page you'll find some links to help understand brain fog and some tools for brain teasers.
One of my concerns from having brain surgery was would I still be me afterward. The answer to that is, yes, I am still me, only with a few new features. My brain just doesn't work in the same way it did before surgery.
During chemo and radiation, I did experience what is referred to as brain fog. It's a forgetfulness from the initial treatment of surgery, chemo, and radiation. I would find myself walking the three or four steps from the kitchen to the living room and forget why I was there. What was I looking for? Or I might be in the middle of a story about my day, but as soon as my boyfriend would ask a question about what I was saying, I would find myself off track and forgetting the point of my story. Or I might go to the grocery store for a few things like maybe the newspaper, a loaf of bread, some tea, some apples and carrots, simple enough list. But as soon as I would step out the front door, I would forget at least one of the items.
So, I started writing things down in notebooks or on scrap pieces of paper. But, of course, a list is only good if you look at it. There was more than one occasion when I was in the middle of the grocery shopping filling my basket and somehow the list I had in my hand when I walked in was gone, vanished, lost somewhere in the shop. Was it near produce or by the in-store bakery? I would try to remember what I still had to get, but no luck until I got home to see what was missing from the refrigerator. This forgetfulness was annoying and frustrating as it continued even after treatment ended. I wanted my brain back, and I was getting tired of multiple trips to the grocery store each day.
So how did I -- or rather, how do I still deal with the brain fog, the forgetfulness? Keeping up with physical exercise, no matter how little, is helpful, even a short little walk. In addition to all my handwritten lists and notes to self, I started doing daily puzzles. I found it very helpful to have Sudoku books at the easiest level to start and work up as success builds from finishing them.
I also used other brain teasers like the find ten differences between two nearly identical drawings, crossword puzzles at the beginner levels. Not yet ready for the New York Times crossword puzzle, I can tell you. Playing a game of Yahtzee and serving as the scorekeeper, then adding up to see who won. Just little ways to keep my brain active but not overstressed.
Any fun board game that requires counting steps or blocks or card games like Concentration with all the cards face down. You turn over two to see if they match, the object being to remember where a card was when you turn over its mate. I would do small easy challenges to start. So when I was successful and I could solve the Sudoku or the crossword puzzle, then there's nothing to discourage trying again.
It still helps me focus to create a to-do list for the next day just before I go to bed. I don't always get everything done, but it sure feels good to cross something off the list, to accomplish something. It has helped my memory to may make my list, to take a nap every day, and to not be upset when I forget something. Cutting myself some slack has really helped in accepting the situation and finding my own solutions, living with the new normal.
On my show page I will have some links to some brain teasers that might be some fun.
Thank you for listening. This has been Glioblast-O-Cast Episode 14.
Theme music for Epiosde 014: "Private Eye" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Mayo Clinic: Chemo Brain https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chemo-brain/symptoms-causes/syc-20351060
Lumosity http://www.lumosity.com
Brain Den www.BrainDen.com
Web Sudoku www.websudoku.com
The Word Search https://thewordsearch.com
Word Games: word search, quote typing, Sudoku, wordoku www.wordgames.com