It’s been exactly a month since I had my last chemo treatment. I have to say that I’ve been feeling better the last few weeks than the last 5 months. My hair even started growing back last week!

When I met with my surgeon Dr. Wigle, he said that I needed to be in the healthiest position that I can be prior to surgery. While I haven’t been hitting the gym, I’ve been taking Speedy to the dog park to enjoy the crisp fall weather.

Such a majestic creature…

I’ve also been eating a lot more and have pretty much returned to my normal weight. I was at 142lbs yesterday, usually I hover between 140-145lbs. I know that I’ll be losing again since my movement will be severely limited for the next few months. Just need to bulk up for the winter hibernation I suppose.

Since Joanna and I have been spending a lot more time together, she noticed almost right away that I haven’t been acting myself lately. I’ll either forget a conversation that we had the day before, misplace my keys/wallet, or lose my train of thought in the middle of a sentence. I didn’t realize it until she would point it out. She thought that going through chemo therapy must have killed some brain cells or something which is why I’ve been so forgetful.

I did some searching online and found that chemo does in fact affect your brain and the affliction is actually called Chemo Brain:

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

Signs and symptoms of chemo brain may include the following:

  • Being unusually disorganized
  • Confusion
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Difficulty finding the right word
  • Difficulty learning new skills
  • Difficulty multitasking
  • Fatigue
  • Feeling of mental fogginess
  • Short attention span
  • Short-term memory problems
  • Taking longer than usual to complete routine tasks
  • Trouble with verbal memory, such as remembering a conversation
  • Trouble with visual memory, such as recalling an image or list of words

It’s a weird sensation of not realizing that it’s happening until someone else points it out to you. Almost like a light version of Alzheimer’s. It’s a little frustrating to have to deal with short term memory loss but I’m sure it’ll go away as soon as my body recovers from chemo.

I have a pre-op appointment on Monday afternoon with blood and heart tests to ensure that my body is ready for surgery which is scheduled for Tuesday. I actually don’t know exactly what time it will be and have to call Mayo on Monday night to find out when they want me to come in on Tuesday for it.

Kimberly will be flying back on Saturday and taking the week off from work. She said she’ll be handling blogging duties for a little bit since I most likely won’t be able to move my arms easily.

I don’t really feel anxious or nervous about having the procedure done since I’ll be asleep for all of it. I’m prrreeettyyy sure I’m not going to die but just in case, I met with my finance guy this week to figure out what happens to my life insurance policy and finances in case I don’t make it….just in case.

I am not looking for the long recovery I have ahead of me since it will be full of physical pain, mental stress of allowing my body to heal, and loss of independence again. Right now it just feels like I have like a final exam I have to take on Tuesday and I just want to get it over with.