Am I glad I’m not alone. 5 months after chemo and radiotherapy, now on Arimidex. Thought my problem was just my age till a friend said it was the chemo. Meeting people in town shopping can be embarrassing when you can’t remember their names, can’t remember names of places I’ve been, names of products, people on TV. The list goes on. My partner just says “You know what your memory is like” but its not funny. I just hope it is the chemo and will improve with time and that the Arimidex is not a factor. Thought I was an early Altzeimer’s (even took some time to remember that word!!!) candidate.
I’ve been on tamoxifen for nearly five years. I teach, and on the first day of a new year I use to know all the childrens names by morning playtime. Now it takes me all year!!! I’m off work at the moment because of a bout of depression. This has been brought on by a number of issues, forgetting what I’m doing being part of it. It makes me feel so much better to know I’m not alone.
Hello, friends. I had MX 1st Oc, then infection, so 3mths down the line I’m beginning to get there! I can understand why chemo might zap brain cells but I hadn’t picked up that memory loss could be a side-effect of Tamoxifen: I’ve had the hot flushes and the weight is piling on in the wrong places but I’ve sent 2 emails of friends today saying I was beginning to feel I had had brain not breast surgery!
I have a friend with a brilliant analytical brain and several of us think she might be developing dementia 'cos of her memory loss. Forgets what she’s trying to say and I’ve noticed she sets her 'phone on alarm or she forgets appts. Point here is that her behaviour is different from yours or mine.
But, yrs ago I unpacked the shopping and lost my keys which I later found I’d put in the 'frig.
Lists are helpful and give me a smiley feeling when everything is ticked off!
Re meeting people, we’ve moved around a lot and so had to meet lots of new people. I’ve found trying to assoiate what women are wearing with their names can help. ie Edith in the loud blouse. Can’t remember how I sorted the men!
Barbara