My Idea for a Game Show

[MJo]

We call it Chemo Brain Jeapordy

Contestants are challenged to answer questions like:

What is your name?

What is your birth date?

What is your address?

[caya]

ROTFL, MJo...


LOL

all the best
caya

[Becky]

Add to the list:

How do you spell that?
Who are you?
Why are you sleeping in my bed with me?
Do I owe you money too?

[Margerie]

OK I'll play...

Where did I park my car?

Why am I in this grocery store?

Whose kids are these?

Why is only one of my legs shaved?

[Margerie]

Oooh thought of one more...


How does my gas tank keep moving to the other side no matter which side I pull up next to the pump?


LOL Mjo!

[StephN]

UH - yeah! A "game " I play with myself every day ...

Why did I open this refrigerator door?

Didn't I turn on that oven?
(It is a good thing the tea kettle whistles ...)

What was I going to get in this room?

Why am I walking down the hall?

When did I set that sprinkler?

Didn't I already pay that one?

Wonder when I ran the washing machine??

How long have I been standing here wondering these things?

(This is just the beginning!)

[Jackie07]

More serious ones:

"Have I taken my Tamoxifen?" (It doesn't matter that I use a 7-day pill box - I'm challenged to know the correct day - finally solved the problem by wearing an 'Ironman' watch and double check with the date on the cell phone if still confused.)

"Are there wet clothes in the washer?" (During the real cold days when I refrained from going to the garage to use the washing machine, I was worried that there might be wet clothes inside of the washer and the cold temperature was going to turn them into 'ice...'.)

"What's buring on the stove/in the oven..."

[MJo]

Must be the chemo. Can't be Alzheimers:

Boston (DbTechNo) - Results of a new study (http://www.dbtechno.com/health/2009/12/24/cancer-patients-at-reduced-risk-of-alzheimers-disease/#) show that people with Alzheimer’s disease maybe at reduced risk of developing cancer.

Ironically the study also found that those people with cancer were at a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

[Jean]

Teehee, MJO great game....I'll play...

Get in the car begin to drive down the road and you say to yourself....ummmm, where am I going?

Shop early for Christmas gifts....then forgot where you put them!

In the middle of a conversation with someone and you draw a blank on their name! ouch


Merry Merry All.
Jean

[MJo]

For those of us on estrogen blockers, the chemo brain jeapordy questions is


Are you male or female? (No peeking allowed.)

[chicagoetc]

Ok...

How many times did you tell your boss the same story?

How many days in a row did you have the same conversation with your father on the phone? [Works great if neither of you remember. Just as long as you are both happy!]

Why are my keys locked in the car? And WHY is it still running?

In the middle of a work staffing where everyone is going around introducing themselves to each other...you forget YOUR last name and the department where you work. Seriously. [What is your name and where do you work?]

What movie are you watching?

The rest of what all of you have written so far is great!

Melanie

[PinkGirl]

Where are my car keys?

Who put the salt and pepper in the fridge?

Which drawer has the knives and forks?

Where are my glasses?

Was the oven on "warm" all night????

[TriciaK]

Great thread, MJo! So funny and yet a little sad too. Of course, in my case, I not only blame chemo brain, but after all, I just turned EIGHTY! When my husband and I had our psychological practice, it was common always to ask patients "name, date, time, and place" to see if they were grounded in reality. (We didn't know about chemo brain then!) So I guess as long as you know your name, what day/date it is and where you are, you are okay. I find that if you tell yourself calmly"I know it, and I can come up with the right answer in a minute" usually you really can come up with the right answer in about a minute. I tell my grandchildren that the brain is like a computer and mine is fine, just somewhat overloaded so it takes a little longer to search for the right answer. They seem to understand perfectly. I tell them I haven't found the "delete" button yet to get rid of all the spam and such but I'm working on it! Actually, I have found that many of my older friends are having a harder time remembering things than I am, and they haven't had chemo! So as long as you can take it in your stride and laugh you're just fine! I did mention "chemo brain" as an excuse for forgetting an appointment with my oncologist and his office girl said "When did you last have chemo?" When I told her she said "You can't have chemo brain for longer than a year". So if what she said is true, then I guess it could just be old age! Hugs, TriciaK

[PinkGirl]

Did I borrow something of yours recently?

Do I owe you any money?

Why can't I charge my cell phone with the camera cord?

[Soccermom]

This is hysterical! (so true and so sad)

[StephN]

Well, sometimes, I get almost hysterical!

Christmas eve: 8 miles from home - half way to the party. "Well, Sh**, I left the present on the table by the door!" Needless to say, we went back.

(At least I DID eventually remember.) I try to take a mental inventory of what I was supposed to bring on a given outing. See, I DO play this game each and every day ...

Like on the way to Farmer's Market, where they mostly take cash only. Do I have money?

Groggily this morning: "Sorry, darling, I forget to buy milk. We do have some Half & Half left!"

[PinkGirl]

When I go to the store to buy tin foil why do I come home
with waxed paper????

[suzan w]

Why do I keep trying to heat up my cold coffee in the fridge instead of the microwave?
Why do I keep forgetting where I set that coffee down in the first place?
I love this game!!
xo Suzan

[Marilyn]

I had a thought....now what was it???

[Rich66]

Pink,
I apologize. I was the one who put the salt and pepper in the fridge. It was just a spontaneous prank. Great party by the way. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.

[PinkGirl]

Rich ... you promised!!!

[tricia keegan]

Oh I can join in this game and identify most with Steph's comments but also have the-

How do I spell this?? It still does'nt look right??

There was something I HAD to remember today, where did I write it down????

Did I feed all the cats? They say I did'nt....but then, they can't be trusted!!!!!

[SusanV]

I LOVE THIS IDEA !!! You guys are great - It feels sooooo Good to have people in the world that actually really understand !!

Happy New Year

[StephN]

What year is it, again?

[tricia keegan]

Um, what DAY is it lol????

[Jackie07]

MJo,

I just reread your original questions. They are great ones!

What is hubby's birthday?

[Our Blue Cross / Blue Shield policy had changed - effective Dec. 1. Earlier this month hubby used the new card to get his medicine 'refilled' and realized that he 'did not know his correct birthday'. For whatever reason (had to be me - I was the one who had filled out the form and sent it out) his birthday on the new card was completely wrong except the year. The local pharmacy was able to fill his prescription only after several phone calls had been made. It seemed that I had filled in the month of my birthday and made up another 'day' for him to be born... :) (Now wait a second, I could have gotten it 'perfectly' correct - why couldn't it have been the insurance company's fault?)]

[freyja]

I remembered to go to the ATM in case I run into some of those people I forgot I owed money to...now what was my PIN number?!!!!

[PinkGirl]

Those purple coloured towels that are in the bathroom??? I've
never seen them before ..

[Diane H]

Oh my gosh, am still laughing thank goodness for a great start to the day. For me it's "the what day is it" syndrome and why am I at the bank when I wanted to go the post office.
It's good to laugh at this, takes the edge off the aggravation!
Thanks Maryjo!

[Midwest Alice]

Very,very funny and true!!

In the middle of my sentence I stop talking and ask..."Now what were we talking about?"

[StephN]

I "lost" a day this week and forgot yesterday was garbage day until 11 am. Too late for the actual garbage bin, but got the recycling to the curb on time for that truck.
Hubby would NOT share in the blame for forgetting.

What else will I forget this week???

[Terri B]

Conversations have always been my weakness. Especially talking to the boss. I get that far away look in my eyes . . . . .

"are you speaking english?"

*said with a furrowed brow*

[Terri B]

Oh! And then, I have to put the convo "on hold" with my finger. You know, like, "hold on a minute" while I try to comprehend what was just said.

embarrassing... ......totally

[Barbara2]

So very laugh out loud funny! I hope I can remember the name of the game so I can share the idea with others!

Oh how I totally relate to all of the above and I am almost 7 years past chemo. I have done most of those things, and more, and still dealing with it daily.

Question, though...has the lack of brain power affected your self esteem? Do you let others know why you can't connect the dots, or do you keep it to yourself and appear foolish?

[PinkGirl]

Hey Barbara
This has not affected my self esteem ... and I'm not embarassed
about it ... I think it's funny and I tell everyone about the "dumb"
things I do now ... you know that thing about lemons and lemonade?

I just did another one ... about 2 minutes ago. A friend is coming over
soon and my house is kind of messy so I decided to light a cinnamon
candle ... house will be messy but smell good, right? Well then I went
into the bathroom to try and clean up all the hair on the vanity because
yesterday I trimmed my bangs in the sink ... then I smelled something
awful ... not cinnamon ... ran into the kitchen and my candle was on fire..
ugly black smoke billowing out the top ... stinking up my messy house.
I guess I'd taken the plastic wrapping off the sides and bottom and left
that clear plastic disc on the top ... who cares?? my house didn't burn down.

[alicem]

I do all of these things plus a couple more to add:

1. Stop the car, put my keys in my purse, get out of car. Open up purse again not once, but TWICE to make sure the keys are there so they don't get locked inside!!

2. I take my Arimidex at night after brushing my teeth. After climbing into bed, I literally cannot remember if I took the pill or not. I figure it is better if I forget one night instead of double dosing. I've tried the weekly pill box, but I FORGET to put the pills in the box!!! Oh, dear.

[Jackie07]

Barbara,

Self-esteem? Mine had been trampled long ago after my first brain surgery in 1990. Thanks to my very injured brain, I wasn't aware of it until I was fired from my job - again and again.

There was one time at church when I was at the piano . I played the wrong number because my brain was not functioning... Our small Chinese congregation went on and sang the correct hymn. I had to stop and sat through the song because I wasn't a good enough pianist to change keys 'by ear' on the spot. Turned out that everyone knows about my problem except myself. (One of my early Texas Rehab counselors had enlightened my husband about that - "the head-injured person thinks he/she is moving in normal speed while others see him/her functioning in slow motion.")

I got my confidence back whenever I was evaluated by a psychologist - I would be told that I still had a very high IQ. I was finally redeemed (from all the job losses) when the neuropsychologist (yip, there's a big difference between an experienced psychologist and a well-trained neuropsychologist) tested me (17 different batteries) and located all the 'short-circuits' in my brain.

We did not realize that chemo had add so much 'insult' to my brain 'injury'.

The only reward of this 'game' is that I 'might' qualify for disability. So we'll see.

Oh, 'forgot' to answer your question. I've done both - honest/pretend. Neither approach worked - I got 'fired' all the same.

[Barbara2]

I have not seriously discussed my dealings with chemo brain with anyone other than family, and even then, it is only my husband who really knows how much it has affected me. As more evidence of chemo brain's reality comes to the front, I intend to let the rest of my family know more about it.

I have joked and made reference to "chemo brain" with friends, but for the most part they really don't know how serious the remark is. Maybe we need to have "a talk." I empathize, though that I am not looking for sympathy, but I would like to be understood, if that makes sense.

In the meantime, I often think of our Chemo Brain Jeopardy when I have a chemo brain moment. Still makes me laugh! Those of us who are playing the game certainly understand the catagories!

[suzan w]

even though I am really trying hard I keep putting that damned cold coffee into the fridge instead of the microwave to heat it up.
I even moved the microwave to see if that would help.
Took me a week to find where I put the microwave.
Iced coffee is good.

[PinkGirl]

That's interesting Suzan ... that you keep on doing that. Usually people
remember when they goof up and don't do it again. I'm the same way ...
I keep doing the same silly things over and over .... oh well ...
Maybe you will learn to like iced coffee.

[StephN]

Here is a possible "theme song" for our show.

If I remember right, I hate this kind of humor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=7lSliucgygc (http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=7lSliucgygc)

[michka]

I vote for this "theme song"! Thanks for making me laugh Steph. Maybe it reminded me of something...but I'm not sure anymore. Michka

[alicem]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

This is so funny! Thanks Steph!

[MJo]

ROFL. So there really IS a male menopause.

[Karen Wheel]

OMG (OH MY GOSH!) I am HOWLING!

This is so me...
And I stopped chemo 6 months ago!

Maybe its the Herceptin!? :-) HEE HEE

How about ---

What is my dogs name?
Or... forgetting you have a dog at home and she is locked in the house - and you have been gone way too long!????
And... well, how long have I been gone?
Whats my fiances name? (yah happens to me often!) ugh!
How did I get here? (when you seem to wake up - when driving and not remember the last minutes - or more... that you have driven --- you just can't remember ... scarey!)
What is 8 + 7? UGH - simple math seems to escape me these days! Maybe because I try to count in Italian and have to then struggle to translate that back to English and by that time I have lost count....

Its bad --- thanks for sharing and making us all laugh!

Karen

[juanita]

hey i'm five years out and still have moments like this! just hope it goes away someday!

[Soccermom]

Passwords...CANNOT remember them (Joe knows this) andCANNOT no matter how many times I write them down ,find the piece of paper/index card with the passwords! Every time I run a cleaning program on my computer I have to start over!

I think we should call the show..."I havent got a Clue?"

[juanita]

i know you aren't supposed to but i've got 2 passwords i use for most things.