[dlaxague]

Hi, I am so sorry to hear of your troubles. I can relate to how upsetting this all is, although my issues don't include all of the same things that you are experiencing.

I'm sure that you know and that your neurologist has noted that what's weird about your symptoms are their sudden onset, and the nausea and vision component. The nausea sounds to me like a motion-sickness kind of thing - does it seem that way to you? Even though you're not moving, your eyes are somehow rocking your brain, so it could be part of the vision component and not a stomach thing.

With the exception of the attention, the visual problems and the nausea, you described pretty closely what I would write for my symptoms. I have not had trouble with anything significant at work - although getting through a day exhausts me far more than it used to and I think much of that is not the physical work but the mental strain of constantly monitoring myself to make sure I have not forgotten something. I can no longer multi-task which is sometimes a benefit, as I have learned to focus on only one thing at a time and thus probably that one thing benefits. However, sometimes circumstances demand multi-tasking and then I get worried.

I've been wondering if I should get evaluated, but that scares me. (head firmly in sand, please do not tug). I am 7 years out from treatment. Like you, I did not think that I was much affected until 6 months to a year after treatment ended (about when I started taking an AI so I've blamed that but it could have been coincidence). And the onset was not at all sudden, as you describe yours. Of course I had the usual side effects and fatigue and such during treatment but was not aware of losing this multi-tasking ability. Since the cognitive changes began, my awareness of the problem has waxed and waned. A blunder that seems major to me will arise and I will pay more attention to my state for awhile, getting worried that it's worsening. And then things will go more smoothly (or my life will go more smoothly, demanding less from me) and I'll decide I'm okay enough, after all. Right now, I'm on high alert, after making several stupid mistakes a few weeks ago (not at work) when I was wearing too many hats during a busy period.

Anyway. I've been talking to a few others who have similar issues. One woman who was evaluated soon after completing treatment quit her high-functioning job and went on disability. Hard at first but she has found other ways to use her intellect which still remains wonderfully intact. She says that garden-variety neurologists are not up to dealing with this. She recently attended a seminar on brain injury that talked not of chemo-brain specifically but of brain injury secondary to anoxia (lack of oxygen) and what it means to lose "executive function" of the brain and the symptoms were pretty identical. So I wonder if you might get more satisfaction from seeking out a neurologist who specializes in this sub-specialty. Are you near a big city where there would be such choices?

The frustrating part of this for me is that even if we find the right provider who can evaluate and diagnose, there is not much that they can do about it. There are the ritalin-like drugs but they have significant side effects. I recently read an interview about cognitive issues on breastcancer.org and they said that "mental exercise" does not help. Here's the link to that interview: I found it interesting, but a little condescending plus I thought they spent too much time on what the problem could be, other than brain damage from chemo (depression, inactivity, blah, blah). Here's a link to that interview (click on "read the transcript"):

http://support.breastcancer.org/site....0&dlv_id=5261

tinyurl: http://tinyurl.com/5dxcbk

Debbie Laxague