[Lucy]

Jessica,

I used to have migraines every six months and some of what you described fits what I would experience. The way I would describe it to others (outside of the headache) was that it was like I was underwater trying to translate a foreign language. I had a hard time processing information from anyone talking to me and I often struggled to find the right words. Talking and carrying on a conversation with someone else took great effort and energy - I avoided it when I could. The headache would be severe enough that I would be nauseated and light was painful (for lack of a better word). They typically lasted for three days. About 25 years ago I was in a car accident and miraculously the migraines all but stopped - they come once every five to seven years now (knock wood!) and only last a day.

With the exception of the debilitating headaches, I experience some of those same things now as a result of the chemo treatments I received. Like you, the word comes out wrong and I can't fix it. I get that feeling that I'm trying to translating a foreign language while underwater because of a cognitive fog. It's frustrating. A little over a year ago I started having more frequent headaches (not migraines) and was concerned about brain mets. I discussed my concerns with my oncologist and while she didn't believe we'd find anything, she agreed to order a brain MRI. It came up clean (thankfully) and the thinking is that the headaches could be the result of some changes in the atmosphere due to Hurricane Harvey that hit last summer (around the time the headaches started).

I would recommend you discuss with your oncologist and request a brain MRI. The headaches should be a justification for the testing and will let you know either way. It could be an atmospheric change causing the issues or it could still be a cognitive issue due to treatment but having a test will let you know either way.

Good luck and let us know what you do and find out.