Just diagnosed teacher
 

Will chemo brain changed how I teach my classes. I want to know before I began treatment. How do I explain to my students what's going on w/me.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Hi. What age do you teach? What is your treatment plan going to be (if you already know)?
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but you are among friends and a strong support system.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Chemo brain may not be a side effect for you at all - it's one of those things that you can't predict. For me, I've had some short term memory issues but very mild and no impact on my job before I retired. Kids can be remarkable in their understanding of what's going on - and there are lots of techniques and helpful things you can do to minimize the impact. You may just want to take a "wait and see" approach and work it out as it comes. Blessings as you move forward.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Hi,

Thanks for replying. I really don't know who to talk to. There's a teacher in the room next to mine who's a survivor but she went through some type of natural treatment that is not an option for me because it was done out of state and is quite costly. Her husband helped her pay for it; I'm a single female w/only my income to depend on.

Anyway my treatment hasn't yet been determined. Tests are still being run to make sure it hasn't spread anywhere else. I need all the info that I can get. I'm feeling pretty alone.
I normally teach high school aged students, however I'm currently teaching middle school.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

I agree that you need to take a wait and see approach. The students you are teaching are not little ones and they likely all know someone (from their friends or parents) who have gone through treatment for cancer. And it sounds like you are waiting on more tests to find out what the treatment plan will be. What do you know from your pathology report? This might include HER2 status (which I assume is positive or you might not be posting here), estrogen status, progesterone status (each will be either positive or negative), size of tumor, grade of tumor, etc. Make sure that you know as much about your situation as you can at each "stage" of the tests, procedures. Do you have a family member or friend or colleague who can visit doctors with you in order to help take notes? If not, bring a tape recorder so you can replay what each doctor says as you may be (I was) too nervous to try and listen and take notes. Also, with regard to treatment I would get at least two opinions- just to be more comfortable before starting the process. If you teach you should have insurance. Check with your insurance but most plans cover second opinions (or beyond). Stay in touch and report back what you know when you know it. Best wishes and take things one day at a time (I know this is hard but it is all you can do right now so try hard).

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Chemo brain can affect verbal processing, which means potentially not being able to think of words, wrong spelling and other verbal glitches. I actually managed to misspell my son's name on an important application. I would also find myself sitting at the computer unable to understand what simple words like "through" meant.

Chemo brain can also affect ability to multitask. I would suggest being very organized - have detailed written lesson plans at hand, for example. Unless you have a very bad case, you should be able manage to do your job without too many noticeable incidents.

If you would like more information on chemo brain, why it happens, how long it lasts (does it lead to dementia later?), you can Google the following article, "Latest research on chemo brain after breast cancer treatment'

After seven years, I'm about 80%-90% back to normal and I think I probably had a moderately severe case.

Wishing you all the best,

Sarah

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

I am told that a change of diet to more fruits/vegetables or juicing is beneficial to recovery. Do you know about this?

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Teach - diet is especially important during chemo, especially keeping up your calories and keeping hydrated. But you shouldn't try anything without first checking with your drs. Chemo drugs can be affected by many things so be sure to ask one of the chemo nurses. For me, I couldn't tolerate the smell of meat cooking so my husband cooked on the grill most of the time and the taste of many of my favorite foods became terrible. I mostly could eat things that were cold and sweet so lots of sherbert was a staple for me. I also have a recipe for a high calorie shake that a dietitian gave me. Fruits and fruit juices seemed to aggravate my already sensitive gut and diarrhea became a problem. I ended up drinking Ensure to help keep up caloric intake and still lost 50 lbs (next time I'll do Weight Watchers instead of chemo to lose weight). This is all something that I dealt with and you may never have any of these issues. I only tell you these things as my personal story - just take it a day at a time and deal with what happens as it happens and ALWAYS clear things with your drs and nurses.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

You are a wealth of info. Please don't mind if I talk to you more. Thank you and God Bless.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Anytime....and you'll get more good info from lots of others here.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

There are some foods that have been specifically found to protect against HER2 positive breast cancer. One of the most well studied is extra-virgin olive oil. Olive oil also appears to enhance the effectiveness of Herceptin, which you may receive as part of your treatment. It's also ok to consume during chemotherapy. Please Google the following for lists of the foods (as well as links to the academic studies that describe the findings in detail):

"What should HER2/neu breast cancer patients and survivors eat?"

"What should breast cancer patients and survivors eat during Herceptin treatment?"

There are also articles on the site concerning what to eat during chemotherapy, depending on type.

Sarah

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

The is a good website for food info and it is research based.

Foodforbreastcancer.org

I lost some words or thoughts quickly, but your students may get a kick out of it and help you out. Just stay positive and have a sense of humor while you go through treatment. We'll all be here to support you.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Hello Teach -
We have some other teachers here (Schoolteacher, NEDDenise, and others), who seem to manage just fine.

Very often the fatigue from treatment is more of a problem than actual "chemobrain" (which one MAY have at the same time).

At this point it is best to make some changes in your diet (if you eat too many fast and processed foods). Also, clean up any little projects that are hanging about and will bother you. Get your wardrobe in order, as you will most likely have a port and need tops that open in the front.

You will need extra rest, so, if you have a hubby and kids, have a chat with them about helping out and letting you off the hook as to some of your normal household work.

If you need to keep working, you should have some sick leave for the days you feel that you are not up to going in. If you take hard chemos, a pattern will develop of better and worse days.

Not knowing your details yet, this is some general advice that applies to most of us BC patients.

P.S. NanaJoni mentions many foods not tasting good or not tolerating certain smells. Most of us will have mouth sores from chemo, and this often determines what we can tolerate eating. Some days I only wanted organic chicken broth with rice and mushrooms. Bananas felt OK, but tasted strange. Hard boiled eggs were important to keep protein up.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Hello Teachwatch, All of the advice given before me for you is excellent---I can't add any more ---other than to say I, too, am sorry to hear of your diagnosis :( but you're in a very good place here, We know how your feel and we care. Hugs, Joanne

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Hi! No need to worry.
I found that the whole journey is 18 months inc reconstruction (except mine failed so i will try again six months from now.). The month it all finished (the infection lasted two months before removal of infected implant) I bounced back. no cancer in body? no infection from implant? my brain totally back in shape and energy has returned.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

Hi Teach~ So sorry that you are now part of our group but this is a great place to be. I have found so much helpful information on this site. I just finished my TCH cocktail in December and am now on Herceptin with Arimidex. The chemo brain for me has mostly been short term memory loss - like "why did I walk into this room". I had that anyway, prior to chemo, but it hits me more often now. I haven't had much problems at work and I work with a lot of people dealing with contracts and financial information. That being said, I have learned that chemo seems to affect everyone differently. I certainly wish you the best and my prayers are with you during this tough time.

Jeri

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

You might want to schedule your chemo infusion on Thursday afternoons. When I was teaching in 2007, I was able to work Friday without much problem. Then Saturday and Sunday I would be sleeping most of the time. By Monday morning, I'd be OK to go back to work. There are some very good anti-emetic medicine these days. Tell your nurse practioner about your work schedule and she should be able to advise you.

Re: just diagnosed teacher
 

Hello All - Good to be among teachers. I am a retired middle school teacher and librarian. I am also newly diagnosed. Routine mammo on December 14th and lumpectomy on December 27th. This past Thursday, I went to oncologist and will be starting chemo soon.
I am estrogen +, progesterone + and Her2 + Neu.
My tumor was 2.00 cm, stage II

Does anybody know what it means on the pathology report it says:
Her 2+/ Neu Ki-67 - proliferation rate is 18%. I do not understand the proliferation part.

Re: Just diagnosed teacher
 

I also scheduled my chemo for Thursday's so I can work on Friday and stay in PJ's for the entire weekend if need be.

Also talked to the ACS and she recommended using plastic silverware as the regular kind keep that metalic taste thing going. There have been a couple recent posts on here about what to expect and how to prepare for it and I would recommend reviewing those. Lots of good suggestions.