Barbara,
There is no doubt that Chemo Brain is real! I am still working on recovering from it, 3-1/2 years past the end of treatment.
One thing that helped me was reading
Brainlash by Dr. Gail Denton. (
www.Brainlash.com). I tried to talk her into writing a book for chemo brain patients, but she talked me into writing it, with her help. So we've been working on it for about 8 months and hope to have it out in early 2010 (
www.BeyondChemoBrain.com).
There are two other books on chemo brain, both out in 2009 (finally!), but both a little hard to read if you have chemo brain...
It's real, you're not stupid or lazy, and it's ok to get help. In a 2007 survey by Hurricane Voices,
Of the 102 respondents 5 or more years out from treatment, 92% were still impacted by cognitive changes—61% at the same level they first experienced following treatment. Only 8% reported that their symptoms had completely ‘gone away.’
You are not alone. Take care.
Carol