Skip to main content

Navigating the Fog of Chemo Brain


Before my cancer diagnosis, I prided myself on my sharp mind. I was the queen of multitasking; organized, efficient, always on top of things. My brain was my superpower. But after chemotherapy, something shifted. Suddenly, that sharpness I had always relied on felt dulled, like my mind was wading through thick fog.

I had heard other cancer survivors mention “chemo brain,” but I assumed it was just minor forgetfulness like misplacing keys, forgetting a name here or there. Annoying, sure, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I was wrong.

At first, it was little things like walking into a room and forgetting why I was there, losing my train of thought mid-conversation. I brushed it off, telling myself I was just distracted or tired. But then, the mistakes got bigger. I left the oven on. Missed important appointments. Mixed up dates for a hotel booking. Bought cinema tickets for the wrong city. It was frustrating, sometimes even embarrassing. I felt like a stranger in my own mind, never knowing when it would trip me up. Some days, I felt like myself. Other days, even simple things felt out of reach.

The scariest realization, this wasn’t something that would magically “pass.” It wasn’t a bad day I could just sleep off. This fog was here to stay, at least for now. And that meant I had to figure out how to work with it instead of against it.

If you're about to begin chemotherapy, here are some practical tips that might help make the journey a little easier:

    ðŸ’› Giving Myself Grace This was the hardest part. I had to learn to be patient with myself, to accept that forgetting things didn’t make me less capable or less me. It was part of my healing process, not a personal failure.

    ðŸ“… Creating New Systems Gone are the days when I could keep everything in my head. Now, sticky notes, phone alarms, planners, and lists are my lifesavers. What used to feel unnecessary now feels empowering... these tools don’t mean I’m struggling; they mean I’m adapting.

    ðŸ’¬ Owning It Instead of Hiding It At first, I felt embarrassed when I’d lose my train of thought mid-sentence or forget something important. But over time, I learned to just laugh it off and ask for a reminder. The people who care about me don’t mind repeating themselves, and being open about it has actually made my relationships stronger. And hey, sometimes it even works in my favour, like the time I accidentally bought cinema tickets for London instead of Brighton and managed to get a refund by playing the cancer card.

    Slowing Down Before cancer, I lived life at full speed, juggling everything at once. Now, I’ve learned that slowing down isn’t a weakness… it’s a gift. I’m more present, more intentional, and I appreciate the small moments in a way I never did before.

Chemo brain is frustrating. Some days, I mourn the sharp, quick-thinking version of myself that I used to be. But I also see the resilience in this new version of me… the one who’s learning to adapt, to ask for help when needed, to laugh through the forgetfulness instead of feeling ashamed. If you’re going through this too, just know the fog may not clear overnight, but we find ways to navigate it... one day, one step, one sticky note at a time. I know this journey can feel frustrating and isolating, but you’re not alone. I’d love to hear from you, how has chemo brain affected your daily life, and what helps you manage it?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to My Journey: Finding Strength Through Sharing

Hey there, and welcome to My World My Life , my little corner of the internet. After what felt like an endless process, I’ve finally moved all my old blog posts from their outdated home to this fresh new space. It wasn’t easy, balancing this with treatment, work, and family life, but with a little help from my family, I made sure every post made it over intact. No missing entries, no broken links (because let’s be honest, that totally would have happened). Now that everything is in place, I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead. This blog isn’t just about sharing my journey; it’s about creating a space where we can connect, support one another, and navigate life’s unexpected twists together. One of those twists came in the form of breast cancer. One moment, I was going about my usual routine, and the next, I was sitting in a doctor’s office, hearing words that didn’t feel real. In an instant, my world flipped upside down. My days became a whirlwind of appointments, treatments, and ...

Redefining Life After Cancer: My Journey to a New Normal

In 2023, my world - and my family’s - was completely turned upside down with my breast cancer diagnosis. It was the year my biggest dream came true when we bought our house. And it was the year my worst nightmare became reality when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two life-altering events, colliding at the same time. But it wasn’t just life that changed... I will never return to the person I was before cancer. Sometime I grieve that version of me, the one who lived without this constant awareness of mortality. I thought I understood that life was finite, but there’s a difference between knowing it in theory and feeling it in your bones every day. The fear of recurrence or the cancer spreading isn’t just an abstract worry; it’s a shadow that lingers, a rational dread because cancer doesn’t play by the rules. It can return or spread at any time. And that reality is something I have to learn to live with. The idea of a “happily ever after” shattered in an instant. Moving into our new ...

And So It Begins...

Sitting in that cold, sterile room when the doctor said the words "you have cancer," I felt like the floor had dropped beneath me. In that instant, fear gripped me tightly, and all I could think about was fighting this thing growing inside me. My mind switched to survival mode, and I felt like a deer caught in headlights. That feeling of shock and terror lingered for what seemed like an eternity. The process to get to a treatment plan felt painfully slow, pushing my anxiety to new heights. Prepare yourselves, those waiting periods are the worst. First, there was the wait for the initial consultation, followed by what seemed like endless weeks waiting for tests and their results. Knowing there was cancer inside me and not being able to do anything immediately was excruciating. Two months post-diagnosis, my treatment path was laid out; I was scheduled for a therapeutic mammoplasty; a combination of a lumpectomy and breast reduction surgery, to remove the cancer from my left bre...