Chemo brain at work

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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Greetings all, Having been summoned to a meeting with my supervisor and our manager, to discuss "performance issues," I'm expecting to have to defend my somewhat-eroded attention to detail. Can anyone suggest a fact sheet or other "official" document (as opposed to a blog) that I can p...

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"Official" documents on chemo brain
Sarah
Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 10:22 AM

Andrea, let me know if these help as a starting point:

1) The American Cancer Society's page on Chemo Brain

2) This 2007 article from the New York Times, "Chemotherapy Fog Is No Longer Ignored as Illusion"

Sarah

re: "Official" documents on chemo brain
Andrea
Sunday, September 07, 2008 at 02:25 AM

Sarah, in case I forgot to let you know earlier (chemo brain, you know), I found these really helpful and printed out the Cancer Society one to take to the interview.

Many thanks,

Andrea

re: re: "Official" documents on chemo brain
Sarah
Monday, September 08, 2008 at 09:26 AM

You're very welcome, Andrea. I hope you'll let us know if you need additional assistance. Best of luck.

Sarah

More info for you
Maria Gifford
Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 03:25 PM

Hi Andrea,

Here's more info for you, from our expert's here at MyBreastCancerNetwork.com:

Chemo Brain: To the Edge and Back

http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/78/9106/chemo-edge-back

Chemo Brain: It's NOT All in Your Head

http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/11/9042/brain-head

Chemo Brain is No Myth

http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/11/2776/chemobrain-myth

Be sure to let us know how it goes with your manager.

Best,

Maria

re: More info for you
Andrea
Sunday, September 07, 2008 at 02:37 AM

Hi Maria,

Thanks for the additional info. I"m going to need it because despite going in with one of the articles Sarah pointed me to, I still handled the interview really badly, coming off as defensive as well as flaky. I think I"m going to have to ask for a follow-up interview, but I'm hoping to be better prepared this time. As a fixed-term contract employee I'm not eligible to join the union, so there's no one to represent my interests. I'll let you know how it goes.

Andrea

Chemo Brain at Work
Anonymous
Friday, August 29, 2008 at 08:46 PM

Dear Andrea,

I recommend the following book; UPLIFT: Secrets of the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors by Barbara Delinsky (ISBN 0-7434-3136-7). There's a chapter in the book that discusses chemo-brain on p.87. It's real and it happens! I found this book to be filled with humor and practical advice offered by women who have lived it. Most often we need to advocate on our own behalf. Hope you find this info helpful. God bless you on your journey of wellness.

Cathy N.

re: Chemo Brain at Work
Andrea
Sunday, September 07, 2008 at 04:03 AM

Hi Cathy,

Thank you, that book sounds really good - I'll look for it. And you're so right about needing to advocate on our own behalf.

Andrea