Your Brain After Chemo: A Practical Guide to Lifting the Fog and Getting Back Your Focus Book

Foreword vii

Idelle's Story: Have We Met? ix

Part I Talking With Your Oncologist

1 A Vulnerable Time 3

2 Rethinking "Chemo Brain" 8

3 Q and A With Your Doctor 13

Part II Symptoms and Signs

4 I Found My Keys, But I Lost Myself 31

5 Relationships 38

6 Multitasking, Word Retrieval, Memory, and Concentration 44

7 Fatigue and Depression 55

8 Measuring Forgetfulness 61

9 Body of Evidence 71

Part III Molecules Behaving Badly

10 The Healthy Brain 79

11 The Unhealthy Brain 86

12 Hormones-His and Hers 99

Part IV Getting Your Brain Back on Track

13 Depressing Days? 121

14 Sleeping Through Insomnia 134

15 Fatigue, Inattention, and Poor Concentration 143

16 Fear, Stress, and Mindfulness 156

17 Brain Food 172

18 Some Tips for (Re)Organizing Your Day-to-Day Life 191

Part V How to Reclaim Your Brain Chemistry

19 Nine Daily Steps You Can Start Doing Today (But Wait Until Tonight!) 201

20 Summary of the Nine Steps and Worksheet 221

21 Future Directions 225

Authors' Notes 239

Acknowledgments 241

Appendix 247

Generic Drugs and Brand Name Equivalents 255

Notes 257

Index 273