Chemo Brain

Well, I finished harvesting the Red Noses from my Red Clown Nose Trees yesterday afternoon. I planted them in November of last year and I thought that they came up pretty well although I was expecting a larger crop. There is a link to a video with some tips and instructions on planting your own. Last year I planted Rubber Chickens (the video for that is also on my YouTube channel) but I thought that I would try Noses this time. What next ? Maybe some of each and then I might try to plant some Assorted Noisemakers. I hear that they produce like wildflowers.

The reason I decided to do the harvesting today is because I felt like I have been in a fog the last few days. This 2nd round of Chemo was manageable but lasted longer with the side effects. The pain wasn't too bad but the fatigue was heavy. Also, I have been having trouble with my eyes. My vision is about 80% with or without glasses. Also, my thinking is foggy and I write myself a lot of notes but I am having unusual memory problems.  Sometimes I get to the end of a sentence or try to remember a name or word and instead of trying to remember or even getting frustrated with being lacking, I just pass it off immediately and carry on. If I am talking about a news item and the person (famous) is hard to picture or vocalize, I just go on with the story and don't worry if anyone knows what I am saying. Same way with missing a word or two. Usually, when you are grasping for a word you pause for the audience to fill in the blank or else you riffle through the pages of your mind for the word or it's equivalent. Also, on my walks or forays to visit friends or businesses, I feel as if I am not quite all there. Like the proverbial "under-water" feeling...

I also had one or two spells of waking up and feeling like I had a burp caught in my upper chest, before the throat and I couldn't get it out and I could not exhale or inhale. I jumped from bed and stumbled a few paces until, finally, I could breathe. That happened once early on, several weeks ago and I was just sitting an d watching TV and noticed that I wasn't breathing and couldn't breathe. It didn't cause a panic---but it caused some major consternation as I had never experienced this before. I know, I am going to alert my Doctor to this. I commonly have burps that just don't want to show themselves. Oh, well...I'll see what the Doc says.

I walk often and it is tiring but also invigorating. It strengthens me. 

So, when I started experiencing this Chemo Brain, I looked it up. I had heard of it from a couple of clown friends who were familiar with it. I walk to fight fatigue and to gain strength and endurance....so, it is only natural that I would come home today and decide to record a video. Keeping active mentally will at least, I hope, let me muddle through this muddle they call Chemo Brain...and I have heard that it passes some time after the Chemo has ended. Well, enjoy my little Gardening video. Life is good and Life is an Adventure !!!

Red Clown Nose Trees video