Hello all,

I have a question and am hoping that the answer is benign!

Harry is scheduled to have an MRI on his head this coming Tuesday. Here are the symptoms...

He has had very weird memory issues. Not just forgetting things but he has actually created things that have never happened and swore they did. He cannot keep time straight. For example, something that happened this morning he thinks happened 2 weeks ago and the other way around as well.

Physical symptoms: frequent severe headaches. He seems to have these 3-5 times a week. I keep catching him rubbing the back of his head and neck. Often with his eyes closed and for long periods. When I ask he says that it hurts pretty badly.

My question is..... is this neck pain common after tx's? And are the headaches a normal side effect of rx or chemo? I am worried about the MRI because of the various symptoms I have observed. I have read various explanations that say it is side effects and others that it could be a brain tumor. Before I over react, I thought I might ask if anyone has experienced these same type of issues.

Thanks in advance!
Cindy

I recently read a paper on the effect of chemotherapy on post-treatment cognitive function -- apparently this effect is real and happens in a larger-than-expected percentage of patients receiving chemotherapy. It's colloquially called "chemo brain." Perhaps ask your medical oncologist about this - if this could be what's affecting your husband, at least as regards his memory issues.

Here's an ACS web page with general information on this side-effect:

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_2_1x_Seeking_Solutions_to_Chemo-Brain.asp

Gail

Gail and Cindy,

I ran into an issue with this "chemo brain". I found that I could not even read a newspaper without losing my concentration. Couldn't keep a thought straight. Reallly didn't have very much of a memory loss, but had some to a lesser extent. My M.O. gave me some "mind exercises" to do after discussing this with her. They were basic memory skill games and the like. Basic math problems, etc. I found them to be somewhat difficult at first. As I did them they eventually became easier. When I was going though chemo, there was a pamphlet with information in regards to Chemo brain. Don't be afraid to ask about it. It is very real.

Good luck,

John

Cindy,
I have had some recent problems with neck pain and stiffness which I'm sure is from radaition and every now and then it isn't just stiffness but cramping, which is very painful.

I've also read the stuff about "chemo brain" and I'm sure it's very real. I have to say, though, that although I'm not a neuropsychologist, I have a little training in that area and the memory problems you describe--especially the confabulation (a fancy word for having real-seeming memories of things that never happened) sound unusual and something to be concerned about. Even with that symptom, though, it doesn't mean he necessarilly has a tumor.

Nelie

Cindy,
my RO warned me about "texturing" in the neck muscles as a result of the radiation and I didn't really understand what that meant but recently, at times, it feels like something is trying to twist my neck, this accompanied with a headache. I just had an MRI and it all looked good (except for the "usual" stuff like spondylosis (aka osteoarthritus - common in my age group), so I don't think that there are any other physiological reasons for this. I just pop a valium and a Vicodin and it goes away. Just to be safe though I would mention the headache issues to the MO.

"Chemo brain" - that took a while before I could put together whole sentences ;-) Three years post Tx my memory is back to normal now.

I recently finished chemo and radiation treatments after neck disection on both sides. I was diagnosed with stage 4 tonsil cancer. Squamous cell. I'm just looking for others to talk to. I handled everything pretty well until now. Now I can't seem to quit thinking about dying.

Hi Carrie,
What you are feeling now, the constant thought of death, is the normal stage for the recovery process. Most of us hit a deep, dark depression after treatment, the time when we begin to feel well enough to WORRY! Not fair, but that's how it works. Worrying is natural, look what we've been through! We miss our old lives, we want that life back................then we worry about having life at all. It's alot to wrap our very human minds around and manage to get through a day without crying. Cry when you need to, exercise alot, talk to us, get an anti depressant if needed. Keep it in your mind that this is a natural stage and it DOES get better. We rejoin life eventually, forever changed, but life is still good.
Hang in there,
Minnie

A sluggish thyroid can also cause memory problems. Have that checked as well.

Hi all,
My husband had the memory loss after his radiation treatments and they checked his thyroid. That was it. He also has the horrible neck pain and cramping. We still haven't found anything to help that. Robin

Robin:

I have horrible memory loss, my neck feels like I am being choked all the time and I'm still too tired all the time. I had a partial glossectomy with my tongue being rebuilt with a flap from my forearm. They had to remove a few lymph nodes from the left side of my neck which is the reason I have the choking sensation. On April 25 it will be one year since surgery. My radiation therapy went from July to September 2005. Its been 6 months since therapy and I still feel horrible just from my neck and being tired all the time. The only thing I have been told about the neck is to exercise it by moving it as much as you can as often as you can. Good luck, Dana

Robin
My husband still has some of those problems, the cramping being the worst. Physical Therapy is a great help and when he does his excercises it reduces the number of cramps considerably. It took me two years to talk him into taking the time to go!
Marica

Carrie:

I agree with Minnie 100%. Hang in there. We all go through the same process, but don't have to do it alone. Dying is always in the back of my mind. I have spent a lot of time trying to figure things out, but all I have figured out so far is that I have spent a lot of time trying to figure things out, rather than surviving and thriving. We have to remember to live.

Stay strong,

Jack