I am wondering if anyone else had the radiation sed implants in their tongue? It seems I lost so much of my life, that I am wondering if it's from the rad seed implants. I was talking to my ssiter ths morning and asked how different relatives are doing. One of my Cousins had died, very young guy, and she told me he had died from work relatedinjuries this past Feb & March. That is the period of time when I was in isolation with the im-plants. Heck, I sure dont remember nothing for that time period and from the precededing Sept and after the implants. Most things for the period after implants are blank too. My memory for the last 3 months or so isn't bad. just the preceding ones. Anyone else have this problem?? I sure would appreciate the info..Thanks All

Jim,

That would be an emphatic YES! Not to the implants, but to the rad/chemo brain and memory loss and missing time. While going through diagnoses, treatments, and some pretty horrible after-effects, I was also living with the pain and the fear, just like everyone else here. So much of that time is a blur to me now, 2 years post Tx. Reading posts by people in treatment is reminding me of so much, and some of it I STILL don't remember, but my family does.

PS: I'm still waiting for that EZJIM booster shot - ref thread "Heart now, too?"

Lani

Lani, on my way to read it and I loaded the needle with a double dose. This not remembering can make ya wonder. Sorry you went thru this stuff too.

Jim,

I feel better already! If only the Doctors' meds could work that fast.

Lani

I don't necessarily contribute memory loss to radiation or anything like that but more to the really "good drugs" I don't remember a week past my surgery. Wether it is true or fiction I was told that when people have huge surgeries or proceedures that along with anestetic there is a drug given to give the person amnisia. Somthing about the body doesn't react but the mind can with anestia. That being said I think it should be able to get it as a perscription drug... And Cheers...

(and NO I am not a drug addict just like the idea of not remembering some things.)

I do think it's the rad/chemo because of the quick decline and the timing, but then I also spent an awful lot of time very malnourished, so maybe that's also a factor. Or maybe the only factor and rad/chemo are innocent?

My eyesight also took a severe dive during that time. I went from Walmart readers pre OC to bifocals post OC. I know it would have happened gradually anyway with aging, but again, the quick decline and the timing. That also could have malnutrition as a contributing factor. My eye Doctor did say he's seen it before with cancer patients, though, and thinks there's a connection.

Lani

They used some type of wonder drug to put me ot of it for a few days. I over reacted to it and was out longer than they wanted When I woke up , the next day I would have woken up in a rest home. Either I over reacted or was given too much of that medication.Maybe this is what caused my memory loss. Noone will tell me what happened and what I missed.. I get the same answer from everyone, Jim. It's better that you don't know.

That was for the tongue implants 5 months after surgery.

Jim,

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take this off subject on you. I don't actually know what your rad seed implants are, or what they're for. I've never heard of them except from you in your posts.

Lani

I actually have been trying to find someone that had the implants.. maybe between us we could figure it out. I do know that they put you to sleep and then in the OR the surgeon goes up thru your chin and implants ,what it seems they call seeds. Then they take you to radiology to make sure the seeds are in the right places. THen back to OR and put the radiation into the seeds and then isolate you with lead around you and noone bothers or comes near you for awhile. After a few days they remove the seeds and take you out of isolation.

Jim,

Maybe it's time to call in "The Brian". He knows everything.

Brian, can you help out here?

Lani

I only have talked with about 10 patients who have had brachytherapy orally. I know about 10 more that had it in the southern regions for men's issues. I am certainly not an expert on implanted radioactive beads, but the whole reason for using them is that it limits the area of radiation, and the amount of collateral damage to other areas that those of us that had conventional radiation deal with, does not happen to seed patients. While again stating that my experience in this is limited since it is not the main mechanism of treatment for our kind of cancer, it seems unilkely tied to memory loss. Chemo brain, a well established issue and side effect is well known, and for most people transitory. And of course once you enter your 6th decade of lifem memory loss has been minimally happening for at least a decade already. (Obviously to different degrees in different people.... probably more in me.)

Brian,

Well you may not be an expert, but you DID know. That's impressive in itself. And now I understand, and when Jim logs back on, he will too, though I think he'll argue against it's effectiveness. I believe he feels he still has a lot of collateral damage. Maybe it just would have been a whole lot worse without them.

See? You DO know everything. Or if not, then you're pretty darned quick at finding out. Thank you.

Lani

Thank you Brain and thank you Lani for the advice. You both are great..I sure as heck know a lot more than I did.

Jim

Ive never had the best memory. After rad and chemo it was even worse. I think you are the only one Ive run into on here with the seed implants.

"I sure as heck know a lot more than I did."
_________________________
Now don't forget it...lock it in...Just couldn't help it you set yourself up either that or I am getting more and more warped... lmao.....

Donna's (Donnarose) mom Rose, had brachytherapy done at the University of Pennsylvania where she was treated. It was done in Sept, 2007.

If anyone is interested in reading posts on this topic, just type in Brachytherapy in the search engine at the top of this page on the right. It's amazing what you can find through searching.

Jim,

Sorry you're having memory problems, but as Brian said, it's most likely not related to the implants.

Jerry

from what i have heard (looked into this a lot when my brother went thru it for a different severe illness) ... many things contribute to it

(1) The TRAUMA of the illness and treatments

(2) The STRESS

(3) The inability to get the proper NUTRITION and VITAMINS at times

(4) MEDICATIONS ...

I have found that if I look back to times in my life where I was under a lot of stress (parents illness / death - my illnesses etc) there are periods during each of these where my brain is foggy and I think it is because i was on autopilot at the time and too stressed for my body to have enough ammo to both function as a body and to process info into long term memory as well so it took the living portion as the most important and left my mind a blank ... i guess it made the right choice but i sure miss my mind ...

PS: Did you hear that one of the big names in medical journals have now said 2 studies have shown that CHEMO brain is not a reality? They say they have shown in these studies that it is the stress of hearing you have cancer that causes the CHEMO BRAIN and not the chemo itself... of course no one agrees with them that has experienced it, but this is their claim to make you feel better about chem (did it help? LOL)

The idea of autopilot is probably close to the truth. My husband said I was functioning, talking and walking. I do not remember any or very very little of the week after my surgery. Same with a couple of days after my biopsy. So I think I agree with that concept. It makes sense.

Hell, it will take a lot more than any of this stuff to et me to slow down or put me down.. Thanks all and I find this interesting. LOL , Guess we all have our days. Some good & some Bad.

Jim, as much as i have read concerning what you have been thru - i don't think i know of anything that could or would beat you! you are amazing and by being such, you are such an inspiration! - someone clear in Ohio can be such a blessing and uplift to a lil gal in WA state ... technology has opened up avenues of support and meeting people that are so helpful BUT technology does not make your personality be what it is, and for that we have only you and your creator to thank - so i said all that to say - Keep on keepin on Jim and thanks for everything you have done for all of us here by your insight and inspiration! I pray you are blessed over and over again for your contribution in peoples lives.

I am finding fiction books that seemed new to me at first are actually ones that I have already read but don't remember -- They are all books that would have been new when I was getting and recovering from radiation, so I likely picked them from the library's New Books shelf.

Rita, you have me almost int tears here. I am too sensitive and some words can get me started.. Thank you many times over for the kind words. LOL and Pete,, quit stealing from the library . She mad me a lil sad and you gave me the smile back. Thanks you 2 wonderful people.