 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | I have heard (and used "chemo" brain a few times myself) but the fact is that there is a "blood brain barrier" that keeps chemo drugs out of the brain. More than likely it's pain medication combined with poor nutrition and dehydration.
The radiation also takes out a lot of blood cells when they are being radiated passing through the carotid artery. So he is probably suffering from some anemia as well.
The body replaces the red blood cells every 120 days or so.
Most of us had the symptoms you describe. It was about a year or maybe more until I was fairly mentally recovered from the treatment.
Gary Allsebrook
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Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
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"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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