Brain games

These days I'm spending alot of time at my kids' school. Thankfully, not because of their behavior. :-)

I'm the Parent Faculty Organization President. (We aren't the PTA, because that organization requires groups to pay a membership fee to be called that. And we don't want to spend our fundraising dollars on a name.)

It's been a fair amount of work so far, but I'm loving it! I like knowing what's going on there, and knowing that I'm doing my part to make it a better place to learn.

I'm learning alot, too. I'm learning how to organize and motivate a group of volunteers. Sometimes that doesn't go so well. I'm learning how to work well in a group, and not just take everything on myself so it "gets done right." Mostly, I'm learning how to juggle a million things at one time. I'm hoping that it looks easier than it is, or we'll never have another volunteer take this position on. :-)

I'm also learning that my brain doesn't work like it used to. Chemo has changed me. It has changed my brain. I have a really hard time focusing on one task for too long. I can't seem to remember things for very long, so everything has to be in written form, either by me or whomever I'm dealing with. And I seem to get easily confused, requiring me to go back to re-read things to re-understand them. That one really drives me nuts!

Before chemo

Photo credit: National Geographic

My doctor has had me doing Sudoku and word searches to keep my brain active and try and reduce my symptoms. I don't know if it's working. Some days I feel back to normal, and others are so hard for me to get through, knowing that I'm not the same. The frustration gets me worse than anything else. My hope is that I'm getting better at hiding my issues, so others can have confidence in my abilities.

After chemo

 Photo credit: Hailey & Heather's Blog

If anyone out there has suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them. Have you had similar issues after chemo? What did you do to get your brain back? Was there a way I could have avoided this problem? Please make a comment, and let's start a conversation.

I promise, I'll remember to comment back. I just have to write it down...