My Ironic Journey as an SLP With ‘ Chemo Brain ’

I defeated breast cancer, but am still battling the cognitive changes left behind after two years of intense treatment. Eight surgeries, six chemotherapy treatments, 25 radiation appointments, and two bouts of infection changed my body forever. I’m OK with that, because everything was done to keep me alive. All signs point to these efforts succeeding. But one remnant of the battle didn’t get left behind with the wigs and empty medicine bottles: chemo brain. “Chemo brain” is a common term used for the attention and memory issues often caused by cancer treatment—although these issues are thought to come from multiple sources, not just chemotherapy. I never imagined this ironic side effect of the cancer battle. I’ve worked as a speech-language pathologist in acute care and rehab for 30 years, and now I faced the same cognitive challenges I’d helped many of my patients overcome. I love my job, my patients, and my work family. Was I going to be able to continue to work full time? Or at all? Creating an Easier Path for Patients With Head/Neck Cancer Hearing Loss: An Under-Recognized Side Effect of Cancer Treatment Gayla Poling seeks ways to prevent and treat hearing loss in patients receiving cisplatin treatment for cancer. I first noticed my chemo brain when I lead meetings in my small department of four SLPs. We’ve been a team for years and communicate well. But in meetings, I experienced difficulty keeping a thought. I’d get lost in what I...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Health Care Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Cognitive Rehabilitation Source Type: blogs