Can cancer, and chemotherapy affect someones mind, and thinking?

Question

Mother in late 60s, first had breast cancer, then spread to stomach area. Can the cancer, and or Chemo.make her say strange things? She will say things to her adult son in front of other people like" Your marks in school were no good" The next day when asked why she said it, she denies ever saying it, and becomes angry.

Answer 1

YES. Do a google search on 'chemo brain'. Check it both as one word, and as two words. It is real, believe me.
Best wishes.

Answer 2

Chemo can indeed effect thee memory. Her breast cancer spread to the stomach. Has she had a scan done of the brain. A yr. ago my husband was diagnosed with brain tumors, cancer of the brain. Investigation showed the primary cite of the cancer was his lung. At first all symptoms we could see suggested a stroke was happening. We took him to the hospital Er. & this was what they found. Ever notice slurred speech or unsteady walking to one side, or droppy month. Enability to think clear was part of it. They took the swelling down with steroids then radiation. While some brain damage occurred he is doing quite well. Short term memory is iffy. They gave him at the outside 6 mos. Over a yr. & he is still playing about outside. Physically very strong. Not in any pain. We are gratiful for that. Maaybe worth checking in to. Good luck.

Answer 3

Maybe she feels like she has things to say, that she couldn't before she was sick. Like an unfinished business type things. Anyway, i have read that chemo can affect your brain and thinking, making you forget things or have trouble remembering things. Another of the many cruel side affects. I would just let her comments pass, even if they are hurtful (which would be hard) but she doesn't need to upset more. Change the subject when she says something difficult maybe. Good luck with it, I'm no expert, just had experience with daughter on chemo, she didn't want her dad to be with her during treatment (just me) and was quite nasty sometimes.

Answer 4

Yes, chemo and cancer can both cause this outspoken behaviour. Brain tumours cause this alot, because they place pressure on the brain. Chemo can cause this because it is such a strong and powerful chemical cocktail. The brain is so sensitive, and chemo can also "rewire" it, and affect sections that control impulse (which appears to be the case with your mother). Sometimes it goes away after chemo treatment, and sometimes it stays, depending on the amount of damage done. She may not remember these things because, once again, chemo can cause damage to the brain cells.

Answer 5

She and her son may benefit from some outside assistance. Cancer is one mean b*tch - and chemo is no walk in the park. We went through this with my husband. I say "we" because while he had the cancer and treatment - we were all impacted by it at different levels. Speak with the people at ACS - they have people who can help - it may be the chemo or it maybe she is depressed.

Answer 6

Body and mind are indivisible, and that disease and illness are not identical. Continuing with this line of thought, all diseases whether of the mind or of the physical body must be treated as if they have both been effected .The biopsychosocial model of medicine is a way of looking at the mind and body of a patient as two important systems that are interlinked. The biopsychosocial model is also a technical term for the popular concept of the mind-body connection. This is in contrast to the traditional biomedical model of medicine.

Cancer which a disease of body does affect mind and thinking. There is a separate branch of medicine which studies these aspects called Psycho-oncology It is a field of medical study and practice at the intersection of psychology and oncology]. It is concerned with aspects of cancer that go beyond medical treatment and include psychological and psychosocial aspects of cancer. Sometimes it is also referred to as psycosocial oncology or behavioral oncology because it deals with psychosocial and behavioral topics

In a Swedish study approximately one in four prostate cancer patients were found to be emotionally isolated despite of widely available psycho-social support offered to cancer patients in Sweden. That emotional isolation was found to be at least as prevalent in male cancer patients as among men in general indicates that psycho-social support in its present form may not get through to men. This is of great concern since many prostate cancer patients live under emotional stress owing to the cancer and its treatment including waning sexual function and urinary and bowel symptoms. Additionally, prostate cancer patients are faced with a stressful “patient trade-off” choosing between different treatment options or living with the cancer to avoid stressful treatment side-effects

Starware Search contains details of the psychosomatic disorders due to cancer.

Chemotherapy

While receiving chemotherapy treatment much information about the physical effects of chemotherapy is given..The psychological effects are,however, usually not described and may come as a surpise if they happen. Below we have briefly described some difficulties you may encounter. You may experience none of these, but you'll resonate with at least a few of them later
Anticipation of the First Treatment

Many people state that the time before their first chemotherapy treatment was the worst time for them because of their fears about it. We are better able to control nausea and vomiting today than we were even five years ago, and this greatly improves the experience of chemotherapy. Most patients' fears are still based on horror stories of chemotherapy, before side effects were so well controlled.

Uncertainty and Anxiety
Difficulties Concentrating
Poor Sleep
Fatigue
Thoughts Like:

“Are all these problems worth the long-term gain?”
“Am I a wimp?”

Answer 7

i dont think so but cancer and chemo sometimes are really hard and there are some minutes that you are not at a good mood at all an she can say any thing. it was my own idia

Answer 8

Yep

Answer 9

yeah, chemo is a poison. it effects everything.