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Cognitive Lapse

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I have been on Dasatnib for five weeks now. I'm experiencing some symptoms that I don't know if they are due to cml, meds, or idiosyncrasies of my own. I also don't have the foggiest whether to consider this too important to wait 10 more days before my next appointment, or call the triage nurse now. If anyone can offer relevant advice, is love to get some.

Hi Constance,

What kind of symptoms are you experiencing?

Sandy

I guess I was in the middle of editing my part when you asked. Did the edit go through our should I today?

Insomnia is lots worse. I'm used to 5-6 hours (broken) away night. Lately it's been 2 hrs.

Normal nausea and alternating diarrhea and constipation.

Exacerbation of existing (PTSD especially the startle, hyper vigilance) and severity of my essential hand tremors.

And my biggest problem is worsening cognitive lapses. I forget how to do things, names get lost as do words (I remember the definition but not the word) and I forget what I'm doing and saying in the middle of doing it.

Then today I coughed/puked a palm sized mucous that was a bit streaked.

So can this wait the 10 days until I see the oncologist again? My numbers all looked very good 2 weeks ago especially for only 5 weeks of treatment. Is it caused by CML, it's treatment, or maybe I just need to make an appointment with the shrink?

Constance

Hi Constance,

5/6 hours of 'broken' sleep is not good and 2 hrs is really not good, so it is not surprising that you are experiencing the cognitive symptoms you describe. To me this all points to stress and anxiety most likely caused by your diagnosis of CML.

Nausea is never 'normal' and your alternating digestive issues may well be a side effect of therapy. I do not think you need to seek an urgent appointment regarding your CML, but you may need some advice and help for anxiety. If you can find a way of relaxing before bedtime that may help you get more sleep, I am sure you will feel better. 

Sandy

Thanks. I try to deal only in facts but I really don't have any idea how I'm supposed to be feeling or what I'll be experiencing behaviorally. So, then I get paranoid and and start writing about Everything. It helps to have more educated and calm advice. Again, thank you.

C

Constance you are not "supposed" to be feeling anything; you are feeling what you are and that is fine; I hope we can help understand what is going on and see your way through it. Everyone reacts differently to their diagnosis.

One thing which may be useful to think about is that, thanks to TKI drugs, it is very unlikely that CML will have a significant impact on your life expectancy. The vast majority of us will die with CML, not die from CML. If you have to get a cancer diagnosis, this is one of the best ones to go for.

I didn't have counselling after I was diagnosed, which I maybe should have done. My coping mechanism was to learn as much as I could about CML, so that I could have grown up conversations with my consultant. If you want to take this approach this site is a great resource. If you think counselling would help go for it; doing so is the strong thing to do. It may help you get to a point in your head that you are a person with a CML diagnosis who is living their best life, rather than a person with CML, which immediately post diagnosis is the natural reaction.