One of my cancer-survivor friends used the expression “chemo
brain” in conversation to me very casually a few months ago. “I came back to
work one day,” she said, “and I sat through a meeting, but I had chemo brain
something fierce, so I just went back to my office and addressed envelopes.”
Now I know what she was talking about.
Kids, it’s not so bad. It’s like a mild harmless form of
dementia. It takes my current charming state of forgetfulness and turns it into
a comedy routine.
Example: I take a pill and then stare into my hand, wondering
if I took the pill or not.
Example: I go blank in the middle of stirring something, come
to, and wonder how long I’ve been stirring.
Example: I bought some kosher salt the other day, used it, put
it away, and then spent ten minutes looking for it again. It was adorable, like
watching your dog (or your grandfather) spin around in the middle of the room,
hopelessly confused. I searched the same shelf four times! I even took
everything out of a cupboard and put it back together again! (The next morning
I suddenly realized that the salt was in the pantry closet, right where it
belonged. Smart mommy after all!)
Ah, the sweet bafflement of the elderly, and those of us
under chemical control.
Enjoy our antics, kids.
Someday it’ll be you.
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