Includes bibliographical references and index.

While surviving cancer should be an occasion for rejoicing, many people who have undergone standard or high-dose chemotherapy to defeat the disease unfortunately suffer from a new physical and mental ailment known as "chemobrain." This cognitively dysfunctional symptom ranges from fatigue and memory loss to serious learning impairment due to possible brain damage. In this clear, concise guide for cancer patients, survivors, families, friends, and caregivers, journalist Ellen Clegg provides the latest information on this much-discussed but poorly understood side effect of chemotherapy treatment, while also - in an objective journalistic fashion - giving voice to those medical professionals who remain skeptical of chemobrain.

Based on extensive and candid interviews with both those suffering from chemobrain and the physicians and scientists who have treated and studied this problem, Clegg cuts through the scientific jargon and explains in understandable terms how chemotherapy works at the most basic biological level. In doing so, she provides cancer survivors with the knoowledge to understand what is happening to them and practical tips for coping with the aftermath of chemotherapy treatment. At the very least, Clegg's extensive cross-analysis of chemotherapy survivors' stories with the opinions of doctors who recognize the symptoms will provide the affirmation that so many who suffer from chemobrain so desperately need.

The key areas she addresses include: Tactics for dealing with cognitive problems, fatigue, and other lingering side effects; Strategies for multitasking at home and reentering the workforce; Dealing with health insurance; The history of the patient empowerment movement that brought chemobrain to the attention of the medical establishment in the first place; The future of cancer research and the search for treatments that do less harm; The compelling new area of chemobrain's implications for the mental health of developing children.

While survivor circles have acknowledged and debated chemobrain for years, this is the only book to delve into the cognitive problems many patients endure when they undergo chemotherapy. ChemoBrain brings together cuttin-edge science, the compelling stories of adults and children who have struggled for years with cognitive dysfunction, and the coping strategies being developed on the front lines of patient care. Clegg's investigative study of chemobrain is both a required read for today's upcoming medical professionals and a gospel for those suffering with this widespread symptom as well as caring family members.