"chemo brain"

[Laurence Horn]

At 1:48 AM -0400 9/12/05, Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
>
>Slightly earlier on Nexis/Factiva...
>
>-----
>San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 25, 1991, p. B3
>In the groups, the women also learn about such things as "chemo-brain."
>Chemotherapy so disorganizes your mind, they say, that it's amazing they
>can even remember the jokes: "Who has this uncontrollable urge to get
>lymphoma? ... A lymphomaniac."


Aha!  I thought I invented the term (although more generally, for
anyone with lymphoma--and I keep my cancer-related correspondence in
a "Lymphomania" folder on my laptop).  Should have known.

Larry

>Cancer humor is a very freeing experience, says Martin, who lost both
>breasts. "You don't care what anybody thinks anymore. It's too bad you
>have to have cancer to learn that lesson. I often wanted to record the
>meetings, but my chemo-brain wouldn't allow me to be that organized."
>-----