cancer survivor sleep problems

tatooedinpink

your insomnia
Well, I feel pretty silly commenting on this when I got up at 7am for no good reason on a Sat morning, and am still up at 2:15am the following morning. My excuse is that I drank a lot of iced tea tonight and ate some chocolate cake at 11pm!

ANYWAY, I took Ambien after my mom's death and continued it thru my treatment, so I took it for about 3 years. I decided I wasn't going to keep taking drugs of any kind to sleep, so I gradually weaned myself off of it. Sometimes, I still don't sleep well, BUT, I do find that if I walk a couple of miles in the evening, I ALWAYS sleep very well. Regular exercise is probably the best thing you can do.

Hope you find something that helps. You need your rest!

ritazimm

Eil4186 said:

Cute kitty cat:0)
Rita, I love your kitty!

Kitty
Thanks Eil.

That is my baby (Smokey Joe). It is wonderful how much joy a pet can bring to us with their unconditional love! Your baby lookes like a real lover too! Enjoy the love he/she gives you!

Rita

tasha_111

tatooedinpink said:

your insomnia
Well, I feel pretty silly commenting on this when I got up at 7am for no good reason on a Sat morning, and am still up at 2:15am the following morning. My excuse is that I drank a lot of iced tea tonight and ate some chocolate cake at 11pm!

ANYWAY, I took Ambien after my mom's death and continued it thru my treatment, so I took it for about 3 years. I decided I wasn't going to keep taking drugs of any kind to sleep, so I gradually weaned myself off of it. Sometimes, I still don't sleep well, BUT, I do find that if I walk a couple of miles in the evening, I ALWAYS sleep very well. Regular exercise is probably the best thing you can do.

Hope you find something that helps. You need your rest!

Insomniacs International?
Tonight I am going to try something different. A pint of whiskey (for my husband) That bugger has woken me up at 3 am for the past 2 mornings repairing cars right outside the bedroom window.....Grrrrrrrr.
Seriously , I use ativan and tramocet, it works sometimes, but NOT with all that noise going on.
Anyone got a good shovel, a bag of lime and a big hole in the back forty???????

Hugs Jxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

dmdudra

Eil
Dear Eil,
I know what you are talking about I started chemo treatment in January of this year and for me to get a good nights sleep is next to impossible. I got a total of 3 hours last night. I have so much going on my my head at night that it is hard for me to relax. Like how the heck am I going to afford to pay all these bills. When I am a single mom and trying to get caught up on the bills I am behind? Also do I have enough life insurance if things do not turn out good? Also should I maybe at age 46 think about having a will drawn up? and who should be in charge of my estate if something does go wrong?? I am hoping that when all this is over in July I might get a full nights sleep. If not then I am going to take some relaxation classes. I wish you well and no offense but maybe seeing a therapist might help.. take care and I wish you luck.. D

Eil4186

dmdudra said:

Eil
Dear Eil,
I know what you are talking about I started chemo treatment in January of this year and for me to get a good nights sleep is next to impossible. I got a total of 3 hours last night. I have so much going on my my head at night that it is hard for me to relax. Like how the heck am I going to afford to pay all these bills. When I am a single mom and trying to get caught up on the bills I am behind? Also do I have enough life insurance if things do not turn out good? Also should I maybe at age 46 think about having a will drawn up? and who should be in charge of my estate if something does go wrong?? I am hoping that when all this is over in July I might get a full nights sleep. If not then I am going to take some relaxation classes. I wish you well and no offense but maybe seeing a therapist might help.. take care and I wish you luck.. D

You are amazing and strong.
Hi D, I am sorry that you are not sleeping--and for your worries. This is all very new and frightening for you. I remember that I cried in bed every night while I was having treatment. I worried about how everything was going to turn out too. Thankfully I have very good health insurance through work, but I know that if this had happened a decade earlier I would not have had any insurance at all. I can't imagine how difficult it would have been/would be without the comfort of knowing that the insurance was there. Even now with all of my many doctors appointments. Hang in there, the emotional roller coaster will eventually, slowly get better. I admire your strength, being a single parent is not easy. I am a teacher and I see how hard my single parents work to do a job that is exhausting for two people, let alone deal with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. You are a wonder.

I am not offended by your mention of counseling. Lord knows that I am still not recovered emotionally from my cancer experience. I saw a counselor during treatment because I was a real basket case. It helped but he was not covered by my insurance. I have thought about going back several times and who knows maybe I will at some point to help with my severe fear of death that developed after and is connected to my cancer. But thats a whole other keg of fish......

Anyway, I wish you the best, and I hope that you can get more sleep. Try deep breathing, that is a proven sleep inducer and helps me sometimes. Breathe in deeply through your nose for a slow count of 3, then out through your mouth for a low count of 3. Repeat until you begin to feel sleepy. Take care, Eil

EveningStar2

Eil4186 said:

You are amazing and strong.
Hi D, I am sorry that you are not sleeping--and for your worries. This is all very new and frightening for you. I remember that I cried in bed every night while I was having treatment. I worried about how everything was going to turn out too. Thankfully I have very good health insurance through work, but I know that if this had happened a decade earlier I would not have had any insurance at all. I can't imagine how difficult it would have been/would be without the comfort of knowing that the insurance was there. Even now with all of my many doctors appointments. Hang in there, the emotional roller coaster will eventually, slowly get better. I admire your strength, being a single parent is not easy. I am a teacher and I see how hard my single parents work to do a job that is exhausting for two people, let alone deal with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. You are a wonder.

I am not offended by your mention of counseling. Lord knows that I am still not recovered emotionally from my cancer experience. I saw a counselor during treatment because I was a real basket case. It helped but he was not covered by my insurance. I have thought about going back several times and who knows maybe I will at some point to help with my severe fear of death that developed after and is connected to my cancer. But thats a whole other keg of fish......

Anyway, I wish you the best, and I hope that you can get more sleep. Try deep breathing, that is a proven sleep inducer and helps me sometimes. Breathe in deeply through your nose for a slow count of 3, then out through your mouth for a low count of 3. Repeat until you begin to feel sleepy. Take care, Eil

counseling
Just an FYI, the Komen center may be able to recommend a place for counseling for BC survivors that is free/low cost. I know that I or my family can go to the counseling center here.

Maureen