sleeping during chemo

snommintj
snommintj Member Posts: 601
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I'm getting my first round on thursday. I like to sleep and relax while I'm on the pump. I haven't been told to do it but I think it helps. I think it's similar to a PET scan. I want my cells to be as inactive as possible so that the extremely active cancer cells will get a higher dose of the chemo. Of course this is just my theory.

Comments

  • lizzydavis
    lizzydavis Member Posts: 893
    #2
    I fell asleep.
    I had my first chemo today. I tried to read but ended up sleeping. Maybe it was for the best. I noticed my face was very pale. Is that normal? Not such a bad day.
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #3
    lizzydavis said:

    I fell asleep.
    I had my first chemo today. I tried to read but ended up sleeping. Maybe it was for the best. I noticed my face was very pale. Is that normal? Not such a bad day.

    Me three
    I never took anything with me when I went just laid back in the recliner and took life easy...Usually woke up when they changed bags.....made the 4 hours quicker to do.....
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #4
    ZZZzzz Me 4
    It puts me to sleep...
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #5
    Never Slept - Talked when I could
    There were times in Infusion where I had to do 6 hours shift or a little more. When I first started, it was less and at the end it was less, but in the middle I was getting all of the bag drops and it would go 6 hours. I was never able to sleep, and depending on the company in "the cube" we would all just talk about our treatments and what worked and what did not. Sometimes, we would just talk about life and laugh while the stuff rolled into our veins. That made the time pass for me. When there was a more serious group, I just stayed quiet and thought about things and let it happen that way. I met some very interesting people from many different places.

    -Craig
  • confused1
    confused1 Member Posts: 50
    #6
    Sundanceh said:

    Never Slept - Talked when I could
    There were times in Infusion where I had to do 6 hours shift or a little more. When I first started, it was less and at the end it was less, but in the middle I was getting all of the bag drops and it would go 6 hours. I was never able to sleep, and depending on the company in "the cube" we would all just talk about our treatments and what worked and what did not. Sometimes, we would just talk about life and laugh while the stuff rolled into our veins. That made the time pass for me. When there was a more serious group, I just stayed quiet and thought about things and let it happen that way. I met some very interesting people from many different places.

    -Craig

    Alway's Sleep
    I sleep through my chemo sessions which last about 5 or 6 hrs. The hole time. They put bennidrill in my port and the lights are out for me. And I have been getting chemo for 1 1/2 yrs. now. And I get it every week. Actually like that I get to sleep. Take Care everyone. HUG"S Colleen
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #7
    confused1 said:

    Alway's Sleep
    I sleep through my chemo sessions which last about 5 or 6 hrs. The hole time. They put bennidrill in my port and the lights are out for me. And I have been getting chemo for 1 1/2 yrs. now. And I get it every week. Actually like that I get to sleep. Take Care everyone. HUG"S Colleen

    I can...
    ...never sleep during infusions, it's always just hard for me to sleep in a hospital setting anyway, I take a book or watch TV, but I have a feeling since I have a very early appointment (8:00 am) and have to drive 2 hours, I have to leave time for traffic as well, so we're leaving at 5:00 a.m. I can't even sleep in a car, but tomorrow, once I get home on the pump, you bet I'll lay down and relax then.

    Hugsss!
    ~Donna
  • Hatshepsut
    Hatshepsut Member Posts: 336 Member
    #8
    Shayenne said:

    I can...
    ...never sleep during infusions, it's always just hard for me to sleep in a hospital setting anyway, I take a book or watch TV, but I have a feeling since I have a very early appointment (8:00 am) and have to drive 2 hours, I have to leave time for traffic as well, so we're leaving at 5:00 a.m. I can't even sleep in a car, but tomorrow, once I get home on the pump, you bet I'll lay down and relax then.

    Hugsss!
    ~Donna

    Bedtime stories...
    When my husband was having chemotherapy, I desperately needed things to do that made me feel that I was part of his healing. I don't know if anyone else feels that way, but I very much needed to help him heal.

    To be sure, he had his naps. The chemotherapy nurses referred to the infusions as "a nap in a bag."

    But, the treatment center also allowed patients to eat while they were being treated (so long as the food did not have strong smells). So, one of my tasks was to pack small servings of foods to tempt my husband to eat---bananas, strawberries, small cans of V8 juice, home-made bran muffins, etc.

    Also, to pass the time, I worked to load his IPod with programs and music that he could enjoy and that would relax him. I uploaded music CDs he liked to his computer and then installed them on the IPod. For other programs, I found a lot of very good free programing online. We are Mac people, so I used iTunes as my source. I made sure he had a lot of choices---Garrison Keillor's "This Week In Lake Wobegon," Segments from "This American Life," The New Yorker's Fiction Audio Broadcasts are examples. There is a very wide array of free programming out there that you can access. Now that my husband is no longer in chemotherapy, I continue to download programs and he listens while he is exercising.

    Hatshepsut
  • Julie 44
    Julie 44 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #9
    Shayenne said:

    I can...
    ...never sleep during infusions, it's always just hard for me to sleep in a hospital setting anyway, I take a book or watch TV, but I have a feeling since I have a very early appointment (8:00 am) and have to drive 2 hours, I have to leave time for traffic as well, so we're leaving at 5:00 a.m. I can't even sleep in a car, but tomorrow, once I get home on the pump, you bet I'll lay down and relax then.

    Hugsss!
    ~Donna

    ZZZZZZZZ
    I always tried to read but wound up falling asleep..Which I didn't mind it gave me less time to think....Keep on plugging away guys.....Julie
  • eric38
    eric38 Member Posts: 583
    #10
    Julie 44 said:

    ZZZZZZZZ
    I always tried to read but wound up falling asleep..Which I didn't mind it gave me less time to think....Keep on plugging away guys.....Julie

    I get loopy but I can`t
    I get loopy but I can`t sleep. I usually play on my laptop. Either watch a movie or surf the net. Sometimes I talk if I run across someone interesting. I also stop to harass the nurses occassionally. :.}

    Eric
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #11
    Buzzard said:

    Me three
    I never took anything with me when I went just laid back in the recliner and took life easy...Usually woke up when they changed bags.....made the 4 hours quicker to do.....

    Never
    I could never sleep during chemo (well I've only had three), but my husband is there so I don't, but I'm too busy walking around and talking to people or watching TV. Just can't sit there sometimes and it still hurts because of surgery. Wish I could sleep, but never could in a car or airplane. I always need to be part of the situation no matter where I am. But things are changing at home with sleeping. I've actually taken a couple naps which isn't like me, but felt so good.

    Kim
  • confused1
    confused1 Member Posts: 50
    #12
    confused1 said:

    Alway's Sleep
    I sleep through my chemo sessions which last about 5 or 6 hrs. The hole time. They put bennidrill in my port and the lights are out for me. And I have been getting chemo for 1 1/2 yrs. now. And I get it every week. Actually like that I get to sleep. Take Care everyone. HUG"S Colleen

    sleep
    Where I go u get your own room,stuff to eat if u want,T.V., lazy boy , and anything u want to drink except for booze of coarse and with all that the bennidrill it is very cozy to sleep. And I don't get sick from the chemo so it isn't bad at all. Take Care Colleen
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #13
    Sleeping was one of the perks...lol....
    My infusions took soooooo long-4 to 6 hours-that I was glad that the pre-meds sent me into sleep...I didn't fight it, even took a warm blanket and,of course, my 'chemo bunny' given to me by a dear, dear friend...

    I chatted till they started the 'real' meds, and then drifted off...

    Hugs to you!!!!

    Kathi

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