Night sweats

Dear “Mama”

Welcome to the world of “neuropathy & night sweats”.  They are natural side effects of chemotherapy.  I’m glad you wrote some of your history on your “about me” page.  I would say you have a good support system.  You have your loving dog “Max”—a wonderful loving supportive husband named Jim and your Savior.  You know the Lord had a “sweat problem” too when He was crucified only it wasn’t just perspiration. Although true friends down here may be few who truly care about you and pray for you, learning to lean on a loving Savior most of all, you have a winning combination.  Sometimes friends still care, but they just don’t know what to say or do, and so they distance themselves from you. 

Some of my acquaintances, when I talk to them occasionally will just say, “I’m praying for you.”  I only have 2 brothers left out of my family.  My parents and two of my brothers have died from cancer, and one sister who had Breast Cancer.  But of the 2 brothers I have left, one lives far away but calls me faithfully every Saturday morning, and sometimes during the week.  He always says he is calling to check on me.  Then the other brother lives close by and has probably called a total of 6 times since 2012.  He always apologizes for not calling and says, “I pray for you every day.”  And when he says that, (remembering that he is my brother after all) I say, “Well you ought to call me more often.  You should feel ashamed of yourself!”  As a matter of fact, I called him a couple of days ago.  He answered the phone and said, “How are you?”  I said, “Well I’m actually calling you from my casket!”  Then of course he laughed and said, “What are you doing down there?”

God has given me a great sense of humor and after all, “laughter doeth the heart good like a medicine” and we both laughed about it.  But I really did reprimand him and say, “You should be calling me more often.”  Now we’re not mad with each other, but that’s just his way but he needs to work on that.  And those who have distanced themselves from you are losing out on the joy of being your friend.  We learn compassion by bearing another’s burdens when we can.  We learn to laugh with them, and cry with them.  I know that the ladies who write on this forum are all caring cancer patients that want to make the “newbies” more comfortable by letting them know that “we are walking, or have walked,” where you are NOW. 

As for my sweats, I sleep on cotton sheets, and sometimes throw the covers off.   My thermostat runs from “hot to cold.”  I take a knit cap with me at night and put it under my pillow.  When my head gets cold, I put it on and when it sweats I throw it off (not my head—the cap!)   And rarely do I sleep under any more cover than a sheet.  Cotton gowns are better than those made from a blend, because blends don’t “breathe” like cotton.   Sometimes I throw off both the sheet and the hat.  I don’t have any real remedies for sweats.  I just “sweat it out!”

And as for the neuropathy, I try turning at all angles, but try as I may, at night when I go to bed my feet and ankles especially just go “numb”.  I do wear support socks in the daytime and that helps with the swelling.  And I have been prescribed “Lasix” to combat excessive swelling, but I don’t take that every day.  If I did, I would have even more of a problem with dehydration. 

Presently I’m having a problem with swelling of the feet and legs that sorta’ feels hot and stinging.  That‘s why I walk with a cane because I don’t want to lose my balance, which I can do sometimes.    

As for suffering with cancer, I never ask “why me?”  Actually, I’ve been around so many in my lifetime that have suffered and endured hardships that I never say anything that happens to me is unfair.  Having lived on Planet Earth for 79 years now life has taught me that “fairness” will never be achieved in my lifetime down here.  I dare say we all have a list of unfair experiences we’ve encountered down here, but thinking about them would only lead to anger, depression or both.  I certainly can’t blame God Who loved me enough to die for me as being “unfair”, now can I?  I’m glad you have a good friend who is an Ovarian cancer survivor.  You do want to “hang out” with positive friends.  A true friend will tell you what you “need to hear” not necessarily only what you want to hear in my view.  And that goes both ways, I feel the liberty to share my opinions with them, and do not get mad when we differ.  Isn’t that what friends are for?

In my case, I have one close cousin who doesn’t know how to handle anything unpleasant.  We have grown up together, but she rarely calls me on the phone because she’s afraid that I am not “doing well” and she will only settle for the fact that I am going to be “healed.”  Well, God can heal Stage IV Ovarian cancer patients, but He doesn’t have to.  I always visit her when I go back to see my kinfolks, but travel is out of the picture for now.  But she said, “I just can’t think of the thoughts of you dying and I am only praying that you will get well.”  To that I said, “Well go ahead and pray that way if that makes YOU feel better.  But I’ll settle for allowing the will of God to be done in my life down here, and “healing may not be in the cards.  I’m praying for God to give me His peace and the power to endure whatever my cancer causes and to make the best choices about my treatments.” 

And though I’ve been known to run ahead of the Lord and try to figure out the “END”—(and who among us hasn’t?)—God always says (not audibly but in my spirit)—“Get back to today Loretta—you haven’t even lived till tomorrow or next week yet, and here you are contemplating how it will all end.”  He always draws me back to one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 139.  There David communes with the Lord in his spirit.  (Paraphrased) David says, “Lord I can’t hide from You.  No matter where I could go, You’re already there.  Day and night are the same to You.  Moreover You even saw me when I was being knit together in my mother’s womb, and in YOUR BOOK ALL the days of MY LIFE were written when as yet there were NONE of them.”  When I concentrate on how much I’m loved by an omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent God my fears decrease and He gives me His peace.  That is how I cope with Stage IV terminal cancer. 

Sometimes people will say to me, “Oh well, we’re all going to die sometime so you know we just have to live one day at a time.”  To which I often say, “Easier said than done when your name is at the top of the list!”  So like you, my trust in God Who knows what’s best for me calms me when I start to “fear” about where the cancer is going to go next.  That only robs me of all the good things I still have going for me TODAY.  Moreover, it robs me of my peace of mind. 

Now as to night sweats, I’m sure many will tell you they have had the same experience. And I was left with permanent neuropathy in both feet and lower legs from my very first chemo treatment that consisted of 6-sessions, each one 3 weeks apart of Carboplatin & Paclitaxel (Taxol).  Talk about being tired, my strength has never returned to what it was prior to my being diagnosed with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis/Ovarian Cancer Stage IV.  Actually, I just finished my 4^th series of the same cancer regimen on April 26^th.  I always have “boundless-well not really” energy for a couple of days because part of our prep for the chemo drugs includes a steroid, but I was back to my normal “tired” feeling by Saturday.  I don’t know a single cancer patient that isn’t tired.  And from this very last treatment, my appetite has waned—nothing tastes good—and my fingers are beginning to feel “tingly” on the tips.  But I’m alive and side effects could be worse. 

Most of the people in my cancer clinic are coming in with canes, walkers and wheelchairs.  For my first series of treatments, I was so weak I had to use a wheelchair when I went to the doctor.  And my own dear husband William, who himself is a survivor of Esophageal Cancer, has been by my side constantly since Day One.  First time around, I was the “caregiver” to him, and now we have reversed roles.  It’s not often that both the husband and his wife are both diagnosed with a major cancer.  But I don’t question God.  We are both miracles even though my cancer was terminal from the very start.  I’ve outlived my 5-year handicap placard.  I even glued some vibrant colored jewels to it, carried it into my Sunday School class and proudly announced that I had outlived my handicap sticker.  Now the new one reads “February 28, 2023”.  I just look at that and smile and say, “God it’s all up to You.  It’s out of my hands.”

So Mama, I think I’ll close for now, but I will put a couple of poems that I hope you will find comforting below my name, as well as a reference about “sweats”. 

Loretta

Peritoneal Carcinomatosis/Ovarian Cancer Stage IV

4th Time around with a bald head 

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1.     https://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovarian-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/staging.html

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2.     https://www.targetovariancancer.org.uk/information-and-support/what-ovarian-cancer/stages-and-grades

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3.     http://ovarian.org/about-ovarian-cancer/what-is-ovarian-cancer/types-a-stages

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4.     https://www.webmd.com/cancer/night-sweats-causes

“Does Cancer Cause Night Sweats?

Night sweats can be a symptom of many things, from certain types of cancer to hormonal changes. Medications and other health problems may also be to blame.

It’s no fun to wake up with your clothes and bedding soaked, but there are ways to make living with them easier.

Why Do You Get Them?

Night sweats can be linked to cancer and certain cancer treatments:

• Lymphoma
• Leukemia
• Carcinoid tumors (usually in your digestive tract)
• Adrenal system tumors
• Hormone therapy for breast, gynecologic, and prostate cancers

If cancer is to blame, you’ll have other symptoms, like a constant fever and unexplained weight loss.

Other things that can bring on night sweats include:

1. Medications like prescription painkillers, steroids, and antidepressants
2. Menopause
3. HIV
4. Some bacterial infections
5. Low blood sugar
6. An overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism
7. Anxiety

What Are the Symptoms?

You might notice:

• Waking up soaking wet -- from your hair to your clothing to your sheets
• Chills
• A mild fever that leads to heavy sweating
• Drenching sweats without a fever
• A sudden, brief feeling of warmth accompanied by flushing or sweating

If you have a cancer diagnosis, call your treatment team or your doctor if you have:

• Tremors or chills that cause you to shake
• A fever of 100.5 F or higher (when you take your temperature by mouth) for over 24 hours

How to Manage Night Sweats

Take these simple steps to ease the discomfort:

1. If you have a fever, take medicine like acetaminophen -- so long as your doctor says it’s OK.
2. Change out of your wet clothes ASAP.
3. Change the sheets if you have to.
4. Bathe at least once a day to soothe your skin and stay clean.
5. Keep a fan on at night.
6. Don’t use too many blankets.
7. Sleep in fabrics that move moisture away from your skin.
8. Try a cool gel pillow.
9. Stick one foot outside the covers, to lower your body temperature.
10. Take a cool shower before bed.
11. Stay at a healthy weight.

You can also try relaxation and stress-reducing techniques like yoga, acupuncture, meditation, or breathing exercises. Some studies show that the slow and steady rhythm of breathing may ease night sweats and help you get back to sleep.

Late in the day, and especially just before bedtime, don’t:

• Drink alcohol or hot beverages
• Exercise
• Try to sleep in a hot room
• Eat spicy, hot foods

None of these things will prevent night sweats, but they should help ease your symptoms.

WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Jennifer Robinson, MD on October 10, 2017

Sources

© 2017 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.”

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5.   Along the Road

By Robert Browning Hamilton

 I walked a mile with Pleasure;

She chattered all the way,

But left me none the wiser

For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow

And ne'er a word said she;

But oh, the things I learned from her

When Sorrow walked with me!

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6.   What God Has Promised

God has not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through.
God has not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.

God has not promised
We shall not know
Toil and temptation,
Trouble and woe;
He has not told us
We shall not bear
Many a burden,
Many a care.

But God has promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the laborer,
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love.                             

Annie Johnson Flint

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