Night Sweats

afraidinindy
afraidinindy Member Posts: 80
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My husband has very severe night sweats. I'm talking about "wet" bed covers, not damp. He must put something dry under him different times throughout the night and still wakes up with a very wet bed. Does anyone have any idea what causes this and are there any suggestions on how to deal with it? His forehead is damp and clammy all day, but at night his entire body sweats. Thanks for any thoughts or ideas that might make him more comfortable.

Comments

  • mindy10
    mindy10 Member Posts: 182 Member
    #2
    Hi, my dad went through that and the dr said it was from the pain meds and from the cancer itself. We had to change his sheets every morning. Mindy
  • afraidinindy
    afraidinindy Member Posts: 80
    #3
    mindy10 said:

    Hi, my dad went through that and the dr said it was from the pain meds and from the cancer itself. We had to change his sheets every morning. Mindy

    Thanks, Mindy. That's what I was thinking. He just gets so uncomfortable through the night that I was hoping someone had a great idea of what I could do to help him though this.
  • pepperdog
    pepperdog Member Posts: 96
    #4
    Morphine will cause this. Is he taking any form of that drug?
    Pepperdog
  • afraidinindy
    afraidinindy Member Posts: 80
    #5
    pepperdog said:

    Morphine will cause this. Is he taking any form of that drug?
    Pepperdog

    Not morphine, but Fentanyl patches. Also, Oxycodone.
  • Patrusha
    Patrusha Member Posts: 487
    #6
    afraidinindy said:

    Thanks, Mindy. That's what I was thinking. He just gets so uncomfortable through the night that I was hoping someone had a great idea of what I could do to help him though this.

    Hi Indy,

    Recovering from surgery alone is enough to cause the night sweats as you describe them but I think the pain meds might be the main culprit. I sympathize as I am having the same drenching type sweats (in my case I think partly because of the surgery and partly because they removed my ovaries, too!). I know it is nasty. I just keep a towel nearby and when I wake up, dry myself off and try to go back to sleep. I had a similar experience 20 years ago when I had my twins by C-section.
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #7
    There are some wonderfully soft, waterproof covers for mattresses these days...get one, THEN

    Invest in some VERY high thread count sheets...600 or so...VERY soft....

    I am in the same situation as Patrusha...these night sweats for me were homone (or lack of them) induced after my total hyster during my bowel resection surgery....

    I, too, kept a towel by my bedside....

    Hugs, Kathi
  • Patrusha
    Patrusha Member Posts: 487
    #8
    KathiM said:

    There are some wonderfully soft, waterproof covers for mattresses these days...get one, THEN

    Invest in some VERY high thread count sheets...600 or so...VERY soft....

    I am in the same situation as Patrusha...these night sweats for me were homone (or lack of them) induced after my total hyster during my bowel resection surgery....

    I, too, kept a towel by my bedside....

    Hugs, Kathi

    You're right, Kathi! The high thread-count sheets help. Mine are super soft and, well, absorbant, so I don't have to wash them every single day. Ewwwww, too much information, I know.... (and I do have the mattress cover for extra protection. Works wonders....).
  • oneagleswings
    oneagleswings Member Posts: 425 Member
    #9
    Hi- my husband got drenching night sweats for a day or 2 after chemo as well as if he takes any pain meds (onc says decadron can casue it as well) He could wake up as many as 5 times a night and be soaked from head to toe...you could leterally wring out his pj/s..anyway- what worked for him was 1) keep towel by bedside to wipe off head 2) put a "geri pad" over his pillow and underneath him (you can get them in medical supply stores...they are great- just toss them in the wash and not the bedding and finally what made him the most comfortable was to sleep in a nice terry cloth robe (we bought 4 of them)..it absorbed the drenching..sheets didn't get wet and when he woke up we just changed robes...
    The sweats have pretty much gone now...
    if he is seeing a naturpath there is some chinese meds that are supposed to work..??
    Good luck and let us know how things are.
    Bev

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