Coughing up blood and sleeping too much

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arndog64
arndog64 Member Posts: 537
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
My husband has been sleeping non stop since saturday afternoon. I don't know what's up with my husband, but he seems to be sleeping all day and night. He may wake up every now and then and watch a little tv but his eyes just roll and he falls out. I know he was on methadone for awhile and that caused some of the sleepiness, but he has not had any since Saturday. He has been taking viccodin since Saturday, the doc has him on methadone and it's not a stock item so we had a pharmacy order us some and it should be in this evening. Just kinda worried, it's not normal to be sleeping that much is it? He is 4 weeks out from treatment. Another question, how long did you continue to cough up blood?

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  • Irishgypsie
    Irishgypsie Member Posts: 333
    #2
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    Sleep and hemoptysis
    Hey, 4 weeks is still early; I had problems for about 4-6 weeks with pain, swallowing, thick mucus, fatigue, etc. I think he is out of the danger zone at this point from his current battle with treatment. It's time to rest, hydrate, eat and let the body heal. I think sleeping is ok; just monitor his breathing. I don't rememebr having hemoptysis (coughing bloody sputum); but everyone is different. At this point he should be seeing a doctor (ENT, Radiation doc, chemo, etc.) at least once a week or every few weeks. Just keep track of the amout of bloody sputum and let them know at next appointment. Hang in there you guys are in the endzone now a few more weeks and he should be starting to feel a little better. By this weekend though he should be going for some walks or riding a bike a little just to get some exrecise. just my opinion!! :)

    Charles
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #3
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    Irishgypsie said:

    Sleep and hemoptysis
    Hey, 4 weeks is still early; I had problems for about 4-6 weeks with pain, swallowing, thick mucus, fatigue, etc. I think he is out of the danger zone at this point from his current battle with treatment. It's time to rest, hydrate, eat and let the body heal. I think sleeping is ok; just monitor his breathing. I don't rememebr having hemoptysis (coughing bloody sputum); but everyone is different. At this point he should be seeing a doctor (ENT, Radiation doc, chemo, etc.) at least once a week or every few weeks. Just keep track of the amout of bloody sputum and let them know at next appointment. Hang in there you guys are in the endzone now a few more weeks and he should be starting to feel a little better. By this weekend though he should be going for some walks or riding a bike a little just to get some exrecise. just my opinion!! :)

    Charles

    Good Assessment
    The cooking from rads and treatment is still going on at four weeks out, though near the end. Like Charles says, he should be visiting one of the MD's preferably the ENT at least.

    A small amount of blood is not really uncommon due to the damage that has been going on. But I know I bugged my ENT a lot initially and he was always gracious and reassuring that I'd be having odds and ends go on for several months, if not a few years.

    Charles is spot on with his analysis I believe....

    Best,
    John
  • Pam M
    Pam M Member Posts: 2,196
    #4
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    Anti Nausea Meds?
    If he's changed anti-nausea meds, that may contribute to the sleepiness. I was on an anti-nausea med that kept me out, but was clueless, because I blamed the pain meds.
  • Daddisgrl
    Daddisgrl Member Posts: 116
    #5
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    It could actually be the
    It could actually be the meth. I've mentioned that I was on it for my back for 3 weeks; I was healthy & it kicked my butt for a few weeks after I stopped taking it. I'd guess him sleeping is a combination of the chemo & meth.
  • Lelia
    Lelia Member Posts: 98
    #6
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    Daddisgrl said:

    It could actually be the
    It could actually be the meth. I've mentioned that I was on it for my back for 3 weeks; I was healthy & it kicked my butt for a few weeks after I stopped taking it. I'd guess him sleeping is a combination of the chemo & meth.

    sounds pretty normal to me too
    My husband is six weeks out of tx and still has a LOT of fatigue, he gets frustrated but understands it's part of the healing and not to fight it.

    Sometimes throat sores can break open with hard coughing and we get a little blood, maybe that's what's happening? Weeks of being burned and poisoned takes an unspeakable toll on the body.

    I'm no doctor but I'm uncomfortable with the methadone, maybe I'm missing something about why your doc selected that particular pain med. My husband is on the 72hr Fentanyl patch, bumped down to 12mgs from 25mgs, it delivers consistent 24/7 relief and it seems to agree with him, it's been a big relief for both of us not to have to dose him every four or six hours. He's got Oxycodone for breakthrough pain but rarely asks for it, they suggested liquid Ibuprofen (Advil) for the inflammation and it's been a help too. Don't be shy about questioning the methadone and asking for alternatives, there are many.

    Some guys need more sleep than others as they recover, and mine still needs a lot. We talk about not fighting what his body is telling him, he's never been the nap type and it's been hard for him to come to terms with being exhausted so much of the time. But his waking time is higher quality, he's more like himself every day and the sleep--like you described, it's a very deep sleep--is all part of recovering.

    I've introduced a fantastic liquid vitamin blend to the PEG and liquid probiotics, fresh carrot juice etc and this seems to have added to vitality during his waking time. Hope things are going better, prayers for both of you -- L
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #7
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    Lelia said:

    sounds pretty normal to me too
    My husband is six weeks out of tx and still has a LOT of fatigue, he gets frustrated but understands it's part of the healing and not to fight it.

    Sometimes throat sores can break open with hard coughing and we get a little blood, maybe that's what's happening? Weeks of being burned and poisoned takes an unspeakable toll on the body.

    I'm no doctor but I'm uncomfortable with the methadone, maybe I'm missing something about why your doc selected that particular pain med. My husband is on the 72hr Fentanyl patch, bumped down to 12mgs from 25mgs, it delivers consistent 24/7 relief and it seems to agree with him, it's been a big relief for both of us not to have to dose him every four or six hours. He's got Oxycodone for breakthrough pain but rarely asks for it, they suggested liquid Ibuprofen (Advil) for the inflammation and it's been a help too. Don't be shy about questioning the methadone and asking for alternatives, there are many.

    Some guys need more sleep than others as they recover, and mine still needs a lot. We talk about not fighting what his body is telling him, he's never been the nap type and it's been hard for him to come to terms with being exhausted so much of the time. But his waking time is higher quality, he's more like himself every day and the sleep--like you described, it's a very deep sleep--is all part of recovering.

    I've introduced a fantastic liquid vitamin blend to the PEG and liquid probiotics, fresh carrot juice etc and this seems to have added to vitality during his waking time. Hope things are going better, prayers for both of you -- L

    I slept a lot too, until I
    I slept a lot too, until I finally got off the pain patch, which for me was a very long time. I did not cough up blood, but my mouth bled for a very, very long time. Months. I bled like crazy brushing my teeth. It was bad.

    Sleeping wouldn't concern me as much as coughing up blood.
  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
    #8
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    SLEEPING
    I agree with the group here. I too was on allot of narcotics for pain and slept all of the time. My Doc's said it was the body's way of coping and healing.

    He should be fine, it will just take allot of time.

    Hang in there.

    Mike
  • arndog64
    arndog64 Member Posts: 537
    #9
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    luv4lacrosse said:

    SLEEPING
    I agree with the group here. I too was on allot of narcotics for pain and slept all of the time. My Doc's said it was the body's way of coping and healing.

    He should be fine, it will just take allot of time.

    Hang in there.

    Mike

    I am sure he will be fine.
    I am sure he will be fine. It's just strange, one day he is up zipping around the house doing laundry and running errands then the next 7 days he is in bed 24/7. He has a check up with his rad doctor today. He is going to ask him about spitting up blood. I know he still has a long road ahead of him as far as recovering. I guess you think he is turning that corner and getting better, only to see him fall back a few steps. I guess it's the nature of the beast.
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #10
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    arndog64 said:

    I am sure he will be fine.
    I am sure he will be fine. It's just strange, one day he is up zipping around the house doing laundry and running errands then the next 7 days he is in bed 24/7. He has a check up with his rad doctor today. He is going to ask him about spitting up blood. I know he still has a long road ahead of him as far as recovering. I guess you think he is turning that corner and getting better, only to see him fall back a few steps. I guess it's the nature of the beast.

    Yep, that is about what it
    Yep, that is about what it was like for me- Two steps forward, one step back. Sometime two steps forward then four back.... But I made it through by some complete miracle.
  • Dav1965
    Dav1965 Member Posts: 132
    #11
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    I slept alot
    I think i slept for about 1 month after i got through chemo and radiation. I was on the 100 something patch. It kept my butt out like a light. Between the naseau medicine and the patch i slept all the time. They wanted me asleap because if i was awake i was proballly throwing up. Best of luck to you and God bless. David
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #12
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    arndog64 said:

    I am sure he will be fine.
    I am sure he will be fine. It's just strange, one day he is up zipping around the house doing laundry and running errands then the next 7 days he is in bed 24/7. He has a check up with his rad doctor today. He is going to ask him about spitting up blood. I know he still has a long road ahead of him as far as recovering. I guess you think he is turning that corner and getting better, only to see him fall back a few steps. I guess it's the nature of the beast.

    Sleeping

    Yep when I got those shots I sleep fore the longest time. On the blood keep an eye on that as long as it is just a little no problem more then likely from the rad treatment. If it starts to be more call your doctors right a way or get him to ER.

    All the best
    Hondo
  • BeacherBum
    BeacherBum Member Posts: 32
    #13
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    Dav1965 said:

    I slept alot
    I think i slept for about 1 month after i got through chemo and radiation. I was on the 100 something patch. It kept my butt out like a light. Between the naseau medicine and the patch i slept all the time. They wanted me asleap because if i was awake i was proballly throwing up. Best of luck to you and God bless. David

    9 Weeks Out
    I'm 9 weeks out of rads and I still feel like I could sleep 12+ hours a day. Just part of healing. Remember when it comes to healing/sleep, the body always wins. :)

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