INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours
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Hi Alyson~
What a beautiful bird in your avatar.
I am heading to bed~
Good thoughts coming your way Sagina...
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Hello, or good night (depending on everyone's state o' wakefulness)!
Judith
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hi Judith; up again, thought i'd see whats up here.. have a good night. 3jays
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Why are you still up? I'm sitting here going to sleep but once I am in bed it will be differebt,
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Sas- thanks for the info on ai's...I am pretty sure I am going to stick with a big fat NO to any medication that causes insomnia....sleep is crucial to healing and if I can't sleep, I cannot heal...we shall see.
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Hey Hadley, I'll be in Indy this weekend at Butler visiting my niece. We haven't made any final plans yet about where we're staying. Anything clean around there that's not 100.$?
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No, I have not had it, it's this Friday. I am not really worried about it since they say cataracts are pretty routine. BUT I have had a bunch of crap going on....a miseralble MRI where they had three people trying to find a vein on me and after 7 unsuccessful tries they quit and I left very pissed with a bunch of bandaids on me and a swollen hand where the one time they infiltrated into the skin. Then today I saw my onco, already knowing my CAT scan was not good because I went to the hospital and got a copy and we are going to change chemo and he is telling me this one if going to affect me a lot more than I have been used to and I might not be able to work and do all I do now....so that is a bummer cuz I think work is my therapy. The problem is the mets in my liver are larger and I also have some new ones there so he says we need something stonger. I have to go to Facebook now, but I will probably be back. Starting early toinight, aren't you all?
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Marybe- So sorry that you are going to have to change drugs to something harsher....have he old you how long you will have to be on it for? As for the veins...when I was in the hospital last month, they wanted to take blood from a vein in my foot because they didn't have a smaller needle with them"...I told them to go and get one....you are NOT taking it from my foot...find a vein! Do you have to go back tomorrow to try again?
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Marybe, I had an occasion about two years ago when no-one could access my veins for a scan dye and I eventually walked back into the crowded waiting room with white dressings up and down my good arm and on my feet where they finally got the stuff into me.
My husband, who had been waiting there for over an hour, in a loud voice,asked me, "What the hell happened to you.................have they been using you for a dart board?"
Well.............the whole room went quiet and the ladies at the desk looked at me and then each ones face turned a bright red!
I was so proud of him at that moment as I think he made them aware that what they do is torture for some people...........at least I hope it was the topic of conversation behind closed doors that day. On another level I was on the verge of tears, and I don't like crying in public so, by making me laugh in that moment, he deflected my public break-down.
Sheila.
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It's earlier , but never know when a sleep attack will hit.
Sorry about everyones trouble it sucks.
Marybe good luck with the cataracts tommorrow. Hope they have a better time finding a vien. Try this tell them you want the best person in the facility. Also, tell them to tell the anesthesia person. Sometimes it works. There was a place I worked and a llot of good stickers admitted that there was this one plebotomist that was the best sticker in the house. He'd be so proud if he heard me say that. When all the best had tried, they turn to each other and say is______ on duty. Technically, he could only do a stick like that for a lab draw. Well, all in the know kept their mouths shut.
Sandee Heheheheh that Chat room folks are lovely, but OH MY their speed. I felt I was in the middle of a pinbal machine. SANDEE. not everyone has the same side effects. I had recently say 6 weeks ago changed my Aromasin to AM instead of PM. Thought it would be better because by sleeptime much of the drug would have worn off... WRONG thats when insomnia hit big time.......last week I switched back to pm .... And thats why you haven't seen me as much I'm sleeping better-------------go figure.
But it does point out if something isn't working , try a different approach.
But ironically, glad ya'll have someplace to go in the middle of the night. I did the thread out of desperation of being alone. You can only watch so many frigging tv shows and movies !
They're a number of new people here-----------HELLOOOOOOO. Hope no one that should be sleeping has to be here much. But it has been nice to meet the Aussie's and NZ's and Aucklanders. Have no Idea what the night will bring. But What is the greeting with the southlanders that says see you again soon in one word. sheila
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It looks like a lot of people were not on here last night....glad you are able to sleep, SAS. I really think I am sleeping better and today I had diarrhea and I had just taken my senna last night as usual, but I think the chemo maybe is leaving my body and things are going back to normal and also last time I did not get steroids. I am going to go ahead and do the Halaven....there is actually a thread on here with ladies doing it....it failed on two and some of the SEs they wrote about were not on the list my onco gave me and I told him about them and got that standard answer, not everyone reacts the same. He really didn't listen much to my case for doing xeloda, but said he was sure that one day I will be doing it because eventually I will probably be doing every one that is out there......is that supposed to give me something to look forward to. Oh Sandee, thank you for asking, but for me there is no time frame on these treatments.....it's just do them until they stop working or you find out they didn't work to begin with. On this one he said we will be able to tell after 6 wks and he added if I tolerate it. I was allergic to Avastin.
Loved your story about the waiting room comment, Sheila. I bet the didn't send you a How would you rate your visit? card that time.
I imagine I will go to bed early tonight since I have to be at the hospital at 5AM, but I will be checking in if I wake up in the middle of the night. Marybe
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Marybe just to keep things straight that was AUSSIE Sheila that posted about all the sticks. I guess when I'm here I should be just sas
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Hello, not even 8pm here at central time, so way before bedtime, but I was checking in to see if anyone was discussing ativan- for curing insomnia- in my case it has worked, however I don't want it to be my sleep aid for the rest of my life. I only seems to need it when I have b/c related doctor appts, labs, tests scheduled, ther has gotta be a better way to turn off the thoughts and turn on the sleep ???
dsgirl
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Sas,Marybe- what a week, huh? Bet you folks are glad it is over...you are right re. side effects..not everyone gets them...I always assume the best..that I won't but glad to be off tamoxifen anyhow as the insomnia is NOT something I need at this point.Sas...soooo glad to hear you are sleeping!
dsgirl- I do not want to be on zopliclone for the rest of my life either but you know..for right now at this moment...waiting to hear when mammogram will be etc.(still scheduled for September....asked them to call again and get it changed!)....might call my radiologist and get it done faster...CANNOt wait until September....but the other thing is that while all this is going on....I have accepted that zopliclone is how I am going to fall asleep...I accept it....for now
breathing in and out....doing a body scan helps too...relaxing and tensing then relaxing again...but the brain is a frigged up place sometimes and keeps going round and round
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Hi Sandee - thanks for your reply- Know what you mean, the waiting - I have tried the deep breathing, relaxing, and I instead end up being even more awake, and this is just because of bloodwork, tumormarkers, then of course when the onc calls back today and says we need to address this increase in TM, I want an ct scan, what ??? I am feeling pretty good here, but then remember when I found the lump in 2009 I was feeling pretty good too. ARGH.
I read on another thread that you had a heart attack, so sorry, scary stuff, been there, done that, I guess I will dig out the ativan tonite, I have not slept well since sunday nite, and already feel crappy enough. last time I experienced tong term insomnia I really ended up physically and mentally unfit for several months.
Best wishes to you,
dsgirl
PS I had a stent implant in 2004, so I can relate there.
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dsgirl- then you just became my go-to-girl for information:) How is everything now? Were you as aafraid after the heart suff as you are now?? the heart attack somehow seemed more real to me than BC..perhaps because BC was the first time I have 'been sick' (well not true...had my appendix out at 15) but I didn't feel it you know...I felt my life force with the heart attack..very scary...can't describe it but since you hav ebeen there, you know....
I had a GP appointment today and talked heart meds and their purpose and placque and stress test and what it all means to me....three days before the heart attack and then the day before two different people (one being my 'ex') told me how great my skin looked..how healthy and relaxed I looked.....and then BAM! heart attack so....hard to go by that. I was exhausted....but pre-breast cancer...was just starting to feel like me post 'partner leaving' so it has been a helluva learning curve...
Remember that the ativan is a tool to help you get through the nights you can't otherwise get through...it is a tool....you need sleep to heal and be able to cope so....if the other things are not working, then ativan or zopliclone can help stop the mind from going in a million directions....it will be ok.
Night dsgirl:) Thanks ....
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Sandee- I forget so easy-------I think I forgot about the heart attack about 4 weeks now. That sucks. What are you on aspirin therapy? I know there is coumadin/warfarin and Plavix. But you could do a double header with aspirin therapy. Since Colon ca is something we have to watch out for---research is very good around aspirin therapy at the 81 mg level for colon ca prevention as well as heart. Hope you see this before doc's appt. Would love to hear theor opinion.
Well still up , but right now it's by choice. We will see later.
Ativan------------great drug......Zopliclone haven't checked to see if it's available here, but agree sleep is our best healer. How we get there for awhile is not as important as the doing----sounds odd , but sleep is quite and active thing with many stages---------effectively reorders the brain and fixes it, like our computers fix themselves in sleepmode. Usa sheila
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Hello late-nighters! It's SUCH a relief that the tech wizards have the recent problems fixed so everyone can get together again.
Judith
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Sas- no worries. You have no reason to remember- there are a lot of us on these threads and we all seem to have a multitude of things going on ....when it rains , it pours and all that stuff.... I am on 81mg of aspirin for life...plavix for a year, a cholesterol pill and two blood pressure things...one to help my heart heal and to slow it down....my blood pressure is already on the low side so it is not the bring that down...I also spoke to my doc re. CoQ10, which I used to take. She said that studies say it helps so I got more today....never heard baout th ecolon cancer and aspirin thing....my sister takes a 500 mg aspirin once per week...apparently does the same trick...she has been doing it since her twenties because when she gets really upset, her heart 'races' so they suggested an aspirin for heart health..good toknow it is helpin gmy colon too!
the zopliclone is a hypnotic...I have had a lot of trouble shutting off my brain since my partner left...I know..let it go....I know...I am a work in progress....working on it. But anyhow the zopliclone shuts my head down....and since going off tamoxifen, I now sleep hrough the night almost as soon as I put my head on my pillow...my cat on my pillow purring helps, bless her 18.5 year old heart!....
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I fell asleep this afternoon - so am awake tonight.
Marybe, if you drop in tonight, best of luck with your op. Are you having one or both done?
I used Ativan off and on for 5 years (the Arimidex years). Arimidex is gone and sleep has returned. Without Ativan, I would never have made it here.
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HI everyone, no work tomorrow, just rads, then my first weekend off from rads, wasn't I just complaining I wanted them to start already? now I'm looking forward to my first break....lol.
Hi Judith!
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Hi again Sandee
For me the breastcancer seemed more "scary" than the heart problem, maybe because I was not having any symptoms at first about the coronary artery blockage, just one day had a severe pain in my shoulder/chest. I was at my docs office, just finished a pap test,I jumped off the examining table, and went to my knees due to the pain, it went away though, but my doc insisted on my going to the hospital for a "scope", some tests were done and I ended up with a stent due to blockage. This happened on a Thursday and I was back to work on monday feeling just fine. I did have high BP I was told, was on plavix for 6 months, and take 2 BP meds.Have not had any other heart incidents, so I seemed to breeze right thru that one. As far as the breastcancer goes, I think it's the WORD cancer that does something to my mind, I did not feel sick when I discovered the lump, and actually was surprised it was b/c since I had 3 previous lumps removed in that breast, always benign. The rads was scary to me, but I did them, ended up with sciatica I am sure caused by stressing over the rads. At that time my doc prescribed the ativan, and did that (and a good chiropractor) ever help me, I was able to finish rads and sleep again. Since then each time I have labs, appts, tests, I go thru the same thing, cant shut off my mind, and get no rest, sleep, and so on and so on. I have had a mix of good and bad mammos and labs, maybe that's why, but after biopsy all was well again, or after scan or ultrasounds all was ok, but now that I need another scan due to high tumor marker I am in need of starting the ativan again as I have not had a good nights sleep since sunday, ARGH.
You are much younger than I am, and it sounds like you are doing all the right things to recover I feel you will do fine. It's been nice to chat with you
dsgirl
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Hey judith thank the techs, we appreciate it-------it's always nice too hear though.
Gina still here?
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I'm here! How are you?
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Awake. and have uncontrolled unidentified worry---------
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forgot to pick up the ativan script------------duh
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I'm so sorry, unidentified worry.....but you deserve to take a deep breath....only the chickens are listening anyway.
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okay it time for good stories -----------lets find some
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Good stories, hummmm let's see, my daughter was in kinder first time in school, food was a real issue in the cafeteria - she really like these potatoes and went and asked for more - the cafeteria lady said you want more "All Rotten" potatoes?" my daughter said no thanks and cried about eating the "rotten" potatoes, yep you guessed it "au gratin potatoes".
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or how bout, when my mom had BC in 1998 and lost her hair, my two year niece would tell everyone that would listen that "grandma wears a rug"
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