Calling all TNs

riley - I think insomnia is a huge problem as soon as one gets into their mid 40's.  I am taking Lorazapam right now to give myself some restorative sleep, and it works wonders, but it causes alopecia.  I am really trying to find cure for why I can't sleep on my own. I feel that I do sleep but apparently I am not going through the 4 cycles of sleep.  I have neck and back pain from lack of sleep and I have now resolved that back and neck problem with my own experience, which was definitely lack of good sleep.  I was told I had a mild sleep apnea and even that CPAP machine doesn't seem to give me a complete restorative sleep.  I wake up with horrible fatigue and back pain.  With Lorazapam, all pain disappears.  We need to go through 4 stages of sleep.  The deep sleep stage restores our memory and repairs our cells.  I honestly believe that many of our problems lies here in our sleep problems.  The sleep doctor told me that there is a large increase in insomina patients, even including little children who are suffering these days.  Is this another environmental nightmare?  Maybe this is what is causing cancer, i.e. the natural process of the cells are not being repaired as they should be.

Lovelyface - wow, I had no idea alopecia can be caused by Ativan.  Certainly not everyone has this side effect (unlike chemo where most, if not all, lose their hair).  I've taken Ativan off and on for years and have never had any hair problems with it and neither has anyone I know who's taken it.  Are you experiencing hair loss from it? 

Man, Sugar, I've seen your hair - no way ativan is thinning it! 

Good weekend, everyone. 

Sugar - I don't think it is a vast majority who suffer alopecia from Ativan.  But I know that it affects me.  I took it for 10 months post chemo and noticed the hole in my hair, actually quite a large area.  I also noticed that my eye lashes would fall out and then grow really long.  There is a cycle, which I had heard happend with chemo but since mine continues, I think the eye lashes is also from Ativan.  From a study of March, 2012, out of 31,812 taking Ativan suffering from SE's, only 228 (0.72%) suffered alopecia.  I am that one unfortunate one who had this problem.  I truly can use Ativan throughout my life, but due to this reason, I had to stop.  I have begun taking it again, but need to find a solution to my sleep problems before I lose all my hair.  I don't see much hair coming out in the comb, but the hollowness is profoundly there.  As for my eyes, I am truly worried.  The glasses helps but not really .  My near vision is getting worse than my distant.

I was dx with cataracts at 48. Had both lenses replaced last summer. My doc said the average age for women is 62. I had hoped the surgery, would help me drive at night, but I had all the bad things that can happen, within 2 months (encapsulation, gel collapse) not sure I would have done it, in hindsight.

Sugar: I'm the same as you, I only need lenses for distance, but then once I wear them I can't read close-up. I'd be out on the beach, wearing lenses, with my reading glasses over, and sun glasses on top - lol! Then I saw the light, so to speak. Ask about multi-focal lenses. That's what I've had for several years (although I didn't wear them much during chemo). Properly done, you get about 95% vision for both distance and reading, which is awesome when you're cooking and have to read a recipe... or you're shopping and want to read the labels - it set me free. Now I only use reading glasses when it's pretty dim light and small print (restaurant). 

Thanks Luah, I'm going to ask him about the multifocal lens.  Now that I have astigmatism in both eyes (...go figure!) I'm sure that will really up the price of contacts.  I could probably get a face lift and lippo for what it'll probably cost...lol The only good thing is my eye doctor is across from Sherway Gardens so I can work in a little window shopping while in the neighbourhood tomorrow.

ATeamNana - Oh, I hate a gloomy day! I find that going to youtube and looking up all my favorite comedians can be a mood lifter. I grew up in a house with comedy albums, so I love to listen to old Newheart and Cosby. Hope tomorrow is a brighter day!

One the eye front - at 43, I needed bi-focals. I could never get contacts that allowed me to read, and I couldn't keep up with the 10 pair of freaking readers I bought, so I just went back to glasses. I'm not sure how much things have improved in 10 years, concerning the multi-focal lenses? My eye doctor thinks chemo and rads, excelerated my cateracts.

At 48, I went to the eye guy, because I'd had 3 broken blood vessels in the same eye, 3 times. I have a very unique way of explaining my symptoms..  I said - I am so stressed right now, I think my brain is exploding through my eyeball! He said good news - your brain is not exploding through your eyeball, bad news cataracts. He's a real stuffy, grumpy guy, I LOVE winding him up. When I had to have my eye lasered, he led me to a very low lit room, I told him, in a very seductive voice - you're the first man I've ever met, with his own laser. In an equally seductive voice he said - I have two. It took me 14 years, but I wore him down, and made him human! Don't you love it, when that happens! My onco thinks I'm nuts.. so I send him emails with "Crazy Karen" in the subject line

Ks - awesome news....yay!!

ksmatthews .... Yay! on your news:)

 A few devils's at Devil's Den  Gettysburg Battlefield:

 AND... Mac Fry in Heaven!:

http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/2b0oFiZT/1/5510979

OBXK:  You crack me up.    

KS:  Doin' the Happy dance for you and your SIL!!!

Heidi: Great photos....Heaven indeed for Macfry.

Tif: Congrats on the new job.

Ahhh, sleep problems..I am a memmber of that club.  Guess thats why I am readiing and posting at 2:30 am.  Doesn't help that my eyesight is worse at night, too.

I went for my final appointment for my Nipple tattoos today.  And I could actually feel what was going on!  The first two sessions were painless, but this time I had some pinchy stuff going on.  Funny to be pleased about that, but I was!.  I also saw the cardio doc today, No Metformin.  He wants me to see a PCP for it.....Okey dokey...

Lots of rain up my way, Marsha.  But glad to see it to wash away some of the pollen.  My DH is miserable with allergies and this year is a bad one with all the nice weather we are having.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

Heidi - I'm a newbie here. What is MacFry's story? I love the pics!

Hi ladies - I was interested to see your posts about post-treatment vision problems.  I haven't been able to wear my contacts since I finished chemo.  First it was dry eye, then that was resolved, but I just don't have the visual acuity I once did, even with glasses.  I've been walking around with short poufy hair and coke bottle glasses.  Attractive?  I think not....lol.  My eye doc insists I don't need a new prescription, but I think she's wrong.  I've always been very nearsighted with slight astigmatism and I think the astigmatism is worse now.  Also, she wasn't aware that chemo can effect vision. I think it's time for another appointment and/or a new eye doc.

KS - so happy for you and your SIL!!!

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Karen, That is really funny - glad you were able to break the eye doc down after all those years. My opthamologist is the same, very formal and stuffy. I'm too afraid to challenge it, so I just go with the flow, but he has a way of making benign things sound ominous. I don't know if I am up for that right now so I am putting off seeing him for awhile. I'm rattled enough as it is...

Working a little today but hoping to get some things done at home this weekend, too. It is going to be stormy so hiking plans may have to be put off.