INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours

1…947948950952953…1503

Comments

  • Smaarty
    Smaarty Member Posts: 2,951
    edited August 2015

    I think so. We have a back corner room. The view I posted is the back window, out the side window its raining! Crazy

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • susan3
    susan3 Member Posts: 3,728
    edited August 2015

    z, so,sorry to,hear. In my prayers. Hang in there sister. Hope you get some good pain meds. I take a combo of tramadol and Vicodin if I need to get a whole day of stuff done. Otherwise tramadol is enough. They make some sick, hope not you. Hard to get rid of pain when you can't tolerate stuff.

    Sas, love of life sent me a link for info. I will pm it to you

    Hope everyone has a good as can be day :)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • M0mmyof3
    M0mmyof3 Member Posts: 9,696
    edited August 2015

    Went to a fair in NY seeing hubby took a day off. He won a Minion at one of the game booths.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Chevyboy
    Chevyboy Member Posts: 10,786
    edited August 2015

    DD that lives here, LOVES minions! I saw them at Walmart, and didn't get it! You guys want to come by and help paint? Okay, okay.... didn't think so...

    But I still love to paint.... just cleaning up the area, and going to paint one side of the frame garage in the morning....... I don't know WHY I look forward to it so much......

    Rosie came over today, and we talked and laughed, and I made her Burrito's to take home for dinner.... she ate Watermelon here.... gave me more ideas on trim paint....

    Spookie...! We talked about you and your cpap machine.... A fiend of DH's uses one....

    Fun talking to you Ms. Sass.... I always learn something! xoxoxo


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited August 2015

    Chevy, I don't have a cpap. I should, but they give me panic attacks. I just got a pump for my LE. That's nice!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • glennie19
    glennie19 Member Posts: 6,398
    edited August 2015


    Chevy: you can come over and help me paint furniture. I'm painting my whole bedroom set.

    Spooks: you got a pump?  Insurance paid???

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited August 2015

    Yep!! Have it about 2-3 weeks. Paid 100%!!! I don't see LEist, so am winging it. Moved pressure up a bit, use 1hour a day. I can see, feel some improvement. It was ignored for a loooooong time,at be too late.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • luvmygoats
    luvmygoats Member Posts: 2,942
    edited August 2015

    Help me. Who was it on here that was tested for sleep apnea and her DH? West Coaster cause I remember Kaiser being involved.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited August 2015

    Glennie, chevy did come to Orlando last year! Trying to get her to come back. That's her in the red shirt.image

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • glennie19
    glennie19 Member Posts: 6,398
    edited August 2015


    Excellent getting insurance to pay!  Good job!!

     

    You all look great.  Where was that taken?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited August 2015

    Celebration. Great place for lunch :)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mema4
    mema4 Member Posts: 574
    edited August 2015

    Beautiful women - I remember when ya posted it here. I went to Key Whitman today. They're the eye Lasix docs but I'm having the catarack surgery even though it's not too bad, just ready to get rid of the glasses and to me my vision is getting cloudier. Anyway, when he said the would be giving me a light sedation that set off bells in my head! I do not do well with anesthesia. He says it is fine, you'll wake up in 15 or 20 minutes, it's just meant to knock you out a little. Yeah, right. I could sleep all afternoon on a little shot!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited August 2015

    Mema, Ask for a time earlier in the day. That way if you need to have more time to sleep it off, you have the time. Since this is elective, it's worth the rescheduling to the first case of the day. Also, explain to the staff and your ride that they won't take you home until you are wide awake and walking normal. You may not remember the going home or walking, but walking / talking, normal after a twilight is generally good enough to go home. Obviously, vital signs stable, but discharge wouldn't even be considered if they weren't, had to add that OCD.

    The drug you will be given is likely Versed. Ask. Versed (midazolam) is in the Benzodiazipine family of drugs. Other drugs in this family(class) are valium-diazepam, Xanax-alprazolam, Restoril - temazepam, Ativan-lorazepam. Lovely family -lol. Each drug in the family has it's one little characteristic that makes it special. Common to all is a reduction in anxiety. Common to all , but more prominent in some is muscle relaxation. Most pronounced in Valium and Versed.

    A degree of amnesia is common to all, but most pronounced in Valium and Versed. Strongest in Versed. Versed replaced Valium as the drug of choice in the late 80's. That's why it's used as a twilight and as an adjuncnt for all sx's. We don't want to remember sx.

    Totally love Versed. For me immense muscle relaxation(greater than valium) which muscle pain is a big issue all the time. When I get to have Versed, It's a joy. Bestest sleep ever and I wake up without pain and so rested. I don't care about the remembering of anything, just the deliousness of no pain. Docs would deny I have this effect from the drug, but they aren't me. The no muscle pain last till the next day--delicious.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited August 2015

    Actually, Mema need to reconsider last description. Need more info. Do you react strongly to standard dosing of drugs:? Important.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • blondiex46
    blondiex46 Member Posts: 5,712
    edited August 2015

    Sorry sass bout u r brother

    Lurking

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kjones13
    Kjones13 Member Posts: 1,520
    edited August 2015

    sas--just curious...a RN once told me that taking ativan every day can have an effect on a person when they have future surgeries. Is that because of drug tolerance and it having similar properties to other drugs...or is that just with the benzo family

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tresjoli2
    Tresjoli2 Member Posts: 868
    edited August 2015

    imagei cannot keep up with you ladies! I've missed 400 posts! Can I get an honest opinion? I know you all will give it to me straight. On my regimen, my hair has thinned dramatically, but hasn't all fallen out. I have two more treatments left. Would you keep what I have and let the new growth fill in, or would you shave it all off at the end of chemo and do a "do over"image

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Loveroflife
    Loveroflife Member Posts: 5,563
    edited August 2015

    Hi Tres, I would go J.I. Jane.

    Hi Mommy, long time no see.

    Hi Ms. BLONDIE

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited August 2015

    Trejoli, So glad you are back. What happened with the eye thingy? Must have worked out okay, otherwise you would have mentioned it. On the hair imo, keep it and get it styled. LOL you have lots of hair compared to no hair. Only we all can laugh about something like that. Does your scalp hurt? Is it falling out in clumps? I had one chemo-hair falling out &scalp pain. Followed twins advice. Shaved. Refused anymore chemo b/c the first one almost killed me. What I will never know is if I didn't need to shave. It may have leveled off. As in your case you have some, but two more treatments. Go for styling, you can still shave if it doesn't work out.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited August 2015

    KEEP IT!!!!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited August 2015

    Blondie, thanks about brother, poor guy he's in shock , doesn't understand that cancer doesn't get good healthy lifestyles. Never ever saw anyone work harder at being healthy his whole life. Hope you are doing okay? Saw something the other day with Happy Thoughts on it, thought of you. Hugs

    KJones all drugs that influence the brain chemistry can have a degree of tolerance. For example, a person on standard opiod use may need more opiods, some one with an alcohol hx may need modification of anesthesia drugs, Benzo's the same. But when an Anesthiologist takes the hx before surgery, they base their plan of dosing based on this hx.. They would start with standard dosing and work up to the needed amount to accomplish anesthesia. What makes their work harder is if someone doesn't tell them about usage. That can make their work harder and immediate recovery post op harder because the brain is all messed up with drugs.----------------I get to say it here like we would talk in OR or Recovery unit. In presence of patients or family we do it the polite way.

    Curious what was the RN's motivation in telling you what she did? Was she trying to influence your use of Ativan? Standard Ativan usage shouldn't influence anesthesia. What dose level are we talking about?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • luvmygoats
    luvmygoats Member Posts: 2,942
    edited August 2015

    DH believes he had no drugs for his cataract surgery. Had an IV started but says he remembers staff cracking jokes. He'd had Lasik a year before and it actually took longer. No gown, did it with his street clothes on. Just wrapped him in a blanket. Reg. hospital not surgical center. I saw him immed. in recovery. I could certainly believe he had no drugs.

    Gosh Mema. I wish I could talk my docs into getting mine done. All I hear is "not bad enough yet".

    Hey Tres. Comment allez-vous? I go with the consensus. Keep it. You can always cut it but you can't get it back.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Rosevalley
    Rosevalley Member Posts: 3,061
    edited August 2015

    Trejoli2- keep your hair you still have a lot. Hang in there.

    Jazzy- I choked over the Keith Richards thing.. hahaha!!! He's one tough cookie..

    Sassy and LuvmGoats- thank you so much for the travel adventures through Algonquin and Cape Breton two of my favorite places.. soo wild and lovely. I saw the hugest porcipine in Algonquin but no moose. We slept to the cries of loons and watched beavers. We portaged in all our gear on a canoe.. fantastic trip. Cape Breton is so remote and wild and fabulously gorgeous. The ocean is so blue and deep. Canada is a beautiful place.

    Well we promised the kids a trip to the aquarium at the coast and a walk on the beach. So that's where we went today and a good time was had by all. My DD1 harrassed the seagulls on the beach, by running up and spooking them. She just laughs and laughs when they all take off. at the aquarium we watched the otters eat clams, seals play and the octopus was super active. Octopus are the coolest creatures and I could watch them for hours.. so improbable an animal design. Poor thing probably thinks the same of me! Ha! Anyway I wilted at 2pm and laid down on a lovely wooden bench outside the new exhibit they just opened. Yep breast cancer Mom falls sound asleep on bench outside of "Shipwrecked Exhibit!" How ironic is that!! Haha.. I used my purse as a pillow and my scalp was numb when I woke up... that's sound asleep. Napping across America, you do what you need to do. Thankfully my DH can keep up with the kids cause mom's reserves aren't what they used to be. It was fun.

    We left the coast just as the clouds started rolling in and a front with rain is supposed to make the weekend wet! Boy do we need rain! You all in the path of the storm coming towrds Florida stay safe. Hugs to all.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited August 2015

    KJones, In the dark time, I used to take 4mg of Ativan and 10mg of Melatonin to sleep. It was the dose that finally allowed me to sleep. I haven't taken melatonin in maybe 1 1/2 years . BUT I am going to start again. I read something recently about it's influence with cancer. It makes me wonder if it had any influence on the fact that I've had no recurrence. I have had thyroid cancer and throid cancer has been related to BC in the literature, but mine was considered to be another primary.

    Back to Melatonin-------need to do a search like I have done with the microbiome and Toradol. But Melatonin is naturally produced in the body. I feel comfortable supplementing it till I get around to a search.

    I started Restoril in Jan this year. 60 pills over seven months----not much need, but nice to have when needed. When I asked my PCP for them, it was kind of a DUH moment. I loved Restoril for my patients since it was introduced in the late 70's. They slept, didn't do weird things, didn't wake up hung over in the morning. GREAT drug. Never thought of it during my heavy insomnia days.

    Prior to Restoril in the late 70's, the drugs used for sleep were NOT good. Scarey. Patients weird reactions. Then this Restoril comes along. Sleep accomplished and no weirdness.

    Seriously, would love to of known in my deepest days of insomnia at the beginning, what influence Restoril would have made.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mema4
    mema4 Member Posts: 574
    edited August 2015

    Yep, Sass, I react strongly to standard dosing. I've been trying to get approval on the genetic testing for that and my PCP agrees as does my neurologist. They both have seen negative reactions with me before but they just don't seem to get it done. I just sent off my Ancestory.com DNA test only because it was suggested that it might help give some answers but I don't see how but we shall see. I only remember bits and pieces of my lumpectomy. And I was a holy terror at home. Like a complete personality change. For the mastectomy, the cut back on the Versed (?) and didn't sedate me until I was in the OR. I have little memory of the weeks inbetween those procedures. It's like a month of my life is just gone. Still don't have a lot of memories from them. If they'd just let me smoke a joint I'd probably be okey dokey!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited August 2015

    Have you talked Cytochrome 450 metabolism?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited August 2015

    This is one of my soapbox things. LOL who me soapboxing.T he reason I ask is I too react to drugs at standard dosing. I found out why. CYP 3A4 & 3A5 are abnormal. 50% of all drugs are metabolized through these two routes in the liver. Only 5% of the population have a 3A4 abnormality, 7% have a 3 A5 abnormality. But there is not % for my abnormality. One's slow the other fast. LOL I"M rare. But you may be too. Genelex does testing for it.

    Let me give you and example. I can take 5mg of oxy and it works for 24 hours.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kjones13
    Kjones13 Member Posts: 1,520
    edited August 2015

    sas--the conversation with the RN was re: meds taking...this was after taxol but still on the same meds I am now (for cancer). They had prescribed me 1mg of Ativan. Told me it was for sleep, anxiety, and nausea. So I took it every night for anxiety. I slept very well. No issues. RN said no can't do that. So cut me back to .5mg 20 pills. Sleep issues ever since. I tried 15mg restoril. Not enough. 30 too much. Tried nortriptoline (sp?) put me to sleep for 24 hrs. Tried melatonin. Worked for a little while. Tried Benadryl. Too groggy in am. Finally persuaded them to give me ambien. I know it works. I take 5mg. Nothing weird happens with me...but it's starting not to work. So I'm taking an Ativan with it if it doesn't work within an hr. Psychiatric NP just prescribed me trazadone 25mg hoping that will help and maybe replace ambien. I guess I'm just wondering why take me of for the1mg Ativan if it worked so well in the first place! My friend who has stage 4 colon cancer, he and his wife take 2mg at least once a day. ?? Blah. My eyes are blurry now so I think I'll try to sleep :

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Rosevalley
    Rosevalley Member Posts: 3,061
    edited August 2015

    Kjones- I tried trazadone and it didn't do anything. You can go up on the dose they started you on. 1mg of ativan does nothing for me. I tried restoril and had a weird reaction where I just moved constantly all over the bed. I woke up exhausted. DH headed for the couch. I took it for 5 days and bailed. My PCP gave me 5mg of ambien and it is heaven sent so far, it works and not hung over. These days I can take 1-2 naps a day and still sleep at night. They increased the spironloactone and I make multiple trips to the bathroom all night- it's worth it.

    Not getting enough sleep is miserable. It has never made any sense to me why a stage 4 cancer patient can't take the meds that work for them. I hope you get the ativan back.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited August 2015

    KJones a pox on them they didn't listen--it worked for you. 1mg Ativan at sleep is just fine. Hells bells I was taking 4mg plus 10mg of melatonin. But I was working with my PCP. Your RN had to be and ARNP. RN 's can't prescribed. Just as all docs aren't equal in knowledge, neither are ARNP's. I respect ARNP's to a degree, but they have weaknesses in their education. They are not even close to an MD. ARNP's would be outraged to here that, some would say I agree. Off that soapbox.

    You say you took it every night for anxiety. Anxiety is a word our brain doesn't know." What our brain knows is it works and overworks. It can be so busy that it allows us no rest." Study that phrase well. I just made it up, but it is the root of so much trouble. How we calm our minds for sleep is not easy. Prior to BC I never took anything for sleep. Then I was desparate for sleep. I started this thread in those times. ChrissyB told me about Melatonin. Bless her. But she suggested up to 6mg. Didn't work. I thought I was off the charts at 10mg and then found in the search that up to 20 mg was okay. But that still didn't work. I was prescribed Ativan 2mg twice a day. I took the two pills at the same time with the 10mg of melatonin and finally got some sleep. PCP was okay with it.

    Kj....our minds do become adjusted /acclimated/tolerant to meds.... then we need to know how to switch to something else.

    Restoril 30 mg is a standard dosing. A typical hospital order is 15mg may repeat x's 1. total dose 30 mg. I found for me 30mg was too much. No clue in the awful time what would have been right. I truly wish I knew. Just plumb forgot about the drug. Earlier I wrote about each benzo having it's particular characteristic. Restoril's is sleep. In a do over I would love to have know what the effect of Restoril would have been. Lordy, hope I don't have to do a do over.

    Yes, something stops working try something else. Consider some of the sleepy teas. Sounds crazy. but they've been around for centuries.


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories