Awake and up all night

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Gill.

I went straight to the chapter about his cancer and found it to be a good, honest and unflinching account!

Excellent stuff!  I much prefer reading honest reportage rather than frippery.

Well, H is in bed now and once he's settled properly, ie, explosive mucous secretions have also put their nightcaps on, I can come into my own and welcome the advancing hours.  No sign of any zeds yet.

I also want to wish you the best of luck for tomorrow, and I've got everything crossed that the process will register uber low on the pain scale.

Keep your pecker up, lad!

Gill xx 

Great timing thank you and very inspirational.  Been on Dexamethasone steroids for 9 days and barely slept and hour per night.  Feel absolutely awful.  Hopefully last day tomorrow and cannot wait for some sleep.  Anyone know how long it will take to get out of system and get some sleep back?

I know lack of sleep goes hand in hand with our journeys but this is not pleasant. 

good luck all 

Hi Cosmopolitan.

If you don't mind me asking, are you on dexamethasone for kidney/renal gland issues?  The reason for asking is that several months ago my fella (I'm his carer) was in hospital for other things and a nodule in his left adrenal gland had shown up on a scan.

His CNS assured me it was benign but he had to do an overnight suppression test as his cortisol level was too high.  He had to take one tablet of Dex so they could investigate further.

We heard nothing else until a couple of weeks ago, from the endocrine surgeon, telling us we'd be getting an appointment in the near future.

Now, as he was hospitalised during the test, I was at home and didn't visit until several hours later.  I wouldn't have known if his sleep was disrupted but my God was he in a narky mood with me!

I was puzzled what the hell was up with him but maybe you've supplied an explanation if he hadn't slept, hence his foul mood.

Sorry if this is garbled rubbish but my phone is playing silly beggars right now and could be on the blink!

I can't tell you how long it stays in the system so I suggest you ask a doctor.  I do know that high cortisol levels play havoc with the hormones, so it could be worthwhile to check it out.

Hoping you can get some quality sleep very soon and all the best to you.

Gill xx 

• Hi Gill  sorry your partner was poorly.  I had radiotherapy on tumour on my spine  which caused reactionary oedema and neuropathy.   Pain got gradually worse and unbearable.   They worked almost instantly with the pain though.  But t the effects are awful.  Thanks for advice and I have hospital appointment tomorrow so will check as think it may take time to clear out.  Take care 

Great idea for a thread so thanks for whoever idea it was and to all the posters on here.  Not sure if I'm in the right place as it's only 10 pm but I just wanted to say how overwhelmed and tired and fed up I feel.  I know you don't know the whys and what's but if any one is out there and has any general supportive words to offer, it'd be much appreciated.  Been a bad day today x

Hi again and thank you for your reply.

Aw, I'm sorry you're having a rough time and not being able to sleep obviously doesn't help either.

I've never been great at getting a good night's sleep but I'm constantly on 'high alert' now, what with my bloke's after effects of his operation.  He had a TL and is unable to speak, so can't call me if he needs some assistance.  My ears are finely tuned to any cough, splutter or wheeze and sometimes I'm up and down the stairs like a jack rabbit!

None of it's conducive to uninterrupted sleep, but I'm willing to make sacrifices as he's still here.  Oh, and I've lost a fair bit of weight with all the running round.  Yay!

You take care of yourself and fingers crossed you'll soon re-enter the land of nod.

Gill xx 

Thanks for responding Gill.  It's lovely to hear how supportive you are for your partner, even if it's not conducive to sleep.  He's been through a lot.  Perhaps in time you will be able to settle and get more sleep?  I am really fortunate to have the support of my partner, I'd be lost without him.  Still adjusting, in fact we both are.  Wish I had a magic wand and could make all the bad stuff go away.  I'm yawning so maybe that's a good sign for sleep.

Hi Tinkerbell.

Poor you - you sound proper fed up.  You've come to the right place though, as I sometimes feel down, especially in the small hours when I can't sleep and no-one else is around.

You don't need to say why you've had a bad day but when my days have been pants, I don't bottle it up.  

By nature I'm pretty volatile, so I might have a brief yelling session and then charge out to the garden and stew till I've simmered down.  Afterwards, I always apologise to whomever was on the end of my ire, usually my long-suffering fella, and then start afresh.  It helps me to get all the crap out of my head.

This approach obviously won't work for everyone as a gentler soul probably wouldn't enjoy going into tantrum mode.  But, I am a good listener, it was an essential part of my job before retirement, so if you ever want to unpack feel free to reach out. 

We're strangers on an internet forum, but these last few months have taught me that the brave people in this community are so kind that I can express myself without judgement.

Now you take good care of yourself love.  Cliché upcoming - things will look better in the morning.  Try and get some sleep.

Gill xx 

I had a radical prostatectomy last October and was fine until March this year then I started have broken sleep! It might be partly because I don't want to wet the bed and subconsciously feel I have to wake to use the loo! Sleep pattern a bit better now but pretty tough as I do physical work.