Awake and up all night

My babies are happy to pose for a photo anytime to brighten up yours and the OH day xx 

Awww Mischa ️ am I allowed to add her to our pets by proxy portfolio please? xxx

She’s such a softie. We call her squishy. 

Thank you hon, and the babies. Just shown OH the other pic of Mischa and we love her too. What a fab place this is xxx

It sure is. Thank you to for also making this space so warm and welcoming too. Really appreciate all you support and kindness xx

Aw hon, that applies to everyone here and it really does help all of us. Big hugs sweetheart and now I'm off to make our tea xxx

Hello. I have been diagnosed in March 2024. Two years on, and with the medication, insomnia has become part of my daily life. Often I manage to start to sleep only at 5 am, after feeling shattered. About a week ago I started taking a number of herbal supplements, but I am not sure it is safe. I take 2 pills of magnesium together with a Kalms lavender at 9 pm, then I take a capsule of rescue remedy sleep at around midnight, to be followed by Rescue Remedy night drops two hours later. This is starting to work. It really knocks me out. If I do not do that I do not sleep. But with this I sleep around 2:30 am. I also listen to relaxing stories, books and music. My concern is that I might be overdoing it with all the herbal stuff, especially considering that I have several health issues and take a large number of medication, including amitriptyline. Any views?

Hello Mervat, Your best bet for an informed view would be to discuss the matter with your GP who will see from your medical record what prescription drugs you are taking, notes on your general health etc. and then ask you about your typical diet. You will probably already know that taking prescription drugs for different health issues can be somewhat of a balancing act as many drugs have adverse reactions or reduced effectiveness when taken in the same period. Herbal and off the shelf medications can sometimes upset this delicate balance. In the 1990s I took Kalms for a few months when going through a period of high stress at work. They enabled me to switch off and get some sleep at night. I was not taking any other medication. I did notice that when I suddenly stopped taking them there were a few possibly related side effects such as headaches. I am currently in to my 8th year of palliative medical care for bladder cancer but  not on any prescription medication. I do take a one a day multi vitamin pill with iron to ensure my levels are adequate, bearing in mind that I drink so much water that my fairly healthy diet hardly touches the sides  before it is bagged . For sleeping, I usually resort to music and/or a self hypnosis session from you tube. It is still rare for me to go to bed before 2am though! I hope you can find a satisfactory solution to the sleep problem and reassurance regarding herbal compatibilities. Best wishes,  Ray    

Dear Ray. This is extremely helpful. Thank you for taking the time to write back. I particularly appreciate the point that "taking prescription drugs for different health issues can be somewhat of a balancing act as many drugs have adverse reactions or reduced effectiveness when taken in the same period." This is something that I had to deal with recently. I will certainly consult my GP as suggested. Good luck to you Ray and many thanks again. 

Hello everyone. 
I am catching up with all the messages, and the banter is brilliant!  I am loving the names of the tumours, and the pictures of the cats. 
I sometimes answer myself, as I say no one can answer me back that way.  xx