Sleep, Glorious Sleep!

I don't always listen to my doctor, and at tomorrow's hospital appointment I'm going to explain why.

A few posts ago I wrote about my inability to sleep. Night after night of just two or three hours, I was wearing thin after weeks of this pattern. Feeling the kind of exhaustion that you know just isn't good for you at all, I could feel myself losing whatever fragile grip I might have on my health. My appetite had gone wacky feeling hungry all the time, unable to make decisions because the brain fog was so thick, and my sense of humour was obviously going out the window as my husband's attempts at getting me to laugh fell flat (and he's pretty darned funny).

I would take sleeping pills for a few nights in a row, but unfortunately they did absolutely nothing (whereas half a dose would usually have me out cold within half an hour when I was having a bad bout of pain). I tried most nights without pills, finding myself ever so alert at 3 a.m, and the opposite at 3 p.m. the next day.

In a call to my doctor about ten days ago, he informed me that there was nothing else he could prescribe - and to just relax. Relaxing was not my problem, just NOT SLEEPING was my problem!

I felt that somehow I needed to break the pattern, and it was time to get creative. Everything that is normally suggested for insomnia just wasn't working. So.... I took a trip through my extensive collection of prescription meds and came across an antihistamine that was prescribed when I had my injection site reactions to Kineret. What had the doctor told me? Be careful with these Sandy, they'll knock you sideways with drowsiness! Hmmmm...... Do I see a rash coming on?

When I did have the site reactions I'd not taken the prescription med (do you see a trend here?), relying instead on topical lotions so I had no idea how I'd react to them.

Out in ten minutes. And I stayed asleep for six hours. Absolute heaven. Tried again the next night, eight uninterrupted hours. And then twelve hours, a bit too much sleep but I was feeling energized again, and certainly more clear headed. One more night of almost twelve hours and I felt that I'd broken that nasty cycle of insomnia. Plus I was staying "drugged up" well into the next day.

Time to try without anything to help me sleep, and I've had a fantastic last three nights. Eight hours, waking fully rested - and back to my regular afternoon nap as well to re-energize when I start to sag.

Never have I been so pleased to realize that I was out like a light for the whole night. Bliss! And no rash either. :-)