Anyone else here tired alot?

Noid · Experienced user Joined: 16 Oct 2007 Posts: 57

Now..i can't usually sleep on my own, not very well anyway. Lately, I've found myself to be more tired and not as with it as usual. I was just wondering if this has happened to other people with brain cancer..the tiredness that is. I've had no radiation therapy yet..

It almost feels like there is a big hole in my brain, and I can feel cold air hitting it when I breathe...ok, that's impossible, but it's what it feels like.

Something just feels wrong..and there is a horrible pressure feeling on the right side of my head. Maybe I'm just having an episode...there are times I'm really sick, then bounce back. I'm undergoing surgery for another problem of mine in a month, so my nerves may be a little bad.

I guess to sum it up, I want to know

1. Does anyone else on this forum with brain cancer feel very tired and sick sometimes, and does it go away and come back..

and
2.. Is this any reason to worry any more than usual.

thank you so much

Noid

plugh · Regular Joined: 18 Oct 2007 Posts: 14

Hi Noid - sorry you're having trouble. I had a grade II Oligo 90% removed on Aug 2. I too have been having a lot of trouble with tiredness all day and then sleeplessness at night! Not sure if it's surgery, recovery from surgery or the Keppra I'm taking. I have gotten a lot better over time and they halved my Keppra which seems to help a lot with the daytime tiredness. Never been an insomniac or had trouble sleeping at night so keep hoping this is going to get better too. Standard response I know but I would take it up with your doctor - hang in there.

brainman · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:03 am Post subject: Re: Anyone else here tired alot?

Noid, I feel tired all the time. However, I am not sure what to blame. It could be depression, cancer, anti-seizure medications... or a combination of all of these. My depression usually makes it hard for me to even want to get out of bed so it is easy to detect when my tired feeling is due to that. It is not so easy to tell about the other two possibilities. Oh, I also have thyroid problems that can be a factor Embarassed

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Andrea2 · New User Joined: 21 Nov 2007 Posts: 9

Hi Noid,

Guess you're not the only one that is so tired... If you don't wake me up in the mornings I will sleep all day long... And after that It feels like my head is filled with cotton balls...Feels like I didn't sleep enough even after so many hours.. It just feels worse..but I slept for 12 hours maybe..you'd think that should be enough hours sleep, but it don't feel like it.

I stopped taking Keppra cause it made me aggresive...and sleepy...but the sleepy problems stayed... Although I'm much more relaxed without the Keppra ( without the agressive feelings )

My doctor once said that the tiredness will stay nomatter what...
My dad who had lungcancer has the same problem...tiredness...

Guess it's normal....

Andrea.

Mama 2 2 · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:48 am Post subject: Re: Anyone else here tired alot?

Hi Noid,

So sorry to hear of your troubles. My husband is awfully tired all the time too - when he's putting our older daughter to sleep, he is lucky if he can get through reading her bedtime story before he's out . . . he usually falls asleep before she does! He often dozes off when he puts her down for a nap too. He hates letting it happen, but I prefer it when he does as I think his body is telling him something.

I know in the past when he was on dilantin (anti-seizure) he said that made him tired, and he is on it again now. When he's on the last days of his chemo he's really wiped. I do think he would serve himself well to get more uninterrupted sleep though . . . he falls asleep putting our daughter down, then I wake him to come to bed but he gets up to watch a little tv, then falls asleep on the couch, then I have to wake him up again to get him to go to bed.

I think if you give yourself the opportunity to get even just a little more sleep at night it can help you feel just that much less tired during the day.

Best of luck to you!
~C~
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Noid · Experienced user Joined: 16 Oct 2007 Posts: 57

Thank you for so many quick responses. I was getting worried that I was just being lazy or something. There are days that I do better than others. I do feel as though if I could get to sleep more at night, things wouldn't be so bad during the day, and sometimes that does work, but there have been other times that I've slept ok, and still feel the same. I guess cancer just has a way of wearing people out. My doctors even put me on narcolepsy (sp?) medications..and they made me sleep more LOL.

at least when I know I'm not alone, things don't feel so hard to deal with. Smile

SFGiants13 · Senior User Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 114 Location: CA SF

Wow, a club for tired folks like myself, I can really need some help also. I've been experiencing insomnia problems for the past couple months now. I probably only get like 4-5 hours of sleep or even lesser each night. I'm always yawning throughout the day, some days I'm okay but feeling tired yes. A month ago I was browsing through an issue of Energy Times magazine and found an ad for a remedy called "RestAid." (Remeber I'm not here to sell) I checked the RestAid formula online and heard it's a natural supplement that can help people fall asleep faster. I mentioned it to my mom and my oncologist but they're both still not sure. I don't know why I've been experiencing insomnia though since I'm already 2 1/2 yrs in remission. I'm not depressed nor worry, just can't figure it out. Question

Noid · Experienced user Joined: 16 Oct 2007 Posts: 57

I heard melitonin (sp?) helps, but I tried it and it doesn't work for me at all. Thanks for telling me about the "RestAid." I will look that up, and see if it's the same as melatonin. Sorry to hear that there are other people who aren't sleeping either, but at least I know I'm not the only lonely insomniac roaming around wishing I could bang my head on the wall and knock myself unconscious. Smile

Mama 2 2 · Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:17 pm Post subject: Re: Anyone else here tired alot?

Melatonin sometimes works for short periods but then you have to up the dosage as I think your body adjusts and reverts back.

Light therapy can also be used to help sleep - my niece is blind and has many sleep issues (they tried melatonin too). Now they sit her infront of a light box each morning for about 45 mins during breakfast - I think it has to be at the same time each day, and there are some other requirements, but it seems to help. It's also not just a regular light, it's some kind of special light box, but you can get them in pharmacies (at least in Canada) and you may be able to rent one to try out initially.

Sleep well!
~C~
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