Not much to report from our bubble. Ally is still doing okay...I would say fair. She ate absolutely nothing today except for a chocolate graham cracker (healthy, I know). Her belly hurts, her legs are hurting from the vincristin and she burst out in tears a few times. So I guess that is saying we are back to our chemo-reality. I am still okay with it though...as long as we are not in the hospital or dealing with crazy dark rooms and/or headaches. I was about ready to jump out the window by the time Jerad got home from work. I was on my last nerve because I believe someone said "mommy" about every three minutes all day long today. I mean for 12 straight hours. And then, I have Ally wanting to help me with absolutely everything. I never cook a dinner without her. She is in there doing laundry with me, looking over my shoulder with every work thing I do, etc, etc. You get the idea. And although I know it is a blessing that she wants to be with me every minute, I also need a small amount of space or I could go crazy. And I was close. Personal space is a good thing and I need some! So I am really really looking forward to having my weekend away with my sister and my Dad. I am so grateful. I don't even think I could be as generous as my husband is being by letting me go. I know I would be too scared that something would happen. But if you know Jerad, he is as laid back as they come. And luckily my kids have inherited this gene from him too. So off I go......on Friday morning.
We are trying a bit of an experiment. I wanted to see if anyone had anything wise to share about this. Ally has been having a lot of trouble with sleeping. A lot. She is up on average four or five times every night and it also takes her a fair amount of time to fall asleep. This has been going on for months. I don't know what it is (she is not taking the steriods right now) but it causes a lot of stress around here. It is also quite rough on the parents, primarily Jerad, so I finally decided to talk to Dr. B about it. I told him the problem, but then I quickly stated that I did not want any sort of narcotic or vicodin or ambien or anything like that. I am VERY careful to give Ally as little medicine as absolutely possible...God knows she certainly gets enough chemo in her little body. He told me to try melatonin. This is actually a natural substance that our body makes that can be purchased at the local Vitamin World. So we tried it tonight. And I am actually going to try it myself tonight as I also have a lot of problems sleeping. So I will let you know how it goes, but wondering if anybody else uses it or has any advice???
Also: our friend Cory is doing much much better. I am not sure if he is technically out of the coma, but he is off the ventilator and sedative medicine and is responding to things. I am so grateful that God is Good! Prayers do work! Keep sending them up for all the kids!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Dad tried melatonin years and years ago. I don't remember how well it worked for him though. I sure hope it helps her! (and you). Friday, Friday, Friday = fun fun fun!
ReplyDeleteHere is to a restful night and a weekend away. You need both and will feel so refreshed come Monday. Enjoy your break and the time you get to spend with Sis and Dad. Hugs to you!
ReplyDeleteA
Melatonin. Ironically enough I was told the same thing for my daughter just the other day by a pediatrician in town - Dr. Wingate. I said that she can not turn off her brain and then she worries that she wont't fall asleep and then we are up to midnight and 1 AM with her because of that. We have not actually used it yet as we just heard about this last week.
ReplyDeleteMy friend uses melatonin & also 6-8 months ago started using it for her daughter. As recommended by their pediatrician. It has helped & their night life is much nicer these days.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think I'll just jump on the melatonin band wagon too and get some for Matt! He doesn't sleep either. I hope this weekend in Florida is great--and that Jerad's at home goes well too.
ReplyDeleteNever used it for Allison but we had the same sleep issues until she started maintenance. Absolutely awful on all of us.....I was about ready to lose it. She sleeps great now so I attribute it to all of the chemo she was getting. I took melatonin at diagnosis when I wasn't sleeping AT ALL. My sister is a nurse practitioner and told me to take it or I wouldn't be able to function anymore. I took it for a good month until I got into the swing of this new life and it worked for me. I only took 1/2 a pill as the whole one wiped me out. I took one the few nights before the 1/2 marathon as I was nervous so couldn't sleep. Give it a try....hope it helps :)
ReplyDeleteHi there. We used Melatonin for about a year with Morgan. We had seen a Developmental Ped at Children's (the Director) and she recommended it. Figured you can't receive a much higher reco than that. Anyway, it worked really well for us. Definitely got us over a hump. She goes to bed fine without it now so I see no long lasting ill effects. I am sure Ally is used to pills, but there is also a liquid version. You can buy it at health food stores. I will warn you though...it tastes like a shot of Jagermiester. I took it before I gave it to Morgan...just to determine the effects. I felt it worked well and, I felt no side effects in the a.m. Let me know if you have any more questions. Hugs, Jenny
ReplyDeleteHi Janel, Yep, we tried Melatonin as well, perhaps even recommended by Dr. B. Unfortunately, it didn't do anything different for Maggie. Still slept poorly, until we stopped nursing, then she slept moderately better. We are having our own sleep problems right now-- trying to transition into a big girl bed versus the family bed. It's not working very well as I didn't realize how often Maggie really is awaking at night and needing that comfort of us next to her.
ReplyDeleteI've talked with the nurses time and time again about sleep problems and they attribute it all to what the hospital stays do for the kids, as well as all the meds (steroids, especially). Though the kids might not be taking steroids at the time, I think it stays in their system for quite awhile.
Quite honestly, I don't think you can blame them for the poor sleep habits. Going through all that they are going through, it's not surprising. I haven't slept through the night but once since Maggie was born. I just keep thinking it won't last forever, and I pray it doesn't because like you, I'm pretty tired of waking during the night.
Hope Melatonin works for you! Enjoy your time in Florida. Hope you can recoup your sleep and energy!
Janel, I've tried Melatonin myself with moderate success. I think part of it may even be a placebo effect! But who cares, I hope it works for you guys.
ReplyDeleteMay you find peace and some relaxation in Florida. You deserve every ounce of sunshine you find there. Soak it up, girl.