h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That used to be my remedy for insomnia when I was still living where I could get Los Angeles area television broadcasting, watching movies till dawn matinees on a variety of channels, sponsored by miscellaneous local used car dealerships.

I found that invariably I fell asleep in the middle of something I didn't want to miss.

I've several times in my life..... at least twice for example, so far this year. been awake, more than 80 hours... not on purpose, and not desired. I have, to my knowledge, never fallen asleep, 'during something', p; E.G., whilst reading, whilst messing about on the computer, whilst watching TV, or listening to the radio etc. which is odd. anything over 3 hours sleep in a single session and I feel.... like I'm vaguely human more than aboutr a week or perhaps a bit less, nowardsys, of regular 2 hours, or less, per nihgt/day sleep, and I really struggle with basic mental functioning but.... since I can't recall sleeping probably for at least twenty years, and I've done a couple degrees, plus other studies, etc., over that period, I guess I'm just kinda used to it... still doesn't make it feel any better though no wonder I live off/on and half the time (OK, exclusing when I've been in comas, drug/alcohol induced sleeps, semi-coma due to illness/concussions, etc... they dont' really count as sleep, I'm sure!)

I hope you'll forgive me for a brainstorm on the sleeplessness problem.

Something here may suggest something helpful.

The longest I've ever been awake was a bit over 120 hours.

I slept 36 hours non-stop, after.

When my Mom had a breakdown, going into 24 hour a day, non-stop PTSD flashbacks for a bit over five weeks, never either completely awake or completely asleep, late spring and early summer of 2013, I don't think I got as much as 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep over the entire term.

She's in a board and care facility now.

I expect your history of concussion has more to do with your problem of sleeplessness than anything else.

Have you, though, ever been checked out for sleep disorder?

Sometimes, warm air supplied at somewhat elevated air pressure, as with a CPAP machine, can help.

Antihistamines, coffee, tea, tobacco, the juniper berries used in gin, coca preparations of any kind can severely suppress sleep.

I'm reminded of a truck driver, 26 years of age at the time, I used to know during the early 70s who had a thing about crystal methamphetamine*.

I lost track of him for several years

When I next saw him, at 39 years of age, I didn't recognize him at first.

He appeared by that time to be a rather ill preserved 79 or so.

As they used to say on the streets of San Francisco, "'speed' kills".

(Methamphetamine was originally discovered in an effort to develop a more effective antihistamine. That was forgotten as people obsessed over its sleep interrupting side effect.)

Besides side effects of medications, there's sometimes also a potential for paradoxical effect.

I'm hyperkinetic, for example.

25 mg of methamphetamine will put me as soundly asleep as 200 mg of chloral hydrate.

Opiates also produce a paradoxical effect, so I have that written on my medical records.

I'm better off with something like ibuprofen or nothing at all for pain relief than with any kind of opiate, so I simply won't accept opiates of any kind.

Neither do the opiates for me facilitate sleep.




*100% pure synthetic grade.

thanks! feel free to brainstorm anything like that... you want at me; asides anything else; its interesting!

I quit smoking two weeks ago I've basically now just given up booze too (haven't drunk much, heavy or regularly for years mind, just occasionally). I've not... done... err... other stimulants of possibly a less legal nature since.... oo err some years back

I do take Melatonin tablets, for sleep (err... non 24 surkadian rythem disorder; caused by my being blind, and not getting light exposure/recognition to regulate my night/day cycle), but.... TBH that did* seem to help a bit... for a while... and now... doesn't.

I've a task, in the next few days (if I can find strength and energy and concentration); as I'm very recently on a whole new bucket of drugs (chemo therapy, plus steroids, plus anti chemo-side affect tablets etc); to kn my knowledge; these are all being prescribed by differnt people, differnt departments, sections within hospital, plus GP surgery; and none of them, to my knowledge are talking; I've no idea even if any of these people, knows I'm on circadin... heck, most of the doctors and consultatnts I've seen don't even know I'm blind, despite I'm carrying a white cane.... seriously! - just been... too much other stuff in my head, last few weeks, plus with concussion and a small haemoridge/stroke, to let me get down to actually sort out my thoughts, questions etc, but... need to know about if these drugs all work happily togehter or not... ; I guess not at bluddy all!

good job I'm .... either very stpuid or of a cherry disposition.... this sort of few months... years... could start getting a sane person down I started finding it amusing.... not long after the cancer diagnoses, when I got a panic sounding TP call me, ten mins before the surary cloed, to say 'can you get here, now!?', and who then told me they've just discovered addisons disease (that's the steroid thing... ).

and... I'm still not conv9inced they've actually diagnoised that right... they've got the facts and tests wrong... its adrenal mess up most cert... but... I've a feeling a weird neurosurgin I saw, ordered a pituitary test based on my brain injurys/loosing my sight/first haemoridge circa 1993.... and they found pituitory problems.... which related to the adrenal... and ... then got their brains wrong and screwed up the diagnoisis.


I'm starting to be able to think Like I'm used too (I've a bluddy immunology masters, and a 1st class biomed BSC). so... soon I hope to organise my thoughts, research a bit more, refresh my memory of my biology, and... with a certain s s help.... get my ... actual consultants/doctors..... on the rops, and woking for me the sleep thing.... I'm kinda used too... its part of it... just at the moment... if only* I could sleep, I feel I'd be able to think so much clearer and concentrate proper (yeh, of course, concussions and concentration go hand in hand like.... oo... nice pair of shoes... )



it'd be funny if... if... ahh. sc screw it. it is* funny... the laternative is just horrible tiring though.... yet still no sleep and yea! more chemo thursday! lets see how many nurses I can....... have hysterical giggling fits this time... with my.... innuendos... and... suggestive comments I'm such* a bad patient!

I am going to look see if Amazon have any Kindle books on offer that I might want to read...

Emmily

Found a Kindle book I might like for 99p. Now I'm shutting down and going to bed.

Emmily
<bluebutterfly\.

Things that can help with sleep, BGH milk has less endorphins and more of their sympathetic system antagonists, so is not as conducive to sleep as organic, non-BGH milk.

Switching to organic non-BGH milk can help.

So can a vitamin D supplement with your melatonin.

Also, not taking coffee after mid-day, going to cocoa instead in the evening.

I know what you mean about poor communications between different providers on medications.

At the American VA system, where I get my medical work, there are medical specialists who specialize in reconciling medications so as to avoid potential for antagonistic reactions, something that's been recieving increased attention since it was discovered that Persian Gulf War syndrome was a consequence of antagonistic reactions between merications used prophylactically against battlefield hazards without prior testing for combinatorial effect.

BGH milk? (well I've an idea what organic, Vs non-organic milk is, I think!).

I've kinda just stopped taking melatonin for now. as a bit of an experiment; so far, seems to suggest sleep the same, or better, not taking it (suggesting its interacting with some other meds/drugs/whatever in my system, right now).
Consultant wrote me a script and scored me some sleeping tablets; that I have here, right now; but I'm not taking them, yet; gonna do some research on them first, decide if I really think its a good idea; or maybe reserve, in supply/store; and try one, one time, if I get say, two really really bad consecutive nights, try one, tablet, on the third night, just to see/as an experiment.

Also, told today, and will; entirely cutting out one of my anti-naucea tablets; as I basically seem to just not need anti-naucea tablets right now; maybe reducing overall medley of cytotoxic (chemo ) and other, drugs in my system, down, might produce a more..... balanced biochemistry in my blood, hence brain!; maybe... just maybe might help restore some kinda sensible dairly, well, nightly, ability to sleep



Returning to topic of this thread; the most boring!;

I have discovered what must be, one of the truely most boring things to do, ever;

sit, in a chair, unable to get up, or move, overly much (oddly, no restraints!; ).

whilst, slowely. ever so damn slowely, various cytotoxic drugs, each of about 400 or 300 ML, volumes, and each in combination with a litre of sodium chloride, is, slowely, slowely, dripped into your body, through a IV/cathata attached to a port-o-cath burried in my chest, directly into my vina cava, and thence, directly into my heart, and blood stream.

no pain. no discomfort. no anything. cept hour after hour of just sitting... and doing nothing! so boring! ktedium broken only slightly, by my suggestive, often exual inuendos, given to various as they changed the drugs, and the sodium chloride bags over and checked 'my line' etc. and gave me, yet more cups of and little bits of


so. tediuous.

and. then.
oh. joy of joys. yet more tedium;

What goes in. must come out. so much peeing! ; at least swolen feet have gone back to normal. at leat I've almost* u un-folded my back, and got some muscules to relax back to normal, and stretch out a bit. really. not recomended as a passtime

I vaguely remember almost waking up when I slept through the alarm clock this morning.

I went in the Pound Shop yesterday, mainly cos my dodgy knee was playing up a bit and you get Anadin Extra for, you've guessed it! I'd forgotten to bring my prescribed stuff out with me. Anyways I've had a bit of a cold which is getting better thanks, but I also saw they had those nasal spray things which I've been paying £3.50 for at Boots, I bought one anyway ready for next time, a bargain's not to be sniffed at I reckon. Well, then I looked at the CD's, play it again they're called, they recycle them and repackage them somehow, never bought one before, all I could ever find was All Saints back numbers or Blue, or Line dancing compilations or something. Anyways I came across a Paul Simon album, I love Paul Simon me, Rhythm of the Saints, sort of Graceland revisited with South American musicians, anyway it plays just great and is a terrific album. Great percussion and a couple of Paul Simon songs I'd never heard before. What can you get for a quid these days? There was a Frankie Laine best of I would have bought like a shot but I've got most of Frankie's stuff on various albums. I had a band once and we did a rather good version of 'Mule Train,' clippity cloppin over hills and plains.......

I bought every pie, today, taht Greg's the bakery had; then sat down, in their cafe area, and ate them all.

I think my family would be proud of me. heck, I am! (OK< truth be told, they didn't have many pies left, but... I did eat them out of every pie they had left!)

I'm going quizzing again tonight, and again we're one short for a team of six, anybody live near enough to Wallingford to come along and join in? Supper's provided and it's jolly good. Oh, I watched that Quiz Night programme on Sky 1 last night, I kid you not, one of the questions was how many calories are there in a teaspoon of semen! I hope that hasn't put anybody off the supper, first cum first served.

sadly not... though the offer of a free supper is so* tempting

lots and lots of caffine, from strong black coffee here... today... and I've just taken delivery of a new batch of towels... each of which I had to unfold, take off a sticky label, then re-fold... how very dull... breakfast/lunch may happen soon though... which is good...

Please would you be so kind as to be specific regarding the cost of the analgesics you mention as for sale in the pound shop? Thank you.

The best time of day to force sleep is when one is just waking up, if one's schedule allows.

The next best is right after the loo call when waking is forced by bladder pressure.

I'm still thinking of this half can of coke/cola.... and wondering if it were ever drunk... its the type of thing almost exactly perfectly designed, for my memory to drag up, at circa 6 AM, and prevent sleep.... although, as it is not nw 6 AM, it is, less significent I guess.

I just got a phonecall from tarquin. tarquin is my name for any tcall-center phonecall caller, who calls. - I useually run up and down the stairs crying 'tarquin' but, right now... I don't have the energy.... or coordination

I just checked my lottery ticket from Saturday and I won £10 on Thunderball. That was for getting the Thunderball and two numbers. I will say here and now that there is no point in sending me begging letters.

I won a fiver on the Euromillions once, but I didn't let it change me.

One of the best prizes I won this year... didn't even cost me to enter... though the criteria for entry was having cancer .... that little "-" symbol.... twice on a result sheet

I bought new towels, a while back... and now, ahving washed them all yesterday, in a hot wash... and folded then all in a - like fashion, yesterday... today I cleaned the cupboard where they live... and put them away.... - its a tighter fit than it used to be... in a kind of... damnit... they won't relaly all fit well.... having too many s is the least of my worries I guess....

last pot of 'real' tea of the day coming up; then I'm switching to jasmine (new caffination reduction plan...) I did cheat last night for sleep... and just popped some tablets and got the rubbish sleep that gives really

I went to the 99 pee shop today, just for a bit of variety. The mini Easter eggs are very good value I reckon, if you buy this Walkers brand they stock, you get twice as much for your 99 pee then if you buy Cadbury's! I take them out the packet anyway and put them in a big bowl, they look quite attractive and nobody notices the difference. Oh and they've got rum and raisin mini eggs and ginger flavoured ones too! I read that the 99 pee shop has been taken over by Poundland, but it was still 99 pee today, thank goodness, every penny counts.