I haven't been well....

[kathycf]

A few of my recent posts have been a bit grumpy ...

I haven't been feeling well and have had a lot on my mind. I certainly did not wish to upset anyone...

[Petrarch's Love]

I'm sorry to hear that you've been unwell, Kathy. I for one hadn't noticed you being unforgiveably grumpy lately, but even if you have I'm sure we're all a bit grumpy now and again. :nod: I hope that your health will improve and your other troubles will be lifted soon. :)

[Birdy123]

Hi Kathy i hope you get better soon :-)

[amanda_isabel]

hi kathy...

sorry to know you're not well. i hope that whatever it is you're suffering from--physical, spiritual, etc. sickness, you'll be better soon.

love always,
amanda

[Shakira]

Hiya Kathy. Sorry to hear you are not keeping well. We all get grumpy when we are not well. So no complaints for your messages. Get well soon.

Regards,
~~Shakira~~

[Pendragon]

We'll be praying for you, Kathy. I am going to have to get away a couple days myself as I am feeling low. It happens some times. We just have to stick up for each other! You are probably the most inoffensive dear person on the LitNet. Rest, and take it easy. Lots of us really care. ;) http://www.websmileys.com/sm/love/1273.gifhttp://www.websmileys.com/sm/love/1273.gifhttp://www.websmileys.com/sm/love/1273.gif

[Virgil]

I haven't found you grumpy. Lord knows I get testy here sometimes. I hope you get well soon.

[kathycf]

Thank you all very much for your kind words and caring.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/kathycf/smileys/hug.gif

[grace86]

I do hope you get better soon. I have not noticed that you have been grumpy. Though, I do know that when I am not feeling well I tend to make my posts a little more "in your face" than usual. Feel better dear one and get plenty of rest. Literal rest for the body, and peaceful thoughts for your spirit and mind. I will pray for you.

Grace

[Hyacinth Girl]

Best wishes for you Kathy, partner in PAM crime! :) I seriously doubt that you have offended anyone - perish the thought! I hope that things improve for you and yours soon. See you at "the Hill" :wave:

[Logos]

I haven't been feeling well and have had a lot on my mind.
Sorry to hear it, hope things clear up soon.
I think we're all entitled to grumpiness now and then ;)

[mono]

Indeed, we all hope you feel much better, kathy. Most members, I believe, and this definitely includes myself, have rough days, and it influences some of their posts. I have not noticed any really aggressive things in your posts, but find your virtuous prudence worth appreciation and praise.
You have many friends here that intend only for you to feel better soon. :)

[RJbibliophil]

I have only noticed that you have been absent. But then so many are in the summer. I hope you will be feeling better soon. Hugs are good medicine. http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/kathycf/smileys/hug.gif

[kathycf]

You guys are all so sweet and nice. Thank you. It makes me feel better just knowing I have so many caring online friends.

Hugs and http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/kathycf/502.jpg

(Hugs and kisses... :) )

[miss tenderness]

Kathy , no threads of yours were grumpy,come on dude. you are always gentel and ready to help. hope you get well soon.

[kathycf]

Thanks, Miss T. I am feeling more cheerful the last few days. :)

[RJbibliophil]

BTW, does insomnia have anything to do with it?

[kathycf]

Well, yes it is one of the reasons, actually. I have two prescriptions for sleeping, and the one that works well makes me feel horrible the next day and the other (Ambien) doesn't work as well as I would like. Plus I have had horrible nightmares every night for the last 2 weeks. Ugh. When I am overtired it makes my other health issues worse and makes me feel lousy. Thanks for asking, Piglet.

[Madhuri]

you may try reading a very boring book, I have tried and it puts you off to sleep just after a few paragraphs.....try this tested remedy and you wont need prescriptions.

[RobinHood3000]

As a starter, I'd go with a tome on tax law.

[grace86]

You poor thing, two sleeping perscriptions?!! That surely does not make your situation any better. Well, dear, you will have priority in my prayers...your nightmares and insomnia I am sure stem from your waking problems. But we all love you dearly. Wishing you the very best and that you get better very very soon.

Grace

[kathycf]

aww, you are so sweet, grace. (and the rest of you too... :) )

I have tried so many things to sleep better...reading, soft music, bio feedback relaxation techniques, warm milk... The one thing I did not think of was a book on tax law. Perhaps I should give that a try... ;)

[grace86]

Have you always had sleeping problems? I just noticed "insomniac" under your name...

[ShoutGrace]

Does being an insomniac hurt your concentration during your waking hours? I am a routine insomniac, and I find that it generally isn't a problem if all I'm doing is going to work (my work obviously being infantile in nature). If I want to actually study or concentrate on something, though, I find it nearly impossible if I don't get at least 8 hours of sleep for every 24. During the school year it is a big problem.

There was a time about 2 months ago when I only had about 20 or 30 posts here on the LitNet . . . and then I had 2 weeks worth of insomnia during which I slept (on average) of about an hour or so every 24 (going 3 or 4 days at a time without sleep). But I could get through it . . . I am slightly younger than you are, though - you know more about insomnia than I do, but I would naturally assume that the detrimental symptoms are more noticeable and severe the older you get.

[mono]

Ugh, I agree, insomnia never seems a pleasant thing. If you dislike the way one medication treats you, there seems no reason to take it, but do not discontinue it on my advice.
With the Ambien, yes, it has some positive and negative aspects, meaning that it works for some people, and works horribly for others. As a suggestion, just get some all-natural, over-the-counter melatonin, take that with the Ambien, and sip it down with some chamomile tea - that ought to do the trick! :nod:
Besides that, just attempt the obvious - relax! Though far easier said than done, and I have great empathy, about an hour before your intended time to sleep, try dimming the lights, getting into some comfortable clothes, taking a warm bath, or trying some aromatherapy - all worth trying.

[kathycf]

Well, I put the insomniac as my title for fun ( I have a somewhat morbid sense of humor) but yes, I have had insomnia since I was a little girl. I used to train myself to stay awake and vigilant. This habit began when I was six and continued until it became an almost unconsious reflex. Even as an adult, I have to arrange my bed a certain way to feel safe, and I have difficulty sleeping in strange places like motels because I cannot arrange the furniture to my liking. Sounds weird, I know. I think now I also try not to sleep (even though rationally I know I need to) because the nightmares are so vivid and disturbing.

Yes, David, the insomnia does tend to ruin my concentration, but at least for school I can arrange most of my classes for later in the day, and my volunteer schedule is not very taxing so I manage to get by. I was posting some of my writing here for a while, but have had very little inspiration and discipline about writing for quite some time. I also have depression which has it's own affect on sleeping and concentration. Some folks with depression sleep all the time, and others very little. I also tend to get irritable and a little paranoid when I am over tired. (Hence feeling that I had alienated other members with my grumpiness...I may have hurt someone's feelings somewhere but the very sweet and kind show of support here has shown I have not been too awful. Thank you all so much for that...)

I have tried aromatherapy (lavendar oil, mostly) and warm baths, but I have never thought to get melatonin and take it with the Ambien (which btw used to work very well, but now doesn't do much at all). Thank you for that suggestion, Mono, I will try it out.

[Virgil]

My sympathies, Kathy, on your difficulties. I hope you see a doctor regularly, and perhaps a psychiatrist may help. I hope your health improves.

[Idril]

Well, yes it is one of the reasons, actually. I have two prescriptions for sleeping, and the one that works well makes me feel horrible the next day and the other (Ambien) doesn't work as well as I would like.


I take two medications as well, Rozerem and Ambien. The Ambien seemed to work quite well at first and it still gets me to sleep but it doesn't keep me asleep. My doctor tried the ambien CR but that did not work for me so I went back to the old stuff. The Rozerem is fairly new I guess and it's supposed to help restore your normal sleep cycle naturally, over time, I've been taking it for over a month now and it doesn't do anything, if I don't take the ambien with it, it's like I haven't taken anything. I tend to have such a strong reaction to sleeping pills, I have a bit of a phobia of being sedated which makes medicating me interesting because if something does it's job too well, if I feel drugged, I start to panic and it ends up having the opposite effect so the best I can do is to hope for two or three hour blocks of sleep at a time because if anything works better than that, I'm going to freak out. :rolleyes:

Insomnia is a tough thing, it can make you feel so isolated and desperate and out of control and there's no quick fix for some people. I can tell you one thing that seems to, at least for me, help, have a bedtime routine, mine is a shower, I can't get to sleep if I don't shower first, then I read for awhile before I shut off the lights, then try to get to bed the same time every night or at least within an hour or so and avoid the temptation to sleep the morning or day away when you haven't slept well the night before, regular bedtime and wake-up time really does seem to help settle things down a little.

[Hyacinth Girl]

Kathy,
I am so sorry to hear about your insomnia. . . I don't have chronic problems, but I did have some when I was doing my MA. . . I slept about 1-2 hours a night for a year or more, the prescriptions didn't work, and I remember how miserable it was! Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions that have not been made here, although if the tax law doesn't bore you enough, try building codes! :D
My thoughts and prayers -
Hyacinth

[Logos]

I have tried aromatherapy (lavendar oil, mostly) and warm baths, but I have never thought to get melatonin and take it with the Ambien (which btw used to work very well, but now doesn't do much at all). Thank you for that suggestion, Mono, I will try it out.

Kathy, sorry to hear that you have such problems sleeping but I had to just say one thing..

please don't mix your medicines with over the counter stuff. A seemingly benign natural remedy or herbal concoction can have deleterious effects with other pharmaceuticals because they can affect the same nerve receptors. See this overview of Ambien and what things you shouldn't take with it, yes melatonin is listed :

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/DVH/Uses/0,3915,712%7CAmbien,00.html

Always check with doc or pharmacist about combining things.

[Pensive]

Oh kathy, I am sorry for you... I too have sleeping problems sometimes but I have them when my collection of happy thoughts is empty or my mind is not working. I will advice you to try this trick out; think of a happy memory, develop a story about it which concerns with a good future and then see if it helps...

[mono]

Kathy, sorry to hear that you have such problems sleeping but I had to just say one thing..

please don't mix your medicines with over the counter stuff. A seemingly benign natural remedy or herbal concoction can have deleterious effects with other pharmaceuticals because they can affect the same nerve receptors. See this overview of Ambien and what things you shouldn't take with it, yes melatonin is listed :

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/DVH/Uses/0,3915,712%7CAmbien,00.html

Always check with doc or pharmacist about combining things.
Wow, odd, but interesting resource, Logos.
My personal doctor has recommended it to me before, and it has worked very well for me - perhaps it depends more on the person. Some of the adds, especially those advertising various pharmaceuticals, seem to over-list the precautions (especially for the well-renowned 'sue happy' people). Personally, I would think children, elderly people, and anyone with kidney or liver disorders at risk for such a combination of a hypnotic and an OTC sleeping supplement, but, of course, I do not have the authority of a doctor or, obviously not, advertising websites.

[kathycf]

I have read and appreciated everyone's comments and concern for me. Actually, I have been doing some walking lately and that seems to help out a bit with the sleeping. :)

[Virgil]

I have read and appreciated everyone's comments and concern for me. Actually, I have been doing some walking lately and that seems to help out a bit with the sleeping. :)
Oh yes, Kathy. Excercise will help you sleep. I think I've heard that vigerous excercise 4-5 hours before bedtime is ideal to let you sleep.

[apple jiang]

as a stranger, I hope you feel well, especially today, your birthday !!!!!!happy birthday!!!!