My dad has stage IV nsc lung cancer, diagnosed 2 months ago. He's 6 weeks into chemotherapy -- carboplatin & taxotere. He's suffering more than expected by his doctors. Among this laundry list of health problems he's trying to resolve, his sleep has deteriorated dramatically.
6 weeks ago he would take two over-the-counter sleep-aids (simply sleep - Diphenhyramine) each night and was able to sleep for at least 6 or 7 hours at a stretch. That has whittled down to less than an hour at a time.
Any advice? I've suggested he try another sleep-aid and he's open to that but there are so many. His doctor prescribed something that had no effect at all.
My dad has stage IV nsc lung cancer, diagnosed 2 months ago. He's 6 weeks into chemotherapy -- carboplatin & taxotere. He's suffering more than expected by his doctors. Among this laundry list of health problems he's trying to resolve, his sleep has deteriorated dramatically.
6 weeks ago he would take two over-the-counter sleep-aids (simply sleep - Diphenhyramine) each night and was able to sleep for at least 6 or 7 hours at a stretch. That has whittled down to less than an hour at a time.
Any advice? I've suggested he try another sleep-aid and he's open to that but there are so many. His doctor prescribed something that had no effect at all.
Thank you all,
Mark Schneider
Cleveland, Ohio
Hi Mark,
My mother used to have trouble sleeping due to shortness of breath at night. Her doc prescribed Ambien for her and it seemed to help quite a bit. From what I have heard about Ambien, it is less disruptive to your natural sleep rhythms than other sleep aids. So you feel less groggy in the morning and you sleep more soundly during the night. Hope that helps.
Mark,
My Mom also had problems sleeping and we found a tea from a health food store that is called teddy bear tea---it is a tea to help you sleep --it is for anyone--not just cancer patients and with the stress that our family has had we have drank it and it really does work! Good Luck and May God be with you thru these trying times
