Unable to sleep more than 1-1.5 hrs sleep (appendix cancer)

Posted by angie @angieoneill999, Apr 6 5:19am

I used to sleep 7.5 hrs a night regularly. Since getting diagnosed appendix cancer in 2021, that has reduced over the years now only getting 1 to 1.5 hrs at best. This has gone on for months. Stage 4, cachexia (38Kg). Tumour also presses on bladder so frequent toilet urges. Can anybody on the sleep forum relate to low sleep amounts and what worked for them.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Sleep Health Support Group.

mbixler | @mbixler | Apr 6 9:48am

Have you spoken to your primary physician or a psychiatrist about this. My best friend had stage 4 breast cancer and suffered the same issue, which was determined to be anxiety induced. She had to take 2 meds to control the anxiety, and after several weeks of treatment it greatly improved. I hope they figure out a course of treatment that works for you. Please update us as to how you are doing. Will be praying that resolution comes quickly.

sbcarcht | @sbcarcht | Apr 6 10:09am

75mg of Trazadone before bed helps me sleep through the night.

angie | @angieoneill999 | Apr 6 10:31am

Hi. Thank you for your reply. I am not anxious , well i dont seem to be.

angie | @angieoneill999 | Apr 6 11:04am

In reply to @sbcarcht "75mg of Trazadone before bed helps me sleep through the night." + (show)

Thank you. I will look into that.

daisy17 | @daisy17 | Apr 7 12:40pm

Check into low-dose Naltrexone, LDN. After a bout of Covid in 2021, I developed fibromyalgia and severe insomnia. I started taking LDN for my fibromyalgia but found it helped immensely with my sleep. You have to get it from a compounding pharmacy and it's not covered by insurance. The maintenance dose is usually 4.5mg/day. You have to start at a low dose and build up to 4.5mg/day. Then it can take several weeks to notice improvement. Most people have no negative side effects (I haven't noticed any.)

Here is one article about it now naltrexone can help with sleep: https://neurolaunch.com/naltrexone-and-sleep/

lauriefeenstra | @lauriefeenstra | Apr 12 3:11pm

I think you need to have a chat with you MDs or a sleep specialist. Many medications that maybe your on can effect sleep.
If your taking megace for appetite that could infer with sleep.
Are you having pain issues that are not controlled, are you constantly worrying, so many things can affect your sleep. Start with a talk with your doctors.
When I was going through cancer treatments there was one med that gave me horrible dreams, I didn’t want to fall back to sleep as I was afraid I would enter that dream again. They made a med substitution and it resolved.
Good Luck!

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Apr 14 8:00pm

Hi @angieoneill999, I added your question to the Cancer: Managing Symptoms support group as well. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/cancer-managing-symptoms/

I agree with @lauriefeenstra that a discussion with your doctor or pharmacist would be a good place to start. There may be medications that are interferring with your sleep.

However, you mention that the issue is the urge to urinate because of the tumor pressing on the bladder. Is your cancer team aware of this issue? Are you receiving radiation or other treatment to help shrink the tumor to relieve the symptoms?

angie | @angieoneill999 | Apr 14 10:28pm

Hi, thanks but I am beyond that. By mutual agreement cancer treatment was ended in early december. I just wondered if anybody else had had the same sort of problem and if they resolved it