@contentandwell I am so happy and excited for you and the pending trip to Hawaii! You will love it! Be sure to eat some fresh pineapple. You won't believe how totally different and delicious it is i Hawaii!

@blindeyepug Thanks for the comments on Hawaii, I am so excited. It's a real splurge but after what we went through, my husband along with me of course, we deserve it and going with our son and his girlfriend really makes it special. Not too many opportunities for that left. The flights from the east coast are long, long, long. We will fly over via SF and back via LA, about 17 hours of flying time. I did manage to get slightly long layovers to walk around the airport and get a bit of exercise in between.
JK

@amberpep. In response to your question about awaking feeling panicky, I have had that happen just a few times. I discovered that sometimes certain antidepressants can cause panic attacks. The other thing is that your medications may be wearing off early. Since after you take your morning meds, the feeling goes away. I recommend you talk to your physician about what's happening. You may also want to talk to your pharmacist about this. I have found my pharmacist to be better educated on medications than my physicians. He has been very helpful for me in the past. I hope you find relief. Gail B Ledesma

@gailb Talking with the pharmacist is a great idea, Gail. I too have found that a pharmacist has wonderful abilities to help you put your medicines together in a helpful way. Thanks for that suggestion. Teresa

@gailb I agree Gail, many pharmacists do know more about drugs than our doctors, particularly those that are internists or family practitioners. Mine prescribed a decongestant for something that was bothering me last year. I found out from the pharmacist that the prescription was more of an anti-histamine, or vice-versa, I forget. Interestingly though I don't think the education required to become a pharmacist is as stringent as it used to be. It used to be a full five year program but I think it is less now. I find that interesting because now to become a physical therapist or an audiologist you need to have a doctorate! Mine does not because he was grandfathered in.
JK

@blindeyepug I just put the tv on in my bedroom on a channel with sitcoms.I watch the same ones every night, even re-runs. I guess I like having familiar faces in the room with me. I then set the sleep timer to auto turn off tv in an hour. I am asleep within 10 minutes. The tv is a good distraction for the brain. It has become such a habit, that I cannot go to sleep without that routine. But, I find it better than taking pills!

@windwalker Terri: I do the same thing! I don't feel so bad about it, now that I;'ve found someone else who indulges in sitcoms as well!

Teresa

@windwalker I love it! Great idea!