@lindasmith1222, @lizzy102, @johnbishop, and all....Thanks, Linda, for your message. I love you're using a weighted blanket. I found that wonderful thing last year through a group started by @artscaping, Chris. She began a thread discussing the importance of doing things for yourself. Giving yourself gifts. I hadn't given myself anything for years and years, other than necessities. I loved this concept and took it to heart.

I bought a new mattress, then a 4" mattress cover to top that off. Wow, do I have a comfy bed for the first time in so long. I learned about the weighted blanket and immediately bought one. Linda, it was a lifesaver for me. I felt so comforted, physically and emotionally. What a wonderful gift to myself! I even now, in Florida, have it at the foot of my bed. My feet and lower legs are usually under that blanket, with an overhead fan on high and a.c. on 50..Ha! Actually, it's a help year-round. Just adjust to the weather, but the effect is outstanding. I hope someone reads these notes and adds this to the helpful list.

I have also increased my bird feeders and fountains on my patio. I have 5-6 feeders for the wild birds in my neighborhood. I loved these creatures for years, but never invested whole-heartedly until last year. It was a tough year for me in many ways, and my birds, learning about them, recognizing them, and meeting new feathered friends have given me an inner peace I truly needed. They have such interesting, individual personalities. I have several kinds of woodpeckers, finches, cardinal families year after year, mourning doves, and crossbills! and wonderful musical thrashers, many come in couples. I adore them so. Little chickadees, a few jays...I'm amazed at the numbers and variety. You know, they respond to me. Several come to watch me clean and fill the feeders, water the plants, and fill the baths. I talk with them and now have new friends. The love is returned! See, this is pure joy for me and helped me through added isolation of covid as well as illnesses.

I also just began rescuing plants at the garden shop, the ones they put out reduced before tossing. I can't stand the thought of a dying plant, so I grab those I think will survive in my home. I have a collection of orchids, money trees, zz plants, fig-leaf, and succulents...plants have been a mental health medication for me for my adult life., but had limited energy or ability to care for them due to increased illness. Try a trip just walking through the garden shop to soak up the life, the remarkable colors, the positive zoning you'll experience. Really brings new life to my entire self.

And, of course, this blessing, Connect. I've learned so much that's gotten me through tough days, months and hopefully shared that help along the way.

I noticed you said you tried the Prozasin again. I've learned and now am extremely careful with all my meds to take them regularly for a period of time to give them a chance to get in my bloodstream, to give my body a chance to adjust to the change, and almost never do I stop a medication without first consulting my doctor. So many of these things can do harm if taken sporadically or stopped suddenly. And, with a blood-pressure medication, we ckd first with my cardiologist and worked out good timing to take everything, since they play off each other.

Just alerting you to my experiences re meds. That may be why this med is helping me some with the terrors. My doctor told me it might take a couple of days/weeks to see results. It took several days before the terrors lessened, then changed. Still a work in progress, but I'm staying with it for improvement I do see.

I'm hopeful you continue to find help for these awful nights. And get to the core issues to resolve the pain. I had an experience last year that brought back the enormous pain of trauma as a young teen which I thought I'd worked through years ago. Well, it's still there and came forward full force. I'm 75. Totally caught me by surprise. But, it's now recognized and there are treatments and activities to help. Thankfully. I'm joining a group of women who experienced trauma causing these kinds of issues. Another stip forward.

Good hearing you're continuing to work with this mess. I think my pure stubbornness and determination are getting me through this process as well as multiple illnesses. Mayo doctors and the system have been my salvation. So thankful for the help from the entire Mayo experience.

Be well, continue to improve, be good to yourself, and be blessed. elizabeth

@lindasmith1222 @ess77 My cat is my version of a weighted blanket. Almost always when I sit on the couch she comes to me and lays on my lap. At night, she lays across my legs and sleeps. The warmth and weight go a long way to helping me calm down. And on those nights when restlessness takes over, being able to feel her purr, and pet her soft fur does wonders for me. It is very comforting and somehow makes me feel more even, emotionally. When I am having a bad dream or my emotional state is fragile, she is right there, sensing a need to help me feel better.
Ginger