Edema, Sleepiness

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone:

I have just been a reader on the Board of late, but I can relate so much to

the edema and sleepiness that I thought I ought to just check in.

I have never had this water retention problem ever before, where it has

lasted for weeks, over the counter diuretics do nothing, am swollen

practically everywhere...maybe I'm even swollen inside too! It feels like

it. My feel look like sausages too. When I get down on the floor to play

with my puppy...getting down is a hoot, and finding something to pull myself

up with is pretty hilarious too!

And the same with falling asleep on the way to work. A couple of times I

have woken up as I'm heading towards the median strip, or the other traffic

lane....and how is it I could be that tired on my way to work??? I fall

asleep all the time at movies, at dinner, pretty much anywhere when I'm not

moving....Then again, I don't sleep very well, get up at 3:00-4:00 pretty

much every day, can't go back to sleep, get up, go downstairs for a while,

take my pain medication, then fall asleep on the sofa. My husband wishes I

would come upstairs and go back to bed, the only thing is, I usually don't

remember even thinking I'm falling asleep I should go upstairs, I wake up

and think when did I fall asleep?

I have been taking methadone for about six months now, and it is really

great most of the time. I use the Actiq pops for breakthrough pain. So,

SamT you were worried it might be the duragesic and I worry it might be the

methadone, so I try to cut back as much as I can, and the days when the pain

isn't too bad, and I only take 1/3 of what I'm allowed, I still feel just as

sleepy. I thought maybe it was the phenergan. It definitely does make me

sleepier, but I don't really notice a marked difference when I don't take

the phenergan, still sleepy.

So, once again, no real answer or information to share, just hoping I'll

read something soon to help me.

HUGS and LOVE!

Robin R. -O.C., land

[Guest guest]

Robin,

Thanks for your response to the edema/sleepiness post. I had to

chuckle when I read it because it is so very close to what I'm

experiencing, regarding WHERE you sleep. I'd say that about 80% of

nights I get up in the middle of the night and come downstairs and end

up sleeping the rest of the night on the couch. My husbands asks the

same as yours...why don't you just come back up. I don't know?

There's something comforting about a couch (or maybe it's just being

able to sleep alone vs. with him?).

Anyway...I hope you get your sleepiness worked out. Also, I've tried

NOT taking phenergan, and didn't feel a difference. As I said before,

I'm really fearful of switching from the duragesic to another pain

med, because it's so effective for me. I've been on it for about 8

months now...I really thought the symptoms would even out for me.

Take care...I hope you are having a good day.

SamT