Sleep, sleep, my kingdom for some sleep

If sleeping was an Olympic sport, I'd definitely hold several medals. I can fall asleep watching a movie, I can fall asleep at the movies, I can sleep for 1 hour, I can sleep for 18 hours, I can drink coffee before bed without issue and I can stay up for 48 hours if needed. If there is one thing in life with which I am truly gifted, it is the ability to sleep. One of nature's small miracles is a 2 hour snooze on a Saturday afternoon. I list napping among my favorite hobbies. I LOVE sleeping.

Throughout high school, I'd often spend my afternoons in detention as I couldn't seem to catch the 8am school bus. Throughout college, an 8am class surely meant an F for that course. I have crafted my career in such a way that my position allows me to come to work at 10am. For better or worse, my life has been shaped by my ability to sleep (and perhaps my inability to wake up). I am perfectly fine with that.

So what is the problem? I can't fucking sleep!!!

This is a recent occurrence but it is driving me crazy. My mind is a complete mess. I can't concentrate worth a shit. My OCD tendencies are accentuated. I haven't slept for more than 1 hour in a row for the past 3 weeks. My nights are filled with restless fits, crazy dreams, and sleep walking (I have slept walk/talked since I was a kid but it is now a nightly occurrence). I've tried green tea, melatonin, beer, and some stronger stuff. Nothing works. I suck at sleeping.

Nothing has really changed in my routine. The day-to-day stresses at work are about the same. I'm not doing anything differently than I have in the past. If anything, I have less stress in my life, considering the stresses of the past year. If I were to put on my Jr. Psychologist hat, is this some sort of post-traumatic-stress reaction? Who the hell knows? Maybe it'll clear up on its own, maybe not. All I know is that I *really* want a good night's sleep.

In all seriousness, if you have any thoughts on this subject, I would really like to hear from you. If you've had sleep issues, how did you deal with them? Did you figure out why you were having them? Were they stress related (conscious or subconscious)?

Psychologists....discuss...

Gene that makes breast cancer spread is found

Discovery gives researchers a ‘real shot’ at making drug to stop metastasis

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105131216.htm

Wow, this is huge!

A vaccine for Triple Negative Breast Cancer?

"This is an important study because there has traditionally been nothing to offer women with triple negative breast cancer beyond standard therapy," says Stanton Gerson, MD, Director of the Ireland Cancer Center. "This vaccine trial has the potential to lay the groundwork for a new standard of care for women with this aggressive form of breast cancer."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/132965.php

Happy New Year

I won't soon forget 2008 but I sure am glad to see 2009. 2008 was the hardest year of my life by far and I'm sure Linda would concur. We book-ended the year with Linda's first chemo on January 2, 2008 and a clean mammogram (woohoo) on Dec 31, 2008 (gotta cram in those appointments under 2008 deductibles). We also ended 2008 with 6 days in the most magical place on earth....Disneyworld!


We have been to Disney several times in the past, but this time was particularily special. Next to Christmas, nothing gets Linda jazzed up like a family trip to Disneyworld. We had a really great time. I made a concerted effort to not stress out over the $4 cokes and $100+ meals and just enjoy our time together. I've always been a pretty easy going guy, but my short fuse temper usually gets the best of me. There isn't a better place to test those limits than a capacity crowd at Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day! By and large, I think my new found outlook on life helped me make it one of the most enjoyable family trips we've had.

Linda and I have a 1/2 marathon planned for April and that's our short term goal for 2009. That will give us somewhere healthy to focus our energies. Aside from that, a cancer-free 2009 and beyond would be nice too!

May 2009 bring you peace, love, and contentment.

John