...so I go into a panic meltdown. Try not to go there yourself... although it sounds like you might have already and I'm so sorry if you have. :(

Try the herbal remedies suggested in a previous post. They may work for you. I'm sorry I cannot give you any advice of my own - other than be kind to yourself... and you're not alone. Best wishes, Anniet

In coping with stress, past, present, unknown, I think we all have varying degrees of coping abilities, and we can learn new strategies from each other. Right this very second, my method is using work as a focus, or as a constructive escape from whatever is bothering me. And simply typing in this little thread helps too.

I'm trying to stay healthy in every way, so I will definitely look into suggestions on natural sleep aids.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Hi Gordon. So sorry to hear that you're dealing with yet another one of life's nastier moments. :( That you've been there for your mum since your father died is so heartwarming. It's obvious you love her dearly. Waiting for results of medical tests can be so scary. It chucks so much adrenaline into our systems that short of setting out on a round the earth run to burn it off, you're left drained and exhausted by the mental torture of staying still and simply waiting. Pain is dreadful to experience and terrible to witness a loved one suffering from. My heart aches for you. I see it every day and it gnaws at every moment.

Insomnia or insomnmania - as I can attest to in my case anyway (you don't want to go there trust me :)) is hard to deal with. Julie I think touched on it when she talked about three what must have been hellish weeks without sleep. The worst I have ever experienced was five days and it made me very ill, so heaven knows how she must have felt after three weeks :(

I don't know what to suggest with regard to trying to increase the amount of sleep you get. I have yet to find anything that makes me feel better the following day though. I do joke about the fact that I tend to wake up several hours after I get up - but it isn't funny. It's horrible. The truth is I daren't stop even for a moment - I just keep going mindlessly on because when I don't an abyss opens up in front of me and I can't see anything else but it, so I go into a panic meltdown. Try not to go there yourself... although it sounds like you might have already and I'm so sorry if you have. :(

Try the herbal remedies suggested in a previous post. They may work for you. I'm sorry I cannot give you any advice of my own - other than be kind to yourself... and you're not alone. Best wishes, Anniet

I'm sorry to hear this, Gordon. I hope you get rest soon; because, sleep deprivation is serious. You can't help your mother if you aren't able to function. Get some rest.

That's true! Sleep is VERY important! One period after the accident I didn't sleep for 3 whole weeks. You don't want to know what thoughts I had then and how deep the depression got at that time...... You can't think straight when you don't get your sleep.
There are quite a few herbal remedies for insomnia, like Valerian or passiflora.

There's a movie, called The Machinist, that reminds me of the not sleeping thing. I can't remember if it turned out well for him or not. ~Probably not. I read something recently in The New Yorker magazine about sleeping pills, and there seems to be a growing number of scientists who think sleep is more normal(and beneficial) for our brain, and than being awake. Of course, we'd never get anything done if we were always asleep, so it's a catch-22, but I think the key is good quality over quantity, as in most things in life. I work 11 pm - 7 am, USA EST, and generally come home, crash until I wake up, which is actually only a two hour or so nap, but my brain wakes me up, and so I feel fairly refreshed for several hours, and then I go back to bed around 3 pm, and sleep until 9 pm, when my alarm clock says get up. Waking up naturally is so much healthier than being jolted out of who knows what stage of sleep by a surly alarm clock. Since I've been taking care of my mother, everything is out of whack, and I really don't get much quality rest because I'm stressed and anxious, and if she needs something, she calls out to me, which is fine, but it's discombobulating.

I've been doing the SETI project since the 2nd day I got a computer(an original iMac) but I didn't really pay any attention to the forum here until recently. I'm just trying to take my mind somewhere else right now, and it's nice to have some intelligent people out there to pass time with.

Slept 3 hours last night. I need around 7 hours of sleep normally.

it's nice to have some intelligent people out there to pass time with.

Innit:)

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

I'm sorry to hear this, Gordon. I hope you get rest soon; because, sleep deprivation is serious. You can't help your mother if you aren't able to function. Get some rest.

That's true! Sleep is VERY important! One period after the accident I didn't sleep for 3 whole weeks. You don't want to know what thoughts I had then and how deep the depression got at that time...... You can't think straight when you don't get your sleep.
There are quite a few herbal remedies for insomnia, like Valerian or passiflora.

There's a movie, called The Machinist, that reminds me of the not sleeping thing. I can't remember if it turned out well for him or not. ~Probably not. I read something recently in The New Yorker magazine about sleeping pills, and there seems to be a growing number of scientists who think sleep is more normal(and beneficial) for our brain, and than being awake. Of course, we'd never get anything done if we were always asleep, so it's a catch-22, but I think the key is good quality over quantity, as in most things in life. I work 11 pm - 7 am, USA EST, and generally come home, crash until I wake up, which is actually only a two hour or so nap, but my brain wakes me up, and so I feel fairly refreshed for several hours, and then I go back to bed around 3 pm, and sleep until 9 pm, when my alarm clock says get up. Waking up naturally is so much healthier than being jolted out of who knows what stage of sleep by a surly alarm clock. Since I've been taking care of my mother, everything is out of whack, and I really don't get much quality rest because I'm stressed and anxious, and if she needs something, she calls out to me, which is fine, but it's discombobulating.

I've been doing the SETI project since the 2nd day I got a computer(an original iMac) but I didn't really pay any attention to the forum here until recently. I'm just trying to take my mind somewhere else right now, and it's nice to have some intelligent people out there to pass time with.

---

The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Welcome,Gordon.Thats why we have this thread. Im sorry for your dads loss. I lost mine in 08 from complications from Parkinsons. When we were told he had at the most 6 months it was a shock. He lived for 4 months.
But dont anticpate bad news. It could be something minor.

I can't imagine being told an expiration date like that. In my mom's case, we think she has a pinched nerve, but she's been showing signs of something going on with her lower back for a couple years(her regular doctor never seemed concerned other than to say she was showing normal aging/osteoporosis). All of a sudden though, she went from poor posture to inability to walk, and it's horribly frustrating for both of us. I hope you're right and it's something minor and rest will fix her. My worries cause me to wake up a lot, drenched in sweat, so I'm not getting good rest myself. Being a 3rd shift worker, it's hard enough getting the right type of sleep. I'm very groggy right now...

I'm sorry to hear this, Gordon. I hope you get rest soon; because, sleep deprivation is serious. You can't help your mother if you aren't able to function. Get some rest.

That's true! Sleep is VERY important! One period after the accident I didn't sleep for 3 whole weeks. You don't want to know what thoughts I had then and how deep the depression got at that time...... You can't think straight when you don't get your sleep.
Ther are quite a few herbal remedies for insomnia, like Valerian or passiflora.

---

rOZZ
Music
Pictures

Welcome,Gordon.Thats why we have this thread. Im sorry for your dads loss. I lost mine in 08 from complications from Parkinsons. When we were told he had at the most 6 months it was a shock. He lived for 4 months.
But dont anticpate bad news. It could be something minor.

I can't imagine being told an expiration date like that. In my mom's case, we think she has a pinched nerve, but she's been showing signs of something going on with her lower back for a couple years(her regular doctor never seemed concerned other than to say she was showing normal aging/osteoporosis). All of a sudden though, she went from poor posture to inability to walk, and it's horribly frustrating for both of us. I hope you're right and it's something minor and rest will fix her. My worries cause me to wake up a lot, drenched in sweat, so I'm not getting good rest myself. Being a 3rd shift worker, it's hard enough getting the right type of sleep. I'm very groggy right now...

I'm sorry to hear this, Gordon. I hope you get rest soon; because, sleep deprivation is serious. You can't help your mother if you aren't able to function. Get some rest.

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TimeLord04
Have TARDIS, will travel...
Come along K-9!
Join Calm Chaos

Welcome,Gordon.Thats why we have this thread. Im sorry for your dads loss. I lost mine in 08 from complications from Parkinsons. When we were told he had at the most 6 months it was a shock. He lived for 4 months.
But dont anticpate bad news. It could be something minor.

I can't imagine being told an expiration date like that. In my mom's case, we think she has a pinched nerve, but she's been showing signs of something going on with her lower back for a couple years(her regular doctor never seemed concerned other than to say she was showing normal aging/osteoporosis). All of a sudden though, she went from poor posture to inability to walk, and it's horribly frustrating for both of us. I hope you're right and it's something minor and rest will fix her. My worries cause me to wake up a lot, drenched in sweat, so I'm not getting good rest myself. Being a 3rd shift worker, it's hard enough getting the right type of sleep. I'm very groggy right now...

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I lost my dad in '82, and my mother is currently going through some aging issues, in particular a pain in her back she acquired a couple weeks ago that pretty much confines her to one spot, and no walking. We just had an MRI done yesterday, and are waiting for the doctor to give us a plan. ~That's not in the same ball park as what a lot of people deal with, but it's producing quite a lot of anxiety for me. Even though my degree is psych, and I believe in counseling for many people, it's never been anything I've sought for myself, mainly because I'm afraid I'll be told something I don't want to hear, or I'll take words the wrong way.

It does help for me to read other' stories, and to share my feelings about my own situation.

Welcome,Gordon.Thats why we have this thread. Im sorry for your dads loss. I lost mine in 08 from complications from Parkinsons. When we were told he had at the most 6 months it was a shock. He lived for 4 months.
But dont anticpate bad news. It could be something minor.

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[/quote]

Old James

So true Anniet

+1

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

I lost my dad in '82, and my mother is currently going through some aging issues, in particular a pain in her back she acquired a couple weeks ago that pretty much confines her to one spot, and no walking. We just had an MRI done yesterday, and are waiting for the doctor to give us a plan. ~That's not in the same ball park as what a lot of people deal with, but it's producing quite a lot of anxiety for me. Even though my degree is psych, and I believe in counseling for many people, it's never been anything I've sought for myself, mainly because I'm afraid I'll be told something I don't want to hear, or I'll take words the wrong way.

It does help for me to read other' stories, and to share my feelings about my own situation.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

So true Anniet

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Pluto will always be a planet to me.

Seti Ambassador
Not to late to order an Anni Shirt

But here...



:)

Id like to thank all of you for me seeing the need of this thread. I kind of thougt that it would be a one and done.
I was leary of bumping it. As I stated when I did it.

Im glad I did.

I'm glad you did too! :)

Id like to thank all of you for me seeing the need of this thread. I kind of thougt that it would be a one and done.
I was leary of bumping it. As I stated when I did it.

Im glad I did.

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[/quote]

Old James

Group hug!!! :) You're all lovely! :)))))))

I couldn't imagine you not being you my dear friend:)

+2

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I have been thinking the same thing sometimes:)

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

It's too bad there is not a 'like' button here on Seti@Home, there is a good amount to like here.

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My Amazon Wishlist
The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

It also helps the rest of us that have not had these traumas ourselves, to more fully understand and interact with those that sadly have done. I have learnt a lot about some people in the last few weeks, some of it I already knew, some of it I didn't. But I feel closer to these people now because of those revelations, and hopefully because of that I can be a better friend.

I couldn't imagine you not being you my dear friend:)

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

It also helps the rest of us that have not had these traumas ourselves, to more fully understand and interact with those that sadly have done. I have learnt a lot about some people in the last few weeks, some of it I already knew, some of it I didn't. But I feel closer to these people now because of those revelations, and hopefully because of that I can be a better friend.