Dec. 9: To sleep, perchance to dream

Sit down, cuz this is huge. HUGE.

Last night, for part of the night—like, two or three beautiful hours—I slept HORIZONTAL.

It’s been months since I’ve been able to do this. Guess what I have to thank? Not chemo, not extreme exhaustion, not heightened pain tolerance, not a supportive bed. None of those things. The only thing I have to thank is a very powerful narcotic the oncologist prescribed me yesterday. It doesn’t work for very long at a time, but when it works, OH BOY!, I get sleep.

Most nights, I get all vertically situated on the couch, surrounded by pillows and a huge down comforter and the pets and the husband. I put my regular pillow on the back of the couch cushion and fall asleep with my head tilted back. If I have a hard time staying asleep, I fidget quite a bit, but usually end up in the same position again; it’s really the only way I seem to be comfortable enough to sleep.

The other night, though, I woke up with my chin against my chest. There was a thick column of drool going from my lower lip to my lap, and a large puddle in my lap. I swear it was drool. I swear. But it got me thinking that if I was able to sleep in that position long enough to make such a BIG puddle of drool, maybe I should try some horizontal slumber. So I did. I woke up around 4 a.m. and went up to my bed. I lay down and got comfy. And it worked! I fell asleep! And, most importantly, I stayed asleep!

Let’s push the snooze button on talking about how stiff and uncomfortable I felt when I woke up this morning. I want to live in this little bubble of someone who lies down to sleep for just a bit longer. Thanks.