Hello and thanks for posting,

Some painkillers, such as the ones used for nerve pain, can cause insomnia. It might be worth looking at the timings of medication, and also when his feeds first start and when they finish. Reducing lighting in the room, not watching TV in the bedroom before sleep, and avoiding white/blue light from devices such as smartphones and tablets can help promote sleep patterns. Reading can help as well. 

There is some useful information on tackling insomnia, and methods that might help, on these NHS website links here,

www.nhs.uk/.../

www.nhs.uk/.../

Maybe your son could contact his GP or his hospital team to discuss this further. 

I hope that this is useful,

Kind regards,

Vanda

Hi Vanda,

Thanks for replying. My son takes oxynorm, which a doctor suggested should help him sleep, and has fentanyl patches. I don't know the effect these might be having. We've kind of put the sleeplessness down to painkillers for want of another reason.

it's a very good point about the tv and white/blue light from the screens, though it's hard to know if these are causing it, as he tends to turn them on because he can't sleep.

He is going to contact the hospital team tomorrow, although this has been going on for some time, and he's already been told he cannot take any more meds than those he's already on.

Obviously we are celebrating his being cancer free, and I hope other people are encouraged by it.

Thanks again.