Chemo [effects on sleep]

[chillydip]

Does anyone have any general experience regarding the effects of chemo (RCHOP, Benda) on sleep performance? I assume it would vary individually and is probably unpredictable but thought I'd ask. Thanks.

[SarcasticDave94]

Hi chillydip,

Welcome to the Apnea Board. I have no experiences to share about chemo. I'm sure others will though. I can imagine that the havoc it causes to the whole body probably would do so with sleeping too. Take a look around AB while you wait.

[tarah]

Hello,

I am so sorry that you are dealing with cancer.  Sucks big time.  What type of cancer do you have?  How many rounds of chemo are you looking at?

My sweet husband had b-cell lymphoma over 15 years ago, and received  6 rounds of rituximab-CHOP, plus quite a bit of radiation.  It was around 1 year for treatment.  I think the part that screws with sleep a bit is the prednisone, if you are sensitive to steroids.  It can be pretty activating, and I believe it usually given for around 5 days after the chemo dose.  I don't remember him struggling with sleep, though, other than the night after he would receive a dose, his stomach was upset and he would get up to throw up some.  The radiation made him extremely tired, and he did sleep well during that.  He was able to continue working through the whole thing.  The chemo + radiation did cure him of the NHL, and he has been well since then.

I am sending my warmest thoughts to you.  Please feel free to ask any more details.

[chillydip]

Having begun the original thread, I have have now completed hopefully all the chemo I will ever need and now can answer my own question. I had a non-aggressive low grade lymphoma that was successfully treated with 6 monthly doses of Bendamustine (would typically include Rituxan but I had a reaction to that and we discontinued it). During a scan towards the end of that treatment we also discovered an early large B-cell lymphoma which was subsequently successfully treated with six session 21 day RCHOP therapy. I was able to tolerate the Rituxan on an overnight low rate basis for this second event.
My sleep performance during both treatments was similar. AHI and periodic breathing rates essentially increased 2-3 times  my "normal" which was the basis of my initial forum query. Now that the treatments are over, at least in my case, I can say that my sleep and sleep measurements were affected but otherwise have no other after-effects of these measurement increases over that time period which essentially turned out to be a year. My sleep doc had no input of any value during the treatments.

[Canuck 2]

I had some surgery to my stomach and had to sleep on my back for approximately 9 months with no chemo treatment while it healed. I figured before hand that my OA & Hypopnea's would go up so I increased my top pressure  by 1.4 cmh2o and glade I did because my mind was on other things to worry about and they had me on pain and antibiotics while in the hospital and my brain was tired it seemed when I look back. 
Hope all goes well for you with the treatments.