Now that I've felt a little cheered by my graduation from radiation treatment, I'm back to trying to find better ways to cope with all the nasty symptoms I'm still dealing with.

Number one is the thick phlegm and my method of coping is basically constant spitting and lots of mouth rinsing with homemade baking soda and saline solution. I have had some serious problems with nausea related to this when I gag on the phlegm but I think I have gotten somehwat better at spitting my way through those moments instead of letting them turn into vomiting (although sometimes they still do and it's always touch and go).

Its especially touch and go about whether I end up vomiting when I have been asleep for an hour or two and the phlegm has built up and gotten thicker in my mouth. I have to reach for water and a spit try right away and work fast at getting that stuff out of my mouth. As for sleeping longer than two hours at a time...can't remember when I last did that although I would REALLY like to.

The bottom line is I am getting more and more sleep deprived and am constantly fatigued. I fall asleep sitting up in the middle of doing other things. I lose track of when I last took painkillers (I try to keep a written record but forget to record the time) and the worst is I feel frazzled and weak and despairing of ever getting well more often just because I'm so tired.

Is there any trick any of you used for geting more sleep at a time when the phlegm was overwhelming?