Spending the night with Optune^®

On top of living with glioblastoma (GBM), sleeping with Optune can be its own separate beast. For me, it was the warm sensation on my head that originally threw me off. Then came the alarms when an array cord would come loose from the connection cable and box (CAD).

But luckily, I had a few tricks up my sleeve…

#1: Warm head, meet fan.

The warming sensation I feel when Optune is on met its match with my trusty, old nightstand fan. In my first six months, the fan became a must for me. But truth be told, as time went on, I noticed the warm sensation less and less, and I eventually transitioned to being able to sleep without a fan.

#2: Beeping device, meet thoughtful placement.

The beeping from the alarms was caused by device disconnection…and it was annoying.

But the answer to my beeping issue was making sure that I had a long-enough cord in my bed. Now, I check and make sure that the curly cord has a good amount of slack, which allows me to freely move around as I sleep. I have found that having a longer cord in my bed leads to fewer interruptions and thus, less beeping.

#3: Fear of injury, meet strategic thinking.

Much like with my beeping issue, part of my safety concern was a matter of cord placement. I’ve found that hanging the device close by is best for me, as it allows for a looser cord.

I’m not always able to roll around in the bed a ton, but this method allows for better connection to Optune. I personally have never struggled with any injuries related to Optune or my cord. I believe that giving myself a lot of cord slack may be helping. Plus, I’m always looking for ways to keep my usage up and keep that blue light on.

#4: Difficulty falling asleep, meet…leveling expectations.

At first, I had trouble falling asleep. Optune was just one more thing I had to worry about during the night, like my bathroom visits. Though once I was actually asleep, I don’t think it was necessarily of poorer quality—it’s just getting to sleep that can be difficult, in my opinion. I think this is simply something that some Optune users may struggle with. The key is finding a way to adjust.

My big takeaway

The biggest piece of advice I could give someone would be to try to have patience that first month of using Optune. In my experience, sleeping with Optune became tolerable after the initial adjustment period. And the little fine-tuned adjustments I’ve made have been a huge help for me.

All in all, I think the most important thing to remember is to keep Optune running when you can so that even in sleep, we can keep our usage up!

Sweet dreams,
Osmond