Frank wakes me up yelling something about printer cartridges. I have no idea where that even came from. When he starts vocalizing like that, I wake up cold stone fast and get out of the bed. He is in full REM sleep and acting out his dreams in that sleeping state.
It always takes me a few split seconds to react. I see him kick hard up toward the fan, arching his back to get maximum height. He even makes sounds like he is doing karate and moving his arms like he is punching. He looked like he was doing a wild pole vault. He falls back to the bed and turns to strike a roundhouse kick toward the dresser next to the bed. And then he turns toward me.
I grab the pillow that lives between us and shove it toward him like a shield. When he first started this, I used to wake him up. But after a while, he started incorporating me into his dreams and I got hurt a couple of times. So I don't do that unless I am out of arm or leg distance!
He kicks toward me but laying on his side he gets tangled in the pillow I love that pillow!
I rolled out of way. He kicks again and his leg came down hard and hits the laundry basket on the chest at the end of the bed. Keep in mind, this happens in just a few seconds.
I am trying to scramble out of the bed and I get hit by this flying laundry basket! I block it like an Olympic volleyball player, right back to him. Which must have woken him up.
When he is fully awake, he is grappling with the laundry basket yelling, Those darn Arabs!I asked him if he was OK, he lets go of the laundry basket he is hugging and says, They have too many cartridges. Why can't they be like the Americans?
Cartridges? I say.
Yes, printer cartridges, they just had too many of them and I was pissed.
I guess he took care of the situation. While I have nightmares, he has superhero dreams. Saving the world from those who want too many printer cartridges was his job last night.
It sounds pretty terrifying ...
ReplyDeleteI have lived through some of this. Mark had PTSD from the service. I just tried to survive the episodes! I wonder if accupuncture would help him?
ReplyDeleteYay for Frank! He saved America from the hoarding Arabs.
ReplyDeleteHas Frank ever been tested for sleep apnea? No clue if it might be part of the underlying cause of these episodes -- so glad you have learned to cope!
ReplyDeleteOh heavens, I thought I had problems! My job is to be still so as not to disturb the mummy next to me--I'm the dreamer, talker, fighter. Thank God I've never fought an army--just a student or two is plenty. Yes, Frank should probably go to a sleep center. Either way, I'd want more than one pillow.
ReplyDeleteThis is why we have twin beds at my house. I sometimes wake up screaming when the intruder in my dreams is stabbing me with the knife. Or I am stabbing the intruder with the knife as he is trying to hurt my dogs. We all have our bad dreams at times.
ReplyDeleteBest part with twin beds , I get to keep all the 5 quilts that I bury myself with all to myself :-)