by Lady Lee 58 Replies latest jw friends
((((Lady Lee))))
I wish I had a good answer for you. The times I haven't slept were either when I had eaten too much chocolate or coffee before bed, or I was supremely anxious. Miserable nights, and then miserable days!! To think of them continuing on and on.... AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHH.
I think seeing so much patience, kindness, and endurance despite the stress, pain, and insomnia is a real miracle. You and Blondie are really tremendous people.
And I loved that bonking emoticon, too!!
bebu
Lady Lee...perhaps we should form a "Am really, really tired but I can't fall asleep and if I do fall asleep I only sleep a couple of hours" club!
After experiencing some of the things you are going through, I finally sought the advice of a Neurologist at a sleep disorder clinic. I had been taking Ambien and that was making me do this "sleep eating" thing and boy oh boy...like I needed to gain anymore weight! So I got off the Ambien and she prescribed Seroquel and Clonazepam for me. I am also on Neurontin for pain. Also eating a carb/protein snack right before bed helps. So my sleeping has improved tremendously. I think I get about 5 hours now instead of the 2 to 3 hours.
Like you wanted anymore medical advice??? Sorry...I just had to throw in my 2 cents worth.
Hope you get to feeling better and sleeping better soon. It's hard walking through your day feeling like a zombie.
DR. CATHY L.
So sorry to hear this Lee and Blondie both.
I hate to hear that 2 such fine people are suffering so much!
I wonder if the Mayo Clinic could help??
Lady Lee,
I'll second exjdub's advice to try acupuncture. My own experience with this form of treatment and the experiences of others of my acquaintance with it has been very good. I'm not sure of the best way to go about finding a good acupuncturist but exjdub's recommendation to seek out one having had Chinese training sounds sensible. Also, the government in your area may require or at least recognize some sort of licensing or accreditation for acupuncturists and, if so, that may help you to narrow the field somewhat as well, helping you to avoid ill-trained or marginally trained practitioners.
I too had the experience of a chiropractor making something worse and I have been leery of them since. However, I think that you'll find that treatment by acupuncture will at worst be a neutral experience -- it will either work or it won't and though you'll be out some money I don't know of anything that acupuncture involves that would cause or aggravate injury (though practititioners may vary in approach and may include other forms of treatment and may also have an excessive regard for non-tradtional medicine and equally excessive disregard for tradtional medicine, so you would want to continue to rigorously apply your own good sense whenever treatment recommendations are being made). They won't yank on you or twist you or crack you or any such thing. In my experience, you'll scarcely feel the needles and there will be little if any discomfort.
My best wishes to you.
LL,Blondie, sounds like we are all in the same boat. It is very difficult to sleep when u are in pain, and so u have to get the pain under control before u will be able to sleep. I worked as long as i could, but finally realized i was too ill to work and in constant pain. My doc, ordered me to take my pain meds. I do take vicodin. I will not apoligize for it. I do not abuse it, i take it when i need it. I have a pain med contract with my doc and i have been seeing him for about 16 yrs. so he knows he can trust me not to abuse it. Once the pain is under control then perhaps the other meds, the antidepressant u are taking , will work and help u sleep. I had a sleep study and i do know if u do not get some stage 3 and 4 sleep, u will become very ill very fast and are at risk for cancer b/c your body cannot fight off disease.
So if it is pain meds u need, please get to a pain magt. doc and take them. it does not mean u will be on them the rest of your life. U have to help yourself now, or u will continue on this downward spiral. take it from someone who has been there. If u think life is bad, it can always get worse.
*hugs* Lady.I would give you a foot rub if I could!(if that wouldn't hurt)
I hope you get your rest very soon! I know how hard it can be to be over tired.
LMAO @ Logical....that just might work,,,,hehe a good dose of the WT always made me sleepy too.
Wednesday,,,,scoot over and make room for me in that same boat...lol.
So sorry to hear about your sleep problem LL, and others,,,, I have been having it bad here lately myself. I am going thru a cleansing process of getting off meds,,,( been on them so long, and didnt want to go higher in the dosage), so I weaned myself off of all the prescription meds I was taking. I am not sure if I can be off of them, but I am taking high doses of vitamins , minerals, amino acids and herbs.
I know I my body is in a detox phase right now and hopefully in the next two weeks I will see some improvement.
I also have chronic pain problems , TMJ, fibromyaligia, arthritis, mirgaines, and I have a morton's neuroma in my right foot. It is the worst pain,,,,,it just will not budge when it flares up. I have had it for over two years and when it first was diagnosed I was hurting all the time with it. He said, mine was actually the size it may need to be surgercially removed. Well, I am already due for two more foot surgeries that I am putting off, so I don't want to go under the knief. I have had two surgeries on both of my feet and I know it will keep me down for over 6 months....so i am waiting to have it done.
I had shots of steroids ,,,,shots directly into the region of the neuroma,,,which is a tumor or clusters in my case of nerves that have been caught between the bones of the foot and are basically in a ball.
The steroids made me gain so much weight back a couple of years ago and every since then I have fought with my weight as I never had to before. So I am trying to stay away from that . Plus the shots hurt so bad when I get the shots, that I have to uses crutches, I can not walk on the foot.
I wish I had some great pain relief ideas but nothing I have taken really helps...I wrap my foot tight ,not too tight but as tight as I can without my foot turning blue.....with ace bandages.
I have shoe insoles, prescribed by doctor, fitted for my feet and they are too painful to wear. So , I tired that and it didnt help, made it worse.
I soak my feet in very warm water. I use a heating pad....I take Aleve. I could so easily take pain pills but I hate to do that unless I have a migraine,,,,I have to pick and choose what pain I am going to treat with pain pills or I would be addicted to them , just as my mother was. I know myself well enough to know that it would not take long for me to depend on them all the time.
I can say that the pain with a morton's neuroma is so bad , it does warrent the use of pain pills for flare ups. Escpecially if you have to have the steroid shots,,,,the shots help in the long run, but they hurt like heck fire the first two days.
I hope that you find some relief,,,,and if any of you find answers to your sleep problems and pain problems please let me know. I am trying to stay away from prescription meds right now, but I may have to at some point go back when I need to.
Hugssssssss to all of you,,,Dede
Frannie B -- calcium w/magnesium
I hate taking pills especially if they are big. I will look for this - small ones
exjdub -- acupuncture
I live pretty close to the Chinese community here so I will do some shopping around
BT -- (((BT)))
if I find something that works I will pass it on
Mulan -- hormones, EFA, Kava Kava
well I am taking estrogen (Premarin) and yup that is the time of life but once I started the Premarin I was fine for sleep. I will look into the other two because I've never heard of the benefits of either
Kate - visualizations, making peace, sleepy time tea
I have been using visualizations to get to sleep, Hubby suggested this morning to try some tea so we will look for that. I don't know that I am quite ready to start talking to my toesies but it might happen sooner than I think (just don't tell the guys in the white jackets OK?)
Puternut - warm bath etc, massage
I love hot baths and they used to work so well to put me to sleep. But right now if I put my feet into hot water it increases the pain. And it is really uncomfortable to lie in a hot bath with my legs hanging over the sides (claw foot tub) lol
OFC - lavendar
Hmmmm that one is easy to try. I have some right here beside me. (((OFC)))
Logi - read the Watchtower
I cannot think of anything that would put me out faster. Now to program my mind with the threat of having to read more of it if I don't stay asleep
Wednesday - pain management Dr.
Oh I wish. The waiting list here is a whopping 2 years to see one.
Blondie
(((Blondie)))
Sassy - computer
Just push that boy off that machine girl. I'm getting so tired of the same games - need to find some new ones cuz boredom alone ain't cuttin it
PS we have 2 computers and it is great.
El Blanko - Passion Flower / Hops / Valerian / Limeflower. and cannabis
ok will look these up too well except for the cannabis that is (((EB)))
UpandAtom - artifitial sweeteners - peanut oil
artificial sweeteners - never touch the stuff
OMG I think I would get tired just cleaning out the bath after my soak in the stuff. I might try it to massage my feet though
bebu - chocolate and coffee
well I have cut back on my Coke drinking and never have coffee except in the morning (some days). Hmmm chocolate - I started craving chocolate this week and although I don't eat it often I have had more than ususal. I will look into that. hmmmm it has never bothered me before though but you never know
hadenuf - meds
all the more reason to see the Dr before I leave on my trip
(((((((((((((all of you))))))))))) for the support and for your own sleep struggles.
seeit -Mayo Clinic
About the only health web site I use :)
TrueNorth - acupuncture and chiro
sorry chiro didn't work for you either - I am hearing this a lot these days. My chiro said I was one of those people a chiro should never touch
shera foot rub offer
such a sweetee. Sometimes the feet hurt so much I can't stand the sheets to be on them so mostly I sleep with my feet hanging over the side of the bed and chilled lol
OK feet are hanging outside the tub and off the bed. Can I just take them off and hang them outside please?
Dede(((Dede))) Yup you describe it well. I hear you when you talk about the meds. I haven't tried the steroids yet. Apparently the effects don't last that long and you can only have so many shots. And the surgery sounds like a nightmare. I was on an e-list and people were saying the surgery often doesn't help. :( But I do have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon
I just managed four hours sleep. My body doesn't feel rested and am almost ready to go lie down again. So now I am up almost all night and my body wants to sleep all day grrrrr
Lady Lee, my sincere sympathy. I'm pretty good at dealing with pain, though I've seldom had any chronic pain. However I'm just a complete sleep wimp. I can't imagine going through both problems. I hope relief comes for you soon. (((hugs)))
