Every night.

[Mytical]

Getting tired of not being able to sleep because of pain. Gets old, fast. Every single night I get woken up because my back hurts, or my feet hurt, or I get a headache. I don't want to rely on pain medicine to get some blasted SLEEP. Every lousy, blasted night. GAH. I can take a PM (pain med and sleep aid) and get to sleep, but they are addictive. Do not want to get addicted to pain medicine. I just want to sleep!

[Pixilated]

Mytical, cannot offer anything except sympathy and cyber-hugs, but those I can offer plenty of.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

[RealUnimportant]

Anything strong enough to help has the possibility of causing addiction, however going into it with your eyes open & being sure to follow the directions should reduce any risks. I've been on prescribed codeine-based meds for weeks or even months at a time, and the packages all scream & wail about addiction after 3 *days*... This really only happens if you abuse them, with more in your system than is required to cause relief; your body starts to adapt to the imbalance and that's what makes you dependent.

Take medical advice; there's going to be something that can help, it may be as simple as PM or it may require a 'scrip, but at least you'll have the backup there if anything happens.

[AccountingDrone]

Don't know if you can manage it but this is what I do

I can't afford one of those hospital type beds that raises and lowers various parts, so I first put a bolster at the foot of the bed so that when I am sleeping my feet are propped up on it so it keeps my knees bent the right amount. Then I arrange my head pillow along with a pair of small bolsters to help arrange my torso just right, then I cover my side of the bed with microfiber plush throws [you know, the undersized blankets people use on sofas to snuggle under] because my skin ca be hyper sensitive so that regular bedsheets feel like sandpaper. Now when I go to bed I have a very comfortable cocoon - Rob jokes that it is like I am sleeping in a presentation case.

Having my body being held in a position like mine means that my knees are not going to be torsioned wrongly, nor my hip joints or shoulders. It makes a world of difference. I also take motrin on a good night, indocin or something stronger on a bad night just about half an hour before bed. In a list of NSAIDS, oddly enough people rated motrin as being extremely effective compared to other analgesics for people with arthritis/joint issues.

[and of course, there are days when I wish I could ramp up to fentanyl. At least those are rare.]

[Mytical]

I shouldn't really be so weary of medicine anymore, seeing as now I have to take prescription medicines all the time..but for a long time I even hated taking prescription medicine. Raise up in the 'once you start you are stuck' philosophy of my fathers I guess. So got to deal with that before I can even take the medicines I need for the pain.

I actually do have an adjustable bed, just need to find a way to keep me from tossing and turning like mad all night. I swear anybody who ever shared a bed with me would probably end up looking like they got caught in a hurricane or something.

[Food Lady]

Haha I sleep alone and I look like that in the morning. My hair looks like Don King. Anyway, I think you need to ignore what your dad says. Pain meds are there for a reason. If you can use other methods like nerve confusion to cut down on meds, that's good. But if you need them, that's why you have a doc to monitor you.

[Mytical]

I go the fourth to my family doctor to see what can be done about it. Though..this family doctor has so far refused to sign the Medical Source Statement that would help me get my disability..so *shrugs*. Lets hope that he will take the pain thing seriously enough to investigate the cause.

edit : Yay, now a headache again. How can this day get better?!

[MoonCat]

Has your doctor never heard of palliative care? Pain management? There are people who specialize in these things. Maybe you could get a referral to somebody who can help more? Pain meds are great but they can only do so much.

[Mytical]

Did so good yesterday, pain level was down to about a 3 (which believe me is a relief) on a scale of 10. Tonight..I am about to cry. Fratching hurts! *sighs* Not sure aspirin is going to cut it tonight.

[TheSHAD0W]

I don't know if you're taking any supplements now; glucosamine/chondroitin may help heal your joints and reduce the pain that way.

[Dave1982]

OK everyone, a reminder that CS is a not a medical advice forum.

[Draper Mel]

Sorry to hear you're in pain. I've only had a taste of that. I can't imagine what it would be like to live like that all the time. I would also suggest pain management. My neurosurgeon's practice had one doctor who did nothing but.

After my back surgery the pain would keep me awake, and rolling over was miserable for a while. The first seven days I couldn't be alone, so I stayed with friends. I pretty much slept sitting up. I had a pillow under my knees and then two or three stacked up that I basically leaned on. They had big fat down pillows, too. They were fantastic!