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sleep depravation due to back pain
hi everyone i am new to this site .i have severe back and leg pain for over ten years .due to a car crash and then two ops .last op was in nov 07 i had a L4/L5 laminectomy and a S1 discectomy and a L5 nerve decompression.since the op i have been housebound i have been told by my pain specialist that i have DDD and spineal stenosis and damage to the L 5 nerve root .i only sleep fpr about 3 hours a night {due to pain} and the day is spent trying to catch up on lost sleep!! anyone out ther in the same position?. i am 42 male married
WOW!!! lots of info thanks for thatthankfully my wife is a health professional so money is not a problemi was on gabapentin and i have been on lyrica but due to weight gain and water retention i had to stop taking that type of medicationi take oxycodone and i use an acticare tse device {like a TENS}i have not been able to work since 1997
it did cost me my first wife and home and my job as an electrician
but thankfully i remaried 11 years ago and she took me on with all my health problems!!
the down side is long days and even longer night !!
i try to do things like swim .but then i find that i am in so much pain the following day
i wonder why i bothered in the first place
never mind must plod on there are plp in a worse possition than me
thanks again for your info
it did cost me my first wife and home and my job as an electrician
but thankfully i remaried 11 years ago and she took me on with all my health problems!!
the down side is long days and even longer night !!
i try to do things like swim .but then i find that i am in so much pain the following day
i wonder why i bothered in the first place
never mind must plod on there are plp in a worse possition than me
thanks again for your info
Dear Straker,
Well, there are pain medications that might help you somewhat. I, too, have back pain that goofs up my sleep and ruins my daytime concentration, and the meds I take help a little. But even with the medication, I still have problems. I am on Lyrica. I started out with a once-a-day 75mg dose, and quickly moved up to 200mg split into three times a day, which is where I plateaued out. It numbs nerve pain and helps with sleep. I take it in combination with an opiate, good synergy. But like I said, it doesn't totally get rid of the problem, plus the side effects present a whole new set of difficulties. The side effects goof up your balance, to where it's hard to walk a straight line, and for a couple hours right after you dose it's hard to drive, and when you still miss a couple night's sleep, you can literally fall asleep whilst sitting up. It's a matter of choosing your poison.
I might add that I am in my late 50s. I cannot work anymore. I was not prepared for that happening to myself, and we lost our home on account of financial stress. So, at your age, in your 40s, you still have some natural strength that might help you overcome and prepare for some possible future problems like mine, to where you might have trouble keeping up with a work schedule, and thus have trouble keeping up with you finances.
If I had to do it all over again, the second I realized I had problems with my back, I would have (1) cleared all credit debts, beginning with the smallest and consolidating the rest on a low-interest line of credit, then cut up all but two of your cards; (2) explored avenues of working at home, which can include making arrangements now with your employer to work one day a week from home with an eye toward more days at home, or can include schooling at night to learn something new like becoming a realtor with the goal of switching to full-time at-home work in the future; (3) stack up money in the bank and in various investments, set up an annuity, buy health insurance for the things not covered by your regular policy, consider doubling up house payments. I'm sure there are more, but this is to give you an idea of which way your thinking should be shifted. You want to become independent as soon as possible.
If you love your home and want to keep it, then do everything in your power now to save it. But if that is not exactly important, and you would like to downsize, start looking at it now, so you can be free of a whole lot of debt real quick, and at least it would not be under duress, the way it was for me. Try to find something within walking distance of some shops and fun things to do, with less of a yard to deal with. If you can take on a second job or more hours, do it now, stash every bit of that cash for the future. Things you take for granted, like your car holding up, a new roof for the house, might all become tough expenses.
Also, you need to start compiling records of your health problems, everything you can lay your hands on, and keep it in a disability folder. One day, you may need to apply to SSA when you can no longer work, despite preparations. Probably this is too much information, but I see myself in you, and I wanted to help you. In any case, none of this will HURT you, and it is what you would have done anyway as you got older.
GG
Well, there are pain medications that might help you somewhat. I, too, have back pain that goofs up my sleep and ruins my daytime concentration, and the meds I take help a little. But even with the medication, I still have problems. I am on Lyrica. I started out with a once-a-day 75mg dose, and quickly moved up to 200mg split into three times a day, which is where I plateaued out. It numbs nerve pain and helps with sleep. I take it in combination with an opiate, good synergy. But like I said, it doesn't totally get rid of the problem, plus the side effects present a whole new set of difficulties. The side effects goof up your balance, to where it's hard to walk a straight line, and for a couple hours right after you dose it's hard to drive, and when you still miss a couple night's sleep, you can literally fall asleep whilst sitting up. It's a matter of choosing your poison.
I might add that I am in my late 50s. I cannot work anymore. I was not prepared for that happening to myself, and we lost our home on account of financial stress. So, at your age, in your 40s, you still have some natural strength that might help you overcome and prepare for some possible future problems like mine, to where you might have trouble keeping up with a work schedule, and thus have trouble keeping up with you finances.
If I had to do it all over again, the second I realized I had problems with my back, I would have (1) cleared all credit debts, beginning with the smallest and consolidating the rest on a low-interest line of credit, then cut up all but two of your cards; (2) explored avenues of working at home, which can include making arrangements now with your employer to work one day a week from home with an eye toward more days at home, or can include schooling at night to learn something new like becoming a realtor with the goal of switching to full-time at-home work in the future; (3) stack up money in the bank and in various investments, set up an annuity, buy health insurance for the things not covered by your regular policy, consider doubling up house payments. I'm sure there are more, but this is to give you an idea of which way your thinking should be shifted. You want to become independent as soon as possible.
If you love your home and want to keep it, then do everything in your power now to save it. But if that is not exactly important, and you would like to downsize, start looking at it now, so you can be free of a whole lot of debt real quick, and at least it would not be under duress, the way it was for me. Try to find something within walking distance of some shops and fun things to do, with less of a yard to deal with. If you can take on a second job or more hours, do it now, stash every bit of that cash for the future. Things you take for granted, like your car holding up, a new roof for the house, might all become tough expenses.
Also, you need to start compiling records of your health problems, everything you can lay your hands on, and keep it in a disability folder. One day, you may need to apply to SSA when you can no longer work, despite preparations. Probably this is too much information, but I see myself in you, and I wanted to help you. In any case, none of this will HURT you, and it is what you would have done anyway as you got older.
GG
Hello Dear,
Loss of sleep because to pain is due to the increased sensitivity of nerves in the night which cause excitation of the mind and thereby leads to more severe pain..There is no specific treatment for this except that you should divert your attention,can practice meditation which might help you to relax your mind.You can consult your neurologist regularly and continue your medications.You can also try alternative therapies for your problem.
Best
Loss of sleep because to pain is due to the increased sensitivity of nerves in the night which cause excitation of the mind and thereby leads to more severe pain..There is no specific treatment for this except that you should divert your attention,can practice meditation which might help you to relax your mind.You can consult your neurologist regularly and continue your medications.You can also try alternative therapies for your problem.
Best
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