Nice deep sleep would be lovely. My drug cocktail usually knocks me out but I never wake up feeling as if I've slept. Drug induced sleep is not the same. I keep hoping that one day some doctor will figure out everything that's wrong with me. Then maybe I can stabilize the pain, stop having new, weird pain in different places that will last for a day or two then disappear while something else starts up, figure out what life holds since I cannot finish college, and feel like I've had a good night's sleep. Is this too much to expect? Really??? I don't think it should be but it seems like it might take a miracle. *sigh*

exactly how you feel. If I take a sedative then I wake up groggy and tired. That's why I like stilnox, I don't get a hangover, it's just my husband hates the antics I get up to when I take it hehehehehe.

I've been sleeping in shifts 2 hrs here and 2 hrs there. For a total of 4 to 6 hrs. I'm off to start the first shift now! nite,nite.
Jim

Wow. Some of you have it really bad.

I am not as bad as some of you but I am definitely having sleep problems. When I was working full time I would toss and turn all night for a couple of nights in a row. By the third night I would be so exhausted that I would actually sleep, then I would start the cycle over again. The only time I felt rested was after the third night but at least I had that.

Now I have been off work two weeks and doing PT twice a week. I am also walking every day for 30 minutes. Last week my pain really started to spike so I don't know how long I will keep up with the PT. The problem is now I am exhausted physically every day but tossing and turning a lot at night trying to get comfy. I remember the good old days when I used to run - I would do around a half hour to 45 minute run most days and fall into bed exhausted each night. I can only "dream" of getting that type of sleep again....

Anyway, sorry for the ramble. Time to have some sleepy time tea and melatonin and (hopefully) a bit of sleep.

Sleepytime has valerian in it the new strong extra one and just going to have some and my sleeping pill. I had a nap though at 1230 until 200 am. So I'll be up for a bit. Charry

too long! come on!!! 1 hr. you got to be kidding me! I'm tired how could laying down bring on this much pain? do I have to be like a horse and sleep standing up?
Jim

Sounded good. I tried that, but only got 1 hr.or less!
Jim

Yep...I too am tired of sleeping in fits and turns. I manage 4 hours on a good night. Tonight it was one hour some nights 0. My pain keeps me awake.
Tonight I took a pain pill but it just is not strong enough for my pain. I can't take another coz I am getting low and can not get a refill until Friday.
My feet and legs are pounding and throbbibg. No one could sleep through this!! My feet feel like they are in a vice grip!! Woe is me.
Patsy W

either.
On the bright side as i'm in the southern hemisphere and your on the Northern, when I can't sleep it'll be daytime for you and i'll have someone to chat to and vice versa

And I'm on the west coast. with no one to talk to. But that's good, cause I wouldn't make any sense anyway!
Good luck, Jim

This is a nightly thing for me. I can't remember when I last had a nights sleep! I even take night time meds. Only good for 4 hours at the most. Some nights the pain is so bad nothing helps. Like Jim I would not make good sense to anyone. Not even to myself.
Patsy W

I have to ask this question. Do you sleep in more than one position at night? Do you sleep on your side, back, or change positions during the night? The only reson I ask is that I can only sleep on my back with my legs elevated. Before surgery I was able to sleep on my left side but that causes pain and numbness like crazy now.

I don't take a sleeping pill but I do take Percocet, Opana ER, Cymbalta, Lyrica, and Amrix every night. I struggle with meds since "may cause drowsiness" makes me very sleepy so that's why I'm knocked out most nights. It just not a sleep that makes you feel rested.

with my legs raised up, my back is also raised at 30 degree angle with a wedge pillow. I also have a body pillow that my husband has nicknamed Eddy as he always comes between us.
If I lie on my side I use Eddy. But I can't lie on my side for long.
We had to get a king size bed to accomodate all the pillows I use plus a child when they crawl in in the middle of the night.

I am with youall-I have slept on my bed,on the couch,in the recliner-sometimes all in the same night.My only script is hydrocodone,and that doesnt help much through the night.I have a 6 wk.checkup on Thurs-will discuss---should we all just get on here when we wake up,and maybe we can bore each other into sleep?

that may make you sleepy. After my brother was married he had some sleepless nights I guess he missed the long talks we used to have on the phone we were in out early 20's. So he called me up and after my long talking he would disappear off the phone and his wife would come on and say it worked thanks Charry! I feel so used oh well what are sister's for? I had a long sleep last night and I feel good but not well enough to venture out in the cold yet. I think I'll wait until spring. TC Charry

although that might be slightly expensive!
I was awake from 2.30 am again, then had to fly to another city for 2 medico-legal appointments.
Absolutely stuffed, if I don't sleep tonight there's something wrong with me (other than the obvious).
Kylie

haha Charry-that is good-maybe we should start a thread of Boring Subjects?

this not sleeping lark ..we have bought expensive beds and at the moment we are sleeping on a twin electrically adjustable bed with sprung and memory foam mattresses..previously to this we have a top of the range tempur mattress .but you guessed it i only managed 3 hours max i sleep better on my recliner .i remember before the days of back pain and drugs i could come home from work {building sites} have a shower and eat my tea then sleep for 9 hours and wake feeling fantastic .now i take a multitude of drugs pain killers and sleeper and if i manage to get to sleep on my very expensive bed after 3 hours i am up /in pain and feeling like 5417!!.i think that we have to accept the fact that this is the way thing are going to be .when i wake {3 am} i just grab my pillows and come downstairs make a cup of tea and get on my recliner ..pull a blanket over me and watch the tv {american comedies two and a half men /mad about you and that kind of thing} until i fall asleep again .after 5 years of this kind of sleep pattern i now class this as normal ..its the only way to cope with a problem ..normalise it!!
STRAKER

on this one.
I would be lost without my recliner.
The past two days i've actually slept the whole night through though. I think sometimes your just so exhausted even the pain won't wake you.
The down side is when you sleep like that you are usually worse pain wise the next day or so.
This week i've been having increasing symptoms of pain in back and right leg, increasing numbness and weakness in right foot and i've had to use my walking stick. I'm wondering if it's because i've slept too long without getting up and moving around???
Oh well, guess it'll get better again.
On the bright side i've had 2 days without a headache YAY!!!
Where abouts in the UK do you live Straker? Is it snowing?
Kylie

hi kylie
i live in manchester {whitefield} and its trying to snow
STRAKER

right now, i'd kill for some cooler weather.
Just got my girls out of the pool for dinner.
Kylie

I'll take my kids to your pool, and you all can come and play in our minnesota snow!

---It's killing my back!

dawn

to the snow last winter for the first time ever, 3 hour drive from here, they went tobogganing and had a blast.
I think I have a romaticised idea of what it would be like to live in a snowy region, i'm fascinated by the concept. I'm guessing it's not that practical, or user friendly for chronic pain sufferers.
Kylie

What is it with the 3 a.m. wakeup?So many of us,me included,wake up about 3-4a.m.Is it something mystical?Do we all have little alarm clocks?Is that the the time our pain hits us?

something to do with sleep cycles and 3 am is when you are at lightest sleep so we feel our pain more then.
Or maybe it's just when our drugs stop working
Kylie

i too wondered about this and from what i can gather is we do sleep in cycles and 3am is the first light bit of our sleep for an adult that would go to be at around 10pm/1am .so i suppose if there is something wrong with us {like pain} we wake i have noticed that my wife tends to start shifting around in bed at 3 ish and if i had just come to bed after falling asleep on my chair she will wake up when i get in bed {if i come to bed later ..say 4ish ..she wont even move} so maybe there is something in the 3 am rule!
STRAKER

Funny when I was pre-surgery and for about 2 months post, I woke up at 3 am every single freakin day! Drove me bonkers!!

I sure wish I could say that's all better now...but here I am almost 4 months pos-op, feeling great, no pain, no meds...and well no sleep either! It's a dang miracle if I get more than 4 hrs a night...amd only get more than 6 if I do medicate...and well I've tried every OTC med, every herbal med, every supplement, every teas, and aromatherapy...and on and on. The only thing I haven't done is hit up my doc for RX. So far I don't feel I'm that desperate. But on nights like this where I'll be lucky for 4 hrs before I have to get up for work...I'm considering it!

but getting the girls to school can be a challenge some days. I've lost count of the times hubby and the girls have got out of bed and tiptoed around me asleep in the recliner in the lounge (not very successfully I might add) 4 and 6 year olds don't tend to have a mute button! But you gotta luv 'em.
Interesting the 3 am thing, wonder if it's just a few of us, or there are more out there?

I am now 3 1/2 weeks post TLIF w/instumentation and decompression at L5-S1. I have tried side and back positions in bed (former stomach sleeper) and have been unable to get comfortable anywhere but my recliner. My surgeon assured me if the recliner was where I was comfortable, stay there.

I am lucky if I fall asleep before 1:00 a.m. and am always up at 3:00 a.m. I usually manage to get another hour or so between 7 - 8.

I was doing pretty good my second week, my first home, but as soon as my ocycontin stopped and I'm just on Percocet and Valium now, the pain has become worse each day, making even that little bit of sleep almost impossible. Have call in to doctors from Friday for refills but unfortunately doctor and PA were both in surgery all day.

Have follow-up this Thursday and definitely have the lack of ability to sleep on my list of questions for the doctor.

Good luck to all of us tonight and may we all get some sleep.

about once a week since my injury in August, I have sleep trouble. Usually I'm fortunate and can get 2-3 hours before waking up. Tonight...nothing! It's the worst night.

I think I need a new plan.
I need to spend my days in the guest room and only use the bedroom for sleeping. I think my body is confused...I'm here all day except for my walks, meals, and short 'stints' on my side on the couch in the family room.

Tomorrow's not going to be an easy day. Thankfully I'm only cleared for 4hr/day from home for work.