disturbed sleep because of back pain

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sandi23

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can anybody tell me if this is common - when i go to bed really tired i sleep then a couple of hours later tossing and turning, pain in hips and cannot lay on my back as really hurts when trying to turn over - had this for months ( had prolapse disc 3 years ago. Any comments really appreciated.
Thanks:
 
Have you tried sleeping with pillows under your knees while on your back? It takes some getting used to but you will aadjust. It really takes the weight off of the lurabar area. I also had to learn to sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs. All things take time to get used to but in the long run I hope you find another position to help you get better sleep. I hate it when that happens to me too!!

Blessings!

Momz :angel:
 
Hi Sandi... I sure remeraber your pain... I hadn't slept in my bed for 3 months I literally slept in a chair beside my bed. I was miserable......I called my doctor and he at once ordered me arabian, it's a sleeping pill that has a time release so it not only helped me fall asleep but would prevent me from waking during my pain. I took this for well over a year but now I am on lyrica for pain and my night time dose does the trick for me. I have no problem falling asleep and I do sleep a full 6-7 hours now. Those of us with back issues understand how a bed can be your worst enemy .. I am hoping you find a way to return to a full night's sleep........take-care, :angel:
 
Hi Sandi, yes, I believe it is very common. I have had problems sleeping for 7 years since my surgery, but in the last 6 months it has gotten out of hand. Like you, I cannot sleep on my back, even with pillows under my knees, and forget tummy sleeping. I use a body pillow between my legs, so it supports my knees and ankles, and then a pillow to "hug" which helps keep my upper body straight. My issue now is that from only being able to sleep on my sides for so long, my shoulders hurt like no other! My dr has given me almost every sleep remedy, but nothing has worked. I am lucky to sleep 2-3 hours per night. I wish that I had some better info for you, but before the shoulders, the "pillow regimen" worked pretty good!

Good Luck! ;)
 
Sandi,

Welcome to the boarRAB!

I had a similar experience, although what I felt was excruciating back pain, and pain in my hips that was so bad that it would wake me up nights. My doctor ruled out a spinal tumor.

My pain went away on its own AFTER i stopped taking hydrochlorothiazide for high blood pressure. Since then I've learned that back pain (among many other things) is a common side effect of that med. I have also learned that a deficiency in potassium and magnesium can cause similar problems (which is what the htz can cause).

Given the nuraber of people taking water pills, it is a common occurance....it's just that the docs haven't figured it out yet. If your liver and kidneys are healthy, it wouldn't hurt to increase your potassium and magnesium by eating lots of fruits and veggies. Any excess nutrients will be removed by your body in urine so you don't need to be concerned about a toxic build up (again, providing you have a healthy liver and kidneys).

Make sure you're not taking anything to interfere with the absorption of these nutrients...also make sure you are getting at least twice as much calcium as magnesium or the the mg won't be broken down in the body...people taking calcium supplements have to be really careful for that reason.

Bethsheba

PS I initially attributed this pain to a herniated disc I experienced 20 some years earlier...go figure!
 
Sandi, wymom is right about the bursitis. I also have it in both hips, but the anti-inflamatories have not worked, and the doctor said that the injections will actually cause the hips to break down faster, so he doesn't feel it's a good option.
 
Hi Sandi, Is it common? I don't know if it's in the majority or not (I suspect, yes), but I know it can definitely go hand-in-hand with back problems. I had trouble sleeping for a year and a half to two before my back problems during the day became severe enough to send me to the doc (I didn't connect the night pain -thought it was my mattress). I still have trouble, since surgery, at night if I don't sleep on my side (new mattress, btw) with a pillow between my knees -and perfectly on my side, no sliding forward or back so I'm slanted. Also, I have the hip pain, too -bursitis in my hips. If your hip pain is due to bursitis you can take anti-inflammatories &/or have a steroid shot from your doc. Also, I switch sides during the night to alleviate pressure on any one hip ('any', lol, as if there's more than two of them). I'd go in to your doc to see if you have bursitis or other hip issues as well as having your back checked out again. I'm assuming that you have a good mattress that isn't too old/in need of replacement. If not, I'd definitely look into getting a new mattress -or turning yours if you haven't turned it in a while. I will always stay on top of having my mattress replaced before it wears out from now on. Oh, and I do take pain medication at night, but I no longer use prescription pills at night, just otc night tylenol to help with the pain, should I slilp out of position or go to bed already having issues. If I don't sleep in exactly the correct position at night, I have a lot of trouble b/c of that.
Good luck and take care,
Meghan
 
You are so very welcome! Let me know if you have any other questions! I pray that you can get some relief and SLEEP! :angel:
 
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