Sciatica - how do you cope?

mumoftwins

tenacioust123 wrote: »

I'm not working at the moment, but hope to at some point. It varies really, last night I went to bed at midnight up at 3am because of pain, went back about 8am and slept till 12. Other times I do not go back to sleep in the hope that when I go to bed that night I will get a full night.... but it never happens.

I think my body has got used to snatching 2/3 hours every now and then. My medication seems to make me wakefull instead of knocking me out. I've had sleepers in the past but don't like the feeling in the morning, they made me feel like a zombie.

TT

Your sleeping pattern is very much like mine, although I started work a couple of months ago so can't go back to bed once the twins have left for school! So I spend much of each afternoon having 1-2hr naps just to get by.

I would love to sleep for 8 hours straight through

teachergirl

Dear mumoftwins,
I am still concerned about your sleeping. You may have to go back again!!! They can still do better you know. One of the problems when you are trying to sort out medication is that they always make you try it for a little while before you can say it isn't working. I know this is very difficult especially if your children are still young???are they? or are they big strapping teenagers? Anyway it doesn't help to have the sleep in the afternoon and it can be part of the vicious cycle. You sleep in the afternoon because you are so exhausted and then you don't sleep so well at night because you have lost the edge and then the cycle starts all over again. This is compounded by the problem of pain. If the pain is waking you out of a deep sleep then it is not controlled. I agree with tenacious123 that sleeping pills are not the answer although I confess I have had these as well. A hint to try and get rid of the yuk feeling they create the next day is to take them quite early in the evening eg 5.00pm .This may mean you go to bed really early but if you are anything like I was I didn't have an evening anyway or a social life. However there are still other drugs to try.They all work on the pain in different ways and so it might be a question of keep going back or asking for referral to a pain clinic...although that didn't even help in my case. However if the pain is caused by nerve damage and nothing to do with the muscles then I think you might need a different sort of drug not something like Ibuprofen. I'm not a Doctor though and it really is just a question of keep going back until they find something that works for you. The sleeping in the afternoon though might end up masking how bad the situation is you see. If your Gp is good they will listen and try something else.:sad:Keep us posted

black_paw

i sat in gp until he referred me to hospital as in so much pain

mumoftwins

teachergirl wrote: »

Dear mumoftwins,
I am still concerned about your sleeping. You may have to go back again!!! They can still do better you know. One of the problems when you are trying to sort out medication is that they always make you try it for a little while before you can say it isn't working. I know this is very difficult especially if your children are still young???are they? or are they big strapping teenagers? Anyway it doesn't help to have the sleep in the afternoon and it can be part of the vicious cycle. You sleep in the afternoon because you are so exhausted and then you don't sleep so well at night because you have lost the edge and then the cycle starts all over again. This is compounded by the problem of pain. If the pain is waking you out of a deep sleep then it is not controlled. I agree with tenacious123 that sleeping pills are not the answer although I confess I have had these as well. A hint to try and get rid of the yuk feeling they create the next day is to take them quite early in the evening eg 5.00pm .This may mean you go to bed really early but if you are anything like I was I didn't have an evening anyway or a social life. However there are still other drugs to try.They all work on the pain in different ways and so it might be a question of keep going back or asking for referral to a pain clinic...although that didn't even help in my case. However if the pain is caused by nerve damage and nothing to do with the muscles then I think you might need a different sort of drug not something like Ibuprofen. I'm not a Doctor though and it really is just a question of keep going back until they find something that works for you. The sleeping in the afternoon though might end up masking how bad the situation is you see. If your Gp is good they will listen and try something else.:sad:Keep us posted

Thank you for your concern and such constructive posts Teachergirl. I wasn't sure if my sleeping in the afternoon was a mixture of sleepiness from the pain relief and/or just the lack of sleep at night.

I went to the Chiropractor yesterday and came back in agony (I understand this is to be expected sometimes), got myself an icepack and went to bed for an 1.5hrs and slept. When I came downstairs I lay on my side on the floor as this was the most comfortable position and eventually dozed off again!

I am up now as it has been 7.5hrs since taking night meds and have just taken an Ibuprofen - will go back to bed in a minute. I did actually manage 5.5 hours sleep which is about what I have been managing since taking the night meds with Ibuprofen together for the last week.

jane130

i have been suffering from sciatica for about 8 months now , It started during pregnancy and i am now 1 month postnatal and still suffering . at its worst i was unable to even get to the kitchen so would go without food or drink from 8.30 until 3.30 everyday it was hell .
My dr has given me Naproxen and Tramadol which helps I am managing to sleep most nights and can now potter around the house instead of living on my living room floor .
I still can't walk far about 100 yards and then i am in loads of pain and have to sit for 30 minutes.

I saw my dr yesterday and he has refered me for an mri scan to try and see If there is something causing it rather than it being pregnancy related - i don't know how long it will take to come through but i'm looking forward to getting some answers.

amersall

Shapeshifter wrote: »

I've suffered on/off with sciatica for years, but was always told to not use heat on back but cold packs has this reduces any inflamation, where as heat expands your muscles causing more pain.

yes i totally agree, i have sciatica (been pain free a while now) but when it was bad i used frozen packs of food out of the freezer wrapped in a tea towel, it works wonders, i think heat has the opposite effect. i filled a hot water bottle with ice to take to bed, i got a good few hours sleep then

pipkin71

jane130 wrote: »

i have been suffering from sciatica for about 8 months now , It started during pregnancy and i am now 1 month postnatal and still suffering . at its worst i was unable to even get to the kitchen so would go without food or drink from 8.30 until 3.30 everyday it was hell .
My dr has given me Naproxen and Tramadol which helps I am managing to sleep most nights and can now potter around the house instead of living on my living room floor .
I still can't walk far about 100 yards and then i am in loads of pain and have to sit for 30 minutes.

I saw my dr yesterday and he has refered me for an mri scan to try and see If there is something causing it rather than it being pregnancy related - i don't know how long it will take to come through but i'm looking forward to getting some answers.

Hopefully, once the mri comes through, you can find out what's causing the problem jane, and start a suitable treatment.

I've had some awful sciatic periods, which get worse the older I get. My latest attack started last night and I haven't moved very far from my room today

Hopefully it won't last long. Lack of sleep is just as much of a hurdle though

nickj_2

hope this is of some help
https://www.pandf.com.au/Articles/piriformisandbackpain.php

mumoftwins

teachergirl wrote: »

Dear mumoftwins,
I am still concerned about your sleeping. You may have to go back again!!! They can still do better you know. One of the problems when you are trying to sort out medication is that they always make you try it for a little while before you can say it isn't working. I know this is very difficult especially if your children are still young???are they? or are they big strapping teenagers? Anyway it doesn't help to have the sleep in the afternoon and it can be part of the vicious cycle. You sleep in the afternoon because you are so exhausted and then you don't sleep so well at night because you have lost the edge and then the cycle starts all over again. This is compounded by the problem of pain. If the pain is waking you out of a deep sleep then it is not controlled. I agree with tenacious123 that sleeping pills are not the answer although I confess I have had these as well. A hint to try and get rid of the yuk feeling they create the next day is to take them quite early in the evening eg 5.00pm .This may mean you go to bed really early but if you are anything like I was I didn't have an evening anyway or a social life. However there are still other drugs to try.They all work on the pain in different ways and so it might be a question of keep going back or asking for referral to a pain clinic...although that didn't even help in my case. However if the pain is caused by nerve damage and nothing to do with the muscles then I think you might need a different sort of drug not something like Ibuprofen. I'm not a Doctor though and it really is just a question of keep going back until they find something that works for you. The sleeping in the afternoon though might end up masking how bad the situation is you see. If your Gp is good they will listen and try something else.:sad:Keep us posted

2 months later and I'm still suffering......................it did get marginally better for a week or so but now I'm in absolute agony, and not sleeping for more than a couple of hours at a time. I am still managing to struggle into work although that is getting more difficult.

I will have to go back to the Doctors, and it will be today as I cannot take anymore of this not sleeping properly. At least if I could sleep I feel that I would cope more during the day

beanielou

Awwww MOT it is so hard when you dont sleep.
Hope your GP can help.
Take care xx