More physical therapy and very little sleep...vent post!

I got whiplash 15 years ago and off and on over the years I have strained my neck where I am at the point that I can't seem to do anything without re-injuring my neck again. Within the past year, I have strained it 3 times. The first time within this years time was excruciating - I couldn't go for a car ride without the bumps making me want to whimper in pain. This strain was my fault and I did something I probably shouldn't have done. I strained it again about a month and half ago, but minor; not sure how. And then I strained it again a week ago - just from sleeping! I must of turned wrong in my sleep so I had to go to urgent care for more muscle relaxers, pain meds and a Toradol shot. I am pretty sure that the last two times is probably the domino effect from straining it very badly the first time within this years time.

I have hardly been sleeping because the pain keeps waking me up. I am getting very frustrated with this whole thing! I am a chronic insomniac anyway and I take sleeping pills but I had to not take them for the past week because I don't think they will go good with Flexeril and Darvocet. Even in a drug induced sleep from the Flexeril and Darvocet I still wake up several times a night when I move. I have a soft cervical collar but I find I can't sleep at all while wearing it - it's sort of uncomfortable. I can sleep fine if I am on my right side (the side of the injury) but when I turn over to my left, the pain hits me.

I see my doc in about a month so I can start p/t again (3rd time within the past 4 years). She wanted my neck to heal before I began.

I am just getting so fed up that I just want to scream! I can't even sleep without hurting myself! I just had to vent and get this off my chest.

Thanks Char....I had my B12 and Vit D checked not too long ago and they were fine. Melatonin does absolutely nothing for me (hence the sleeping meds). I see my doc in a month (12-20) and I will ask her what other options I have. Is the nerve testing the same as an EMG? If so, I had this done about 2 years ago. It showed that my nerve conduction was rather slow from my neck to my hands but at the time the doc thought it might be from my Raynaud's...so not sure?

Thanks, I will look into the pillow. I have a temperpedic pillow but it seems to make my neck feel worse. And yes, I've had epi injections in my C5/6 and C6/7 for bulging discs (last year) but the pain I am experiencing is soft tissue damage which is a bit more trickier to treat. Btw, I don't have the bulging discs anymore. And no, I typically don't lie on my back because it causes my back to hurt from my scoliosis and sacroiilitis so I'm a side sleeper with knee wedges.

 

    aaaaahhhh! I see!....a pillow sleeper!   I use two under the knees and one onder each elbow, along with one for the neck. Makes it kinda hard to cuddle with the wifey!

        SE

Hi Sherry. I don't know that I have much to offer in the way of suggestions, but I can certainly sympathize with the whole sleep/pain problem. I know that they just make each other worse. I have horrible insomnia under the best of circumstances - at one point my doctor had me on a whopping 50 mg of Valium at bedtime and it still often didn't work - but with severe pain, it often feels like there's no chance at all. I've missed out on a lot of things lately simply because I didn't have the energy to do them. I'm waiting on a DX for whatever is going on with me, but in the meantime it seems like meds and heat/ice are the only things that work. At least heat and ice seem to have a calming effect if nothing else. I really hope you start to feel better soon!

KiwiPi

boy has this sight sure has changed for the good, i see all new names, i was here a couple of years ago. staring back up again, we where building a home so i was off the net for a coulpe of years or something like that. any way i suffer with excruclaling pain and iam fillinaly diagose with chronic pain syndrome and my pain has hit everywhere, but my abs and butt. and have seen many dr.s and even OHSU tested me. i never gave up searching and ran across one night made a drs, app. and he confimed. i always have the pain an the numbing and tingling all the time. packey good to be back! i hope you all have a nice night!