Sleep and Chronic Pain

How Chronic Pain and Sleep Interact

Do you know someone who suffers from chronic pain?  It may be back pain, headaches, pelvic pain, fibromyalgia . . . many types of pain sufferers also experience sleep disruption.  Unfortunately, people can get into a cycle in which pain disrupts their sleep, and insufficient sleep makes pain worse.  This may seem logical, but let’s look more specifically at pain and sleep interactions.

A few chronic pain conditions are known for sleep disruption.  One of them is fibromyalgia.  70% of fibromyalgia patients have sleep complaints, and one study found that 27 of 28 had sleep-disordered breathing.  When the breathing was treated with CPAP, patients had a 23-47% improvement in symptoms.  80% of cluster headache patients are found to have obstructive sleep apnea.  For those patients who experience insomnia due to pain, it’s been shown that Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment (CBT-I) will improve their sleep, and may slightly decrease pain.

How to Minimize the Effect of Chronic Pain on Sleep

When people are in pain and their sleep is disrupted, they may feel like they need to catch some ZZZs whenever they can, even during the day. 

• As best you can, maintain the difference between daytime activity and nighttime rest.  Stay awake and engaged during the day, and be sure to get bright light, preferably outside.  During the night, keep lights out, and minimize your activity.  This will help consolidate your sleep in the night. 
• If you need to rest or lay down because of pain do so somewhere other than your bed or bedroom.  Make yourself a comfortable spot in the living room, maybe an easy chair or day bed.  This maintains a strong association of your bed as someplace to sleep. 
• Get tested for sleep disorders if necessary, especially as discussed above. 
• If you are taking prescription pain medications, be aware that some of them can cause sleep disruption.  You may want to ask your prescribing doctor to review your medications, and switch them if appropriate.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Here’s what Pete has to say about breast cancer:

Once I start offering E-cise menus keyed to specific diseases, I thought, where do I stop? The answer must be–I stop with these two menus. Why include breast cancer but no other disease? At the Egoscue Method Clinic, I see far more women who are facing breast cancer than those facing other serious illnesses. Almost every client is there for musculoskeletal system-related issues, like a bad back or sore knees. But those with breast cancer form the largest subgroup because the conventional treatment regimen can have such drastic effects on upper-body mobility, comfort, and function. The Egoscue Method has a good track record in easing pain and restoring mobility and function. That’s why they come to us…

Read the whole Blog from Egoscue Nashville

SHARING MY OWN NORTHERN FISH STORY

I had another amalgam filling removed this morning and as we waited for my ceramic filling to process, my dentist and I chatted about his adventures in Inuvik where he practiced dentistry for many years. He began saying, “You know how we refer to stories as fish stories if they are exaggerated?  There are no “fish stories” up in Inuvik.  They are all true.” He described how he had a patient who used his dentures as bait since he could catch so many fish with them.  And then my dentist said, “I actually have my own fish story. My wife and I went to Yellowknife with some friends and I decided to cast an old fishing rod that was in our boat into the water.   This rod didn’t even have a reel.  Anyways, not really expecting to catch any fish, I cast it into the water – without any bait.  Suddenly, the rod began to move and I had this huge jack fish.  Unfortunately, he got away but a few minutes later the rod moved again, and I was ready.   I returned home with several huge jack fish.”

One dictionary defines a “fish story” as an incredible or far-fetched story.    Another dictionary says that a fish story is a boastful tale about an improbable event.  When I read books about auto immune disorders,   or when I check out people’s blogs regarding this type of  illness, there is always the understanding that those afflicted with this disorder will endure it for a lifetime.  The emphasis is how to cope with this disease.  There are no boastful stories that describe cures for auto-immune disorders unless it is a company that is selling a miracle supplement.  And yet,  I have never accepted this pronouncement of doom and I have consequently had many unorthodox treatments in my quest to be healed.  I embrace the improbable, the far-fetched, and the incredible.

Most people love to hear a good fish story even when they doubt its accuracy since it is encouraging to hear how events can occur that don’t follow the prescribed rules, how sometimes an exciting event can disrupt the norm or the expected.   It is gratifying to believe that   the improbable can occur.   If I can believe my dentist, some of those boastful fish stories can be wonderfully accurate and true.  Why shouldn’t I believe that  it is possible for me to someday share my own “Northern Fish Story” in which I will describe all of the incidents that lead to an improbable and to some people, impossible conclusion:  my healing!

I'm Not Crazy...I'm just Married!

Or maybe I am crazy?

One of my best friends came over yesterday to help me clean the house. (I had done some vetting for her when one of her dogs got attacked by the other. I told her I hope they keep getting into fights. Ha!) Boxes and laundry everywhere. It was quite a job.

Now let me back up a moment…I was on some medication this summer for my fibromyalgia that left me with some unwanted side-effects: short-term memory loss, trouble concentrating, and anti-social behavior. Of course, it took some time for me to realize that I was experiencing these effects, and not just getting old and cranky.

So, this summer was difficult, from the point of trying to stay on top of things and getting things done. Oh, yeah…one of the side-effects was sleeping all of the time! Anyway, once I figured out I was having these issues (and the FM wasn’t any better) I contacted my doctor to work on a new med regime. This one seems to be going better personality/mental wise, although the pain at times is worse.

Anyway, back to the point about being crazy. As we were going through boxes, I found a box of stuff that Dear Hubby must have taken off of my desk in an effort to be helpful. There was some of the stuff that I couldn’t find this summer that I spent hours looking for, thinking that in some crazy hallucination I must have done something with it. It wasn’t me! Thank, goodness.

However, now I had a box full of stuff that had to be dealt with. So I spent most of today getting on top of that box and I’m glad to say it is nearly done. I feel almost like a sane person again.

Now, to convince Dear Hubby not to do me any favors for a while, or at least leave the desk alone. Getting THAT done may drive me crazy.

Until next time…

Baby Baths and a Bucket Woman...by Lisa Harmon

Kenai and his blankie games 22 mo

Kenai is enjoying his morning play times, pretending to be Linus with his blankie. He’s been dragging it along while batting around a tennis ball all week, silly guy. And we’ve had a glut of cardboard boxes for him to tear up, which has made his boy heart happy. With his continuing die in the rears, he isn’t getting bones, and he isn’t getting training treats. I fudged once and felt so bad for the boy when it was potty time. Our play times are foodless, boneless affairs for awhile. Hence, the cardboard boxes and play-as-reward training spells. He stares up at the top of the tv where his bestest bones sit and wait for him. Oh the pitiful…so he’s got tennis ball times, and Linus blankies, and horsing around in the dirty laundry to keep him entertained. I may have to abandon the laundry games, after finding toothie holes. Now that the weather is changing to fall, the furnace has replaced the AC, and ’tis the time of the dry skin dander fest. Some people have beer fests, dog owners have dander fests. So I’ve pulled out the Head and Shoulders shampoo/conditioner. It works very well for dander, as well as pretty much any itchy skin problem in dogs–folliculitis, fungal infections, yeast overgrowths etc. As the boys hate all out lather and rinse bucket baths, I’ve developed a “baby bath” routine for them–a shampoo wetted rag rubbed on every boy part. H&S doesn’t really have to be rinsed off like other shampoos and soaps. In fact, leaving a bit of the sudsy treats the skin (it has zinc in it) The rag gets rinsed and relathered, rather than the fussy babies, when it’s baby bath time. BB actually thinks it’s great, like some funny smelling massage. Kenai? He puts up with it. When they get really messy, mud from stem to stern, then they have to endure the bucket woman. I get the donkey ears and droopy faces for a “real” bath, and despite how funny it is, I try to take pity on them. The rag gets them clean most of the time, to their relative satisfaction. Nevermind Kenai’s “I smell like a girl” reaction… Thursday I hit the Sam’s club, discovering I could buy an 80 lb case of ground beef for just $1.54/lb rather than the family packs at the grocery for $1.99/lb When I get some grocery money, I’ll go back for veggies and non-perishables. We don’t have tons of pantry space, but we do have 2 chest freezers in the garage, so there’s plenty of room for things that can be frozen. The case of meat should last a couple weeks, so I don’t have to go to the store every few days. The store runs were wearing me slick. Getting around’s getting harder for me, durn it. To combat the worsening issues, I’ve started a cortisol controlling supplement. It lessens my body’s overreactions to stress and strain. Sometimes it can feel like your body hijacks you, doing what it wants and taking you along for the ride! That’s just part of the fibromyalgia–the pituitary/hypothalmus/adrenal glands go haywire and these endocrine system problems affect every system in the body, from metabolism to anxiety. The fibro flares set off the autoimmune diseases, then the opportunistic illnesses like chronic Lyme start up when the immune system goes wonky. It’s a chain reaction, and getting better means you have to climb up each link in the chain again, hand over hand. Claw over claw is more accurate. It can be done, but promise ya it takes longer to feel better than it does to go down. This downturn has been 18 months long and counting.    BB’s had a rough week, but his playful personality is irrepressible. Beebs is bumping and wiggling and grinning all the same, die in the rears notwithstanding. I almost got them these huge stuffed animals at Sam’s, and may yet go back. They’re big as the boys–can you imagine the flinging?!   I was looking forward to Friday’s training time. It’s sort of like a surprise package–I never know what we’re going to work on, or even sure which of the Brothers Grin will have their “time in the sun” until its time to go. They both love “playin with Lisa” time, no clue that they’re actually training. We’ve had some 10″ of rain so the training session had to be cancelled. It’s rained so hard that even if it had rained cats and dogs, the boys wouldn’t be asking to go out! They zoom out, pee under the nearest tree, and zip back in for their dry off games. It’s the only time they don’t dawdle outside! Boy I can really tell the seasons are changed–I’m thinking about apple crisp, and added cinnamon and cloves to today’s pinapple upside down cake. Hot chocolate is replacing milkshakes in my don’t-I-wish list, and hot tea is taking over from iced tea. The fluffy sweaters and layering clothes are out, and the thermostat’s being turned down (gradually, mind you). I love cooler weather, and so do the boys. 45-65 degrees is the ideal temperature span, brisk enough to invigorate, and warm enough not to make puppy slobber-cicles freezing on fences! I was disappointed for them that we didn’t have our weeking training, but there’s always next week. And with any luck the AT&T truck will go away–everytime I see them at the end of the road, I know I’m in for a frustrating time trying to get online. I have to connect and disconnect until getting 24 kb/second or better, just to get explorer to open. Urg!

Clothing is evil.

Well, yesterday I managed one of the typical stupid injuries that just…happen around here. They’re typical mostly because of the connective tissue disorder I live with, but also because of the sheer number of old injuries and the touch of clutziness that is rather typical of people with life-long connective tissue disorders.

I dislocated my shoulder.

Now, before you all get worried, I’m fine. I missed my afternoon class, and called off the girl who comes in in the evening because I wasn’t in any shape to supervise.

The real annoyance comes in with how I dislocated my shoulder. I wasn’t doing anything particularly stupid; didn’t try to lift something heavy, catch myself falling, get yanked on by the dog, or anything of that ilk. No, I just tried to take a sweater off.

Out of habit, I tend to take pullover sweaters off the same way – I cross my arms and grab the bottom edge of the sweater, then pull up and over my head. I got about halfway when my left shoulder – the fragile, tempermental, and generally infuriating shoulder – decided it wasn’t in the mood to do that.

I had to have my boyfriend ease me out of the sweater around the dislocated shoulder, which got jostled in the right way and snapped back into place in the process.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, just getting in and out of basic clothing is dangerous when you have EDS.

It’s a lot of things.

First off, let’s start with the basic shapes of clothing. You see, it doesn’t take much to pull the joint of an EDSer out of place. A jacket that pulls just a little at the shoulder. A sleeve that bunches too much at the elbow. Pants too long, stepped on, can put out any joint in the leg. Shoes that aren’t JUST RIGHT – and even ones that are – can put out any of the myriad joints in the foot. As can socks that are too big or too small – too big and it can bunch and wrinkle to the point of dislodging joints, too small can squeeze joints out of place.

Going beyond that, putting them on. It is oh so easy to put a shoulder out when donning or doffing a jacket, especially the heavy winter variety, and elbows can be prey to this as well. As I mentioned happened to me yesterday, clothing that comes over the head like shirts and sweaters can dislicate the shoulders, or alternatively wrists, hand-joints, or elbows. Putting on pants is just downright dangerous – either you are sitting down and put them on, in which case you need to stand before you have them all the way up, or you put them on standing up and wobble and try to stay upright. Either way, you’ve got a risk of falling, you put a lot of pressure on the ankles, and if you’re wearing tight pants you risk putting a hip out. Socks can be hard on the fingers and toes.

And then there’s the fasteners. Ever thought about how hard it would be to do up your fly when gripping something too hard can dislocate your fingers? Not to mention buttoning shirts, zipping jackets, doing up a jacket, lacing shoes… Any one of those is a risk to my fingers, and some are a risk to wrist and shoulders as well.

Sadly, the kind of clothing that doesn’t produce these risks is not exactly the sort of thing a well-heeled future attorney wears. While my pyjama pants are the height of comfort, Tinkerbelle does not exactly set the right tone. And frankly, when it comes to anything on my upper body, well EVERYTHING is a risk!

And before any of you says it, no, going naked isn’t an option, either. My boyfriend might appreciate the view, but I appreciate not being locked up, and not having all the goods on display for the whole world.

Coffee Enema Anyone?

I’ve been asked a few times lately about my “coffee”.  So, here it is…

1quart purified or distilled water       3-4 T organic coffee (I buy whole beans and fine grind 2-3 cups at a time)

Bring to boil for 5 minutes, then simmer for 15 minutes.  Cool to – I don’t know, just let it cool off some.  I then ozonate it for 15 minutes – 30 if it’s still too hot.  I don’t know of anyone else who does that, made it up myself.  Last thing I want to do is burn myself, so I always make sure it’s under 98 degrees.  If I haven’t pooped in  the last 8 hours, I always do a chlorophyll enema first.  If you’ve ever watched me cook, you know I don’t measure anything.  I just fill the enema bag with ozonated water, then pour some liquid chlorophyll in it.  Let gravity work and pour it in.  Hold it 10-15 minutes, then spit it out.  I’ve never had a problem holding it, but probably best to set up camp on the bathroom floor really close to the toilet.  I spilled chlorophyll on a few things – it doesnt wash out.  Good news though, if you shart your pants with chlorophyll still in you, the green is so bright, you can get away with saying you must have sat on something.  No one will ever know.  Plus – are they gonna believe you if you told them you filled your butt with chlorophyll anyway?  Okay, back to the coffee.  Fill the enema bag with the ozonated body temperature or cooler coffee.  Hold it for 15 minutes or more.  I’ve fallen asleep on the bathroom floor, only to wake up an hour later with no need to let anything out of the back door, but a really full bladder.   Amazing how our bodies work!  Probably the best colon/liver/gall bladder cleanse available.  And nobody has to know about it.  Well, not a secret in my world.  There’s lots of information out there as to “why”.  I’ll have more in my book.

Love, gratitude and blessings

Susan

I will make it.... I Will make it....

And if I say this long enough and loud enough I may just start to believe it too! Things have been rough….. thought for a while I might just get washed away with all the rain….. but still here and so are the sleepless nights, IBS and the pain with a touch of a migraine ….. just to change the pace a little…. don’t want to get in a rut…. I have a “Lost and Found” that I feel I need to do but just too tired to even try it right now…. but I did jot down my notes on it to help my poor old “dain bramage” and the fog that sets in so fast at times. Oh, it is the first of the month….. I HATE THE FIRST OF THE MONTH!…. bills and budgets…. can be a real challenge at times due to the fibro fog and being dyslexic doesn’t help either…lol…oh dear this is all ready longer than I planned and the sun is coming up and I MUST get some sleep before I even try and deal with the budget….. but I will make it…. I WILL make it….. darn when will I start to feel like I will make it…lol…. I will return…. Lila

PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU ARE READING THIS POST AND YOU ARE NOT ON THE WEB SITE “LILA LOST IN THE FIBRO FOG…” THEN WHAT YOU ARE READING HAS BEEN STOLEN AND IS BEING USED WITHOUT MY AUTHORITY AND I HOPE YOU WILL COME TO MY WEB SITE BLOG AT WORDPRESS http://www.lilabyrdakabirdladybyday.wordpress.com