1. < Bones, Joints & Muscles

Suggestions please—lower back pain interrupting sleep

Posted by msvjv @msvjv, Mar 16 9:38am

I’m hoping for suggestions from fellow sufferers who can’t sleep or keep waking up from lower back pain caused by arthritis. I can’t take nsaids, and Tylenol doesn’t help at all. Tried otc sleep aids that don’t work. Will be having hip replacement soon and doc says that may help with back pain but seems contrary to his diagnosis of arthritis in lower back. Stretching and chiropractic have not helped. I have an adjustable bed frame and use that to change position but that’s not helping any more. I use pillows under or between legs to relieve pressure but that lasts only a minute or two. Just bought some Salon Pas to try on lower back and hoping I’ll get some decent sleep. I wake up at least 6-7 times a night in pain and have a hard time getting back to sleep. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have.

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dannyandebbie | @dannyandebbie | Mar 30 7:04pm
In reply to @msvjv "Hi Danny. Are you saying Debbie was dropped twice?! Once is inexcusable! I’m so sorry for..." + (show)
@msvjv

Hi Danny. Are you saying Debbie was dropped twice?! Once is inexcusable! I’m so sorry for her suffering.

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No! She was only dropped once at Rehab getting ready for a shower. The attending physician failed to write in her orders that she was never to be moved without her mobilizer on because of nerve damage caused during her surgery. Then they lied and said it was an assisted fall and that they called me at home once she was placed back into her bed. This too was a lie because I was there and am the one that lifted her by using just my back and neck because I did not know where I could touch her and not injure her. She placed her arm around my neck, I stood up lifting her high enough so the nurses could swing her into the wheel chair. The orthopedic surgeon wrote in his notes sever times that she had several falls when in reality she only fell once. Although, we did suspect that she was dropped during her initial surgery because she was black and blue from head to toe.

REPLY
cat321paco | @cat321paco | 6 days ago
In reply to @heyjoe415 "Hi msvjv, Wow I have many of your symptoms but not the same problems with sleeping...." + (show)
@heyjoe415

Hi msvjv,

Wow I have many of your symptoms but not the same problems with sleeping. It's very hard to think of something you haven't already tried, but here are three:

1. You mentioned you sleep with a pillow between your knees, so you must be a side sleeper. I suggest using two pillows (or one very long pillow) so that your knees and ankles are separated, creating a more neutral position for your spine.

2. Never use heat on your back or any joint. It does feel good but ultimately causes inflammation. Get used to ice, and use it frequently. A large, rectangular gel pad with straps would be good for the lower back.

3. See if you can get an Rx from your Dr for 5% lidocaine patches. These are a bit more powerful than Salonpas and you wear them 12 hours on, 12 hours off. Insurance won't usually cover these for back or joint pain.

That's all I can think of right now. You said you stretch, so make sure you're stretching your lower back, which often gets ignored. You can search for some good lower back stretches online.

All the best to you.

Joe

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Acupuncture?

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1 reply
flyjim | @flyjim | 5 days ago

Get your medical marijuana card. Use the Indica strain for sleeping. You most likely will have to experiment on dosage and how you injest it.
Smoking, capsules, gummies, tinctures. When you get it right you’ll sleep like a baby. No after effects in the morning.
All natural, 10 times better than pharmaceuticals.

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1 reply
heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | 4 days ago
In reply to @cat321paco "Acupuncture?" + (show)
@cat321paco

Acupuncture?

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I have never tried acupuncture.

It's certainly worth looking into if you haven't tried it. Most people I know who have used acupuncture, for a variety of reasons, report good results.

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heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | 1 day ago
In reply to @flyjim "Get your medical marijuana card. Use the Indica strain for sleeping. You most likely will have..." + (show)
@flyjim

Get your medical marijuana card. Use the Indica strain for sleeping. You most likely will have to experiment on dosage and how you injest it.
Smoking, capsules, gummies, tinctures. When you get it right you’ll sleep like a baby. No after effects in the morning.
All natural, 10 times better than pharmaceuticals.

Jump to this post

Hi Jim,

I tried medical marijuana in CA (before it eventually became legal for all). My Dr. prescribed it for persistent anxiety, and to eventually help get off benzos, specifically clonazepam.

I don't recall the name of the strain of weed I bought. I smoked a joint (an entire joint, like we did in the 60s) and was struck with paranoia and an extreme case of dry mouth. I sat in a recliner for a few hours, drinking a lot of water and waiting for the paranoia/anxiety to pass.

So the weed had the opposite effect of relieving stress. Now to be clear, the last time I smoked weed was in the late 60s, early 70s. I think we were smoking leaves in those days, and not buds as is done today.

I also noticed the weed today has a very unpleasant smell, again, very unlike the pleasant smell of weed from the 60s.

My question for you, and anyone else - is it possible to get the kind of weed we smoked in the 60s and early 70s, with a much lower THC content? I always felt good smoking that, and yes, got very hungry.....

I also tried smoking less weed, taking as low as one hit of the new stuff - but I still got horrible dry mouth and felt very anxious.

Thanks Jim!

Joe

REPLY
1 reply
flyjim | @flyjim | 1 day ago
In reply to @heyjoe415 "Hi Jim, I tried medical marijuana in CA (before it eventually became legal for all). My..." + (show)
@heyjoe415

Hi Jim,

I tried medical marijuana in CA (before it eventually became legal for all). My Dr. prescribed it for persistent anxiety, and to eventually help get off benzos, specifically clonazepam.

I don't recall the name of the strain of weed I bought. I smoked a joint (an entire joint, like we did in the 60s) and was struck with paranoia and an extreme case of dry mouth. I sat in a recliner for a few hours, drinking a lot of water and waiting for the paranoia/anxiety to pass.

So the weed had the opposite effect of relieving stress. Now to be clear, the last time I smoked weed was in the late 60s, early 70s. I think we were smoking leaves in those days, and not buds as is done today.

I also noticed the weed today has a very unpleasant smell, again, very unlike the pleasant smell of weed from the 60s.

My question for you, and anyone else - is it possible to get the kind of weed we smoked in the 60s and early 70s, with a much lower THC content? I always felt good smoking that, and yes, got very hungry.....

I also tried smoking less weed, taking as low as one hit of the new stuff - but I still got horrible dry mouth and felt very anxious.

Thanks Jim!

Joe

Jump to this post

Did you take the Indica strain? Never heard of it causing anxiety. If I inject too much of anything else I will get a serious case of anxiety. Please try the medical marijuana Indica strain. Start with a 10 mg gummy and see how that does. Start low and increase gradually till you find the dosage that works for you.
It is possible to take to much Indica, and everyone is different, but if you do take much you’ll just feel relaxed but will never sleep.
Good luck, keep trying. It took me a very long time to figure it out.

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flyjim | @flyjim | 13 hours ago

In addition, dry mouth is an unfortunate side effect of marijuana. I don’t smoke. I take gummy’s, tincture, and capsules.
I found that after ingesting that right before bed I will brush my teeth really well and then use mouthwash. It certainly helped by about 50%

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