Hi thanks for all the great replys, DWT I find my pain levels start to rise around 3 or 4pm.. all the time.. I to have had fibro added to the DX but I don't hurt any where near as much in the AM.. it's my best time pain wise and worse AM pain is a fibro Symptom.. and it's not so much because of what I've done during the day cause some days I just spend in bed it dosnt matter I still get an escalation of pain in the evenings. *shrug* oww..
Sleep for me is not as bad as it could be I get at least 5 hours most nights lately.. thanks to trazadone (similar to amitriptyline) and baclofen.. ohh and I take flexeral when the ache gets bad in the early PM.. helps relax and destress me some too, but it gives me a little hangover in the AM.
I use a heated matress pad on my bed it has duo controlls for each side and 20 heat settings it looks kile a thicker quilted version of a fitted matress sheet... and it is my little chunk of heaven.. my pain levels get bad if I get cold so I try very hard not to.
I do distract myself with my laptop and working on my WCB nightmare.. and I do love to loose my self in soothing music.. I go places in my mind as I breath in through my nose and out my mouth in big slow breaths.. relax myself realy well then while still doing the breathing I take myself places soothing and relaxing.. Presently me and some other RSD friends are on an island somewhere warm and painless.. We are having a blast (natural hot springs and hammocs whatever we desire) and it is good for me to practice my breathing, it lowers my pain levels and it lasts for a bit, I recomend it strongly, sometimes it is hard to get relaxed cause there is too much pain.
Mabie this winter I will rewrite my SRT pages.. I can't find them on line any more, I used to have some web pages up on diffrent SRT's self relaxation techniques involving deep breathing that some felt was quite helpful. I am too buried in apeals right now to do it.. but later I will.
Ali you are right 3/4 hrs sleep is not good for us.. expecialy young en's, make sure that you tell your doctor ok? mabie he has some sugestions and I will look for some other web pages that might have some breathing exercises for us all to try.
Desi Hi.. I try to avoid cafine even normal tea has alot of cafine.. I drink white tea and rooibos tea, the rooibos is naturaly decafinated and decaf white.. both are high in antioxadents rooibos higher than green and white tea. I realy notice a big difrence in my pain levels after having anything with cafine it's much worse.
Ada I have never tried lypoderm patches but I will look into trying it.. don't take a bath with those patches on it is very dangerous to get them wet ok, I sure know what you mean by worse in winter.. big hugs hon you are a survivor and I admire you alot for what you have had to deal with and you and some others here are a real inspiration to me.. I can deal with this it could be much worse.
MMoran hi.. I know what you mean by heavy my limbs get very heavy seeming and full.. I think yr doc is going by the 8 signs assesment and thats hard to get all 8 at a time, some folks never get some of the signs at all.. I know how frustrating it can be to wait for diagnosis, hugz new bud.
WakeGirl Hi you always make so much sence, I know my bodys in flight mode usualy though I try to keep things around me as stress free as possible. Imahotep good idea! I think I'll get one of those natural sun lights (light bulbs thingys) this year to mabie try help my depresion.. it does get alot worse in the winter, for alot of us.
I think this quote from Josilita kinda says it well here too:
"Then there is also the problem at this time of year, with the temperature dropping at night. Cold sucks....and it gets colder at night now. Cold that hurts, and nothing to distract us from it....and it makes for a long night."
I think it is the cold and weather changes as day turnes to dusk then night and it gets colder.. I have a friend that works difrent shifts and she said that her pain is worse at night no mater the shift she is on. She lives in the artic regions
Anyhow I wanted to thank you's for your kind words and good ideas.. My temperature is kept to the same level of warmth in my room though.. I would like to hibernate all winter or better yeat.. go tropical.. see you later guys I am off to my island * she sigh's as she sips a margurita while laying painlessly in her hammoc*
hugz ya'all thanks,
Sandra