Will sharing help resolve new symptom

[healingfromchronicpain]

It’s 2:45 am and I can’t sleep. Trying to talk myself past what seems like my sciatic nerve talking to me. I’ve been dealing with chronic neck pain for over a decade now, but my pain has become manageable by way of understanding the mindbody connection for the last several years . (However, I’m still working on/waiting for that remaining neck pain to dissipate...But it’s always been neck/upper back/head pain.)

Now for the first time in all this, this sciatic type pain started yesterday and I can’t sleep due to it. With my neck pain I was “lucky” because even as bad as it was for so long, lying down relieved the pain and sleeping wasn’t a problem (with the exception of when it was the intense nerve pain from my ruptured disc, as opposed to my soft tissue myofacial pain).

Anyway, so I’m here in bed pretty miserable at the moment and unable to sleep. I’m going through all the things that could have triggered this. The physical thing that triggered it was shoveling my driveway. But we all know that’s just the coverup.

In trying to protect my neck, I was using my legs to lift the shovel full of wet slushy snow. Anyway, I felt a twinge. I kept going knowing I’d be fine. But by the evening it was feeling worse and now here I am in the middle of the night unable to sleep.

So I’m reviewing my life. As I was pushing the snow out of my driveway, I was upset about my daughter (teenager stuff). My husband was stuck out of town on a business trip (due to the “nor’easter “). He’s often not the most compassionate about my condition, but he does normally shovel. What else... my younger daughter is a junior in high school, and I’m often thinking about her going off to college and what I’ll do when she leaves (I’m currently on disability and not working). My parents came to visit recently and they’re in their 80’s now and finally starting to show signs of aging (and my mom suffered with sciatica when my oldest brother went off to college) Right now my husband is snoring and it’s making me nuts. I keep elbowing him, which normally quickly fixes the situation, but doesn’t seem to be working tonight (this morning).

Let it all go. Let it all go, I’m telling myself. Every time I move, it hurts. So I’m trying to stay still. But I don’t like feeling like I have to stay still. I want to move but when I do, it hurts. Ok... this is bringing up other thoughts. Thoughts of a past trauma and how I might have felt! Ok, I’m letting myself embrace the fear and other emotions associated with feeling trapped and unable to move. But back then, I finally moved and got out of the bad situation. So I know I can do that again.

Thanks for listening and letting me process things here. I’ll let you know if any of this worked. Right now the pain feels a little less (maybe just from the distraction of writing?), but I still haven’t tried to move anything more than my fingers (typing on my phone in bed). We shall see...

Thanks and good night! (Hmmm... my husband just stopped snoring!!)

 

[Lynn S]

Do tell. Did sharing help? All is well. I hope you're feeling it today.

 

[healingfromchronicpain]

I do think it helped a little. I was able to sleep a couple hours afterwards and the sciatic pain has been getting less everyday.

Each day has been slightly better. I did take some extra strength Tylenol the next two nights before bed and I think that helped a little and I slept better. Medication doesn’t help my chronic neck pain so I usually don’t even consider it, but this new sciatic pain was pretty acute, so thought I’d give it a try.

It’s nice to see my pain diminish like a “normal” injury. Lol. It’s still not all gone but each day it gets less and less.

So I don’t know if sharing was the reason or what, but I do think it helped me that night and maybe helped keep my brain from jumping on the TMS bandwagon

Just wish my neck would listen.

Thanks for asking!

PS, we’re getting another nor’easter today, but I’m not going to try to shovel this time. Not out of fear of TMS, but because it still hurts from 5 days ago and I don’t want to re-aggravate it. I’m trying to act like a normal person who doesn’t overthink her pain.

 

[Lynn S]

I do think it helped a little. I was able to sleep a couple hours afterwards and the sciatic pain has been getting less everyday.

Each day has been slightly better. I did take some extra strength Tylenol the next two nights before bed and I think that helped a little and I slept better. Medication doesn’t help my chronic neck pain so I usually don’t even consider it, but this new sciatic pain was pretty acute, so thought I’d give it a try.

It’s nice to see my pain diminish like a “normal” injury. Lol. It’s still not all gone but each day it gets less and less.

So I don’t know if sharing was the reason or what, but I do think it helped me that night and maybe helped keep my brain from jumping on the TMS bandwagon

Just wish my neck would listen.

Thanks for asking!

PS, we’re getting another nor’easter today, but I’m not going to try to shovel this time. Not out of fear of TMS, but because it still hurts from 5 days ago and I don’t want to re-aggravate it. I’m trying to act like a normal person who doesn’t overthink her pain.

What region do you live? Too bad for more snow. I'm glad you think sharing helped a bit. When I was reading your reply I was thinking maybe to test out this sharing theory a little more. Perhaps post a few sentences about what you're feeling emotionally or committing to your journal for a short period of time. What do you think? I'm off to bed and look forward to your reply.

 

[healingfromchronicpain]

Northeast US.
I like the idea... but I seem to be coming up blank on the emotional stuff right now. Probably because my daughter is home from school today. I’ll try to respond later at a better time.