Agh! Somebody have any advice? Sore neck, headaches and sleeping!

Ok, so I have been feeling tad better.  I have a  herniated and bulging discs in my neck.  I have had a series of 2 epidurals and I am on SKelaxin and Neruontin.  I really do feel much better though the muscles in my neck are one painful mess still.  But the main problem I am having is that after years and years of curling up into a ball while sleeping, it is really taking a toll on my neck!  I start out sleeping on a good sturdy pillow but I am a very restless sleeper and I am ALL over the bed and I have been waking up with the most horrendous headaches.  I know it is because of the positions that I put my neck in while sleeping.  So short of putting myself in a straight jacket, does anyone else have any suggestions to keep me relatively in one place while I am sleeping???

---

Hi, Red,
Well, I don't know about keeping you from moving all over, but I do know about neck issues while sleeping! I've had chronic neck problems for over 20 years, and if I don't sleep on "the right" cervical pillow I'm a mess after just one night. What's the right one? That has led me to buy countless "cervical" pillows over the years, and there have thus far been only two goo ones; one cost me nearly $100 and is a combination memory for with a small amount of gel. I found that small amoung of gel was critical, as it gave the firmnes to the roll part of the pillow. Trouble is the tv network that was selling it stopped selling this particular style, and I finally found another one (after the other lost its bouce in a year or so) but that wasn't exaclty as good. The plain memory foam ones don't work at all IMHO. Flatten out way too quickly.

The pillow I'm using now I found - and took a chance on (you should see how many cervical pillows are stacked around my house and in my closet - the ones that didn't work! LOL) at a local medical supply store. It costs about $30 but wears out faster. I know when it's flattening because my neck starts acting up. This pillow doesn't have memory foam, but sort of a dip in the middle with cushioning on all four sides, so I can turn and sleep on my side or my back and my neck doesn't kink down. The one nice thing about buying them through the two main home shopping channels are that you have a 30 day trial and can send them back, something you can't do at most other places. And what works for me may not work for you. But it's a critical piece of sleep for me. I even take it when I go to visit my cousin - can't sleep one night without it!

PaLady

I have one of those memory foam pillows and tried it. It was horrible! My hubby was so proud of himself that he found this for me and gave it to me for a Christmas present and I didn't have the heart to tell him that it killed my neck! LOL So, yep it's in the closet or sometimes my daughter uses it. I just tell him that I will use it when I need it. It's been a year.

---

Red,
Don't give up looking for a good pillow, though! For me, it's a godsend and an absolutely necessity! And like I said the one I'm using now I was surprised as it's sold in a lot of places and I didn't think it would work. It's not memory foam. The center dips into what looks almost flat. The first night I slept on it I didn't think it would work, but after a couple of night I found it was better than any of the more expensive ones. I just think it doesn't last as long, so that's the trade off. Fact is, the one I have now I think is starting to soften. Anyway, if you're using a regular pillow that could be a huge part of the problem!

PaLady

Hello Red,

A good pillow is a must, I just have orderd one myslef I will let you know how it works.  One of the other things I do as well Is that I have pillows all over my bed kinda tucked in on each side I can only sleep just so sence my accident.  I found that tucking the pillows around my body keeps me from moving alot when I acualy do get some sleep. I used to be a side stomach sleeper and now I have to do slight side but mostly back.  Has taken some getting used to but all the pillows do help to keep me in that special spot!

lara

If you can stand to sleep in it -- a soft cervical collar can help. You can toss & turn & kick & throw off all the covers & it still won't go anywhere -- I've road tested it. :) You can find those at the medical supply store too, though you might need to go through your doc (or a neurosurgeon -- they are occasionally good for things other than surgery) to get one that fits you just right b/c sometimes the standard sizes are not quite your size.

Then it's a trick of getting the right "sock" for it. The one it came with was too hot for me. I went to the fabric store & tried a whole bunch of different fabrics (you can order them if you have no sewing skills, but really it's only one straight stitch to make the loop, so it's not a big deal) until I found one that was just right.

As for the tossing & turning, I have a TempurPedic mattress & that really does a good job of keeping me from moving around so much -- but I still kick the covers off the bed most nights, so it's an imperfect fix. If you can find something to keep people from moving all over the place, I think you could make millions off of it. My siblings often tell stories of how they used to wake up battered & bruised when we would go on vacations as children. They've told me that even though they were they were the only ones having to endure such "abuse", that they've run across a good number of people who have survived similar sleeping partners. I've tried everything from relaxation, to psychotherapy, to behavior mod, to sleeping pills, to muscle relaxants (those did help, but who wants to take those all the time), to fancy mattresses & pillows, all to no avail. When you find the secret Fountain of Sleeping Lying Still, let me know. I'm still open to trying anything.

sweet dreams,
frances

Oh, sleep... I remember that...

I know how you feel, Sherry. It is so frustrating to finally get a little sleep and then wake up feeling worse because of it! You just can't win for losing sometimes, huh? This will probably sound pretty weird, but I have this pillow that I ordered a LONG time ago - way back when my back problems would come and, yes, actually GO on occasion. Imagine! Well, a PT I visited had me order this "water pillow." It looks for the most part like a normal pillow with padding and everything, but it has a little bladder in the center of it, surrounded by the pillow padding. You can open it up and fill it with water and then it seals tight again.

I love it. I can adjust the amount of water in the pillow to what feels best for me, and it has that "give" like those fancy cushioned pillows so your head just sinks in and the water sort of pushes the padding up under your neck and around your head. It just really feels like a great supportive orthopedic pillow. And it wasn't very expensive. It was about 15 years ago, but it was only about $25 dollars or so. Nothing outrageous. And I am still using the very same one today. It hasn't worn out. I wish my whole be were made of this stuff - maybe then I could sleep a little more! LOL!

I will look on the tag and see if I can find a brand name or something to share with you if you're interested, but maybe you could find them on the web too.

Ry

Found it! It was a "Mediflow" pillow. They have a website, but I don't think I'd better post it b/c of the forum rules. I think you can find them at some of the big bed and bath stores, too.

Post Edited (ryand) : 8/30/2008 4:29:01 AM (GMT-6)

A water pillow?? For real??? That would make a perfect companion to my waterbed! :) Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Right now what I have is a semi-waveless waterbed with a tempurpedic topper and a regular pillow. My back feels better since I got the topper so now it's time to work on my neck!

---

Red,
I used to have a waterbed. For many years. Got rid of it because over time it seemed to sag just like a regular mattress. I had a semi-waveless like yours, with baffles in it. I loved it initially, but now wouldn't trade my tempurpedic for a million bucks. Well, maybe a million - cuz then I could buy another one! LOL

Ry & Ts - do you have the same type of water pillow? Ry seems to describe having some water, but ts yours seems to be all water? How do you keep them from leaking? And what about the temperature of the water? I've always been curious.

PaLady

PaLady:

The pillow I have is a "Mediflow" pillow. It has a small "bladder" inside the center of it surrounded by padding that is just like a normal pillow. The bladder has an airtight plastic lid that twists on and off so you can fill it. It is flat to the pillow and I put it down to the bed side and never can feel it. The pillow never feels different than room temperature. I also push the extra air out of the bladder before I close it and it never sloshes around or anything, so you never really feel like you are sleeping on water. I used to have a water bed a long time ago, and this really doesn't feel anything like that to me. Just a really nice pillow that supports my head and neck well. I've even had it brought to the hospital for me when I'm there.

I haven't had any problems with the cleanliness of it either, but I do periodically put a few drops of bleach in the water that I fill it with. Not a lot, just enough to keep the bacteria at bay.

Ry

That sounds extremely promising - the waterpillow. I am going to have to order that to see if it helps. Thanks bunches!

---

Does the water get cold in the night? Does the temp affect the neck pain? I know cold air makes mim=ne much worse.

---

150mg Azathioprine, Lomotil, Iron, Nexium 2/day, Fentanyl patch, Oxycodone, Baclofin

I'm thinking not Stephanie because according to the description, the water bladder is surrounded by a padded lining. With a waterbed, if you don't have a mattress pad on it, it gets very cold and it can leach the warmth out of you. But with a pad, you can not feel the cold. So I am assuming it is the same way with a water pillow.

---

Bumping up for Pamela.

You know what would be realllllllllllllllly somethiing?
I go out and buy myself a new pillow and miraculously my neck pain is cured.
I AM HEALED!
I wish. Oh yes indeed.
I am down on cash right now
(been buying too many dollhouse-type things lately)
I will head for the pillow store ASAP.
Mervyns and Gottshalks are going bankrupt or something.
Maybe that's the place to go.
TY PaLady.
Pamela Neckpain
PS How can one tell when a pillow is "worn out"