For the last 4 months I have had trouble sleeping. I usually wake up after 2 to 3 hours of sleep, and have trouble falling back asleep. I was wondering if anyone else has this problem or know of anything to help me sleep. Thanks
I’ve had problems sleeping as well. Melatonin works great (it’s natural and over-the-counter too). I take one tablet with my evening meal, then another about an hour prior to bedtime and sleep like a baby.
Since I started taking Neurontin for chronic pain I have been sleeping better.
Mike,
I have had sleeping problems forever at least it seems like forever. I take Ambien for it. A lot of people won’t or can’t take it because it can cause sleep walking and you can do all sorts of things that you will never remember the next day. This is true.
My husband tells me all the time I either fixed myself something to eat or got up and did laundry. However for me personally I don’t care. I sleep and I know I would be in so much worse shape if I didn’t.
My doctor understands this too. She has ms and she has trouble sleeping as well. She knows it is the only way our bodies have a chance to heal.
There are tons of natural sleep aids, magnesium, calcium. st johns wart, valarian root. Organic Minerals are a good thing to try before bedtime too. I have used all these things and they all worked for a period of time. They quite though and now I use the ambien. Until it quits working I plan on sticking with it. I am still able to work and I need my sleep.
Good luck I hope you find something that helps you.
Hugs,
Brenda
Hiya Mike, I too have trouble sleeping, I fall asleep no problem but some nights i am lucky to have only 4 hours sleep off and on. I do find if I take a herbal sleeping pill it helps, I always wake up extremely tired and in alot of pain, I try to sleep in one position as its less painful but I wake up very stiff and sore… i believe its one of the curses of DD. Its a vicious circle, lack of sleep at night, extreme tiredness during the day.
Thanks for the replys. When I see my doctor next tuesday, I’m going to ask him about taking LUNESTA. Has anyone tried this? I just know I need to start sleeping better.
Hi Mike,
I have taken Ambien and Lunestra. They don’t work for me. I am an extreme case. I have never slept well since I was a child. No matter how tired I am if I fall asleep I wake after an hour or so. My husband tells me to just go to sleep. My daughter seemed to sleep better after taking tryptophan. (I know that is spelled wrong) I know some people swear by it but I have not tried it. I hope you find something soon that will enable you to sleep,
Joan
I have many sleep problems…not sleeping at night then during the day there is like an urgent need to lie down but after about an hour I feel better…My Dr gave me Amitriptiline(sp?) to help me sleep…before that I was taking a Benasdryl every night to help me sleep…(actually took two to help me sleep)…Dr said if it worked that was fine but after a while when DD got worse it stopped working…
Yes, I do too! I take Lunesta 3. I usually get 5 or 6 hours with this because I wake up in alot of pain. ttyl
I believe it's pretty common with Dercum's. I just turned 47 June 8th, and I've been dealing with Dercum's since I was about 30. I had lumps before that, but I wouldn't classify it as Dercum's till 30'ish.
Sleep is a major problem. Having dealt with it for so long, I think it's a combination of things. My hips, thighs, and waist all hurt with pressure. Even with memory foam, it still hurts to lay in one position. So, all night, I'm subconsciously and consciously turning to find a more comfortable position.
Also, my Nerve Specialist says that we as Dercum's sufferers NEVER get any down time. Our Nerves are sending pressure and pain signals to our brains CONSTANTLY! Our brains NEVER get to rest. Dercum's lipomas tend to grow along our nerves, so there's a constant input to the brain. If your brain does not get to rest, neither does the body. It's a type of sleep deprivation, and everyone understands how all encompassing that can be to a body. That's why it's used to break people.
Also, when I first started dealing with this, I was put on medications to help with symptoms, triglycerides, cholesterol, arthritis, pain, etc, etc... 11 total prescriptions to be exact.
One day, while contemplating suicide, I decided I was tired of being drugged up so badly and having my Dr's offer more drugs and no other options. I wondered if the drugs had a part to play in my depression and suicidal thoughts. So, canceled all further Dr appts, and I stopped ALL my medications, COLD TURKEY. It was either STOP all my medicine, or TAKE all my medicine. I'm glad I chose the first option.
While I don't recommend ANYONE try doing this without a doctor's supervision, I did finally get through it alone. It took about a week of complete and total chaos with my body. Night sweats, tremors, night terrors, etc, etc, etc... It was as if I was coming off of Heroin. I was absolutely and completely HOOKED on these "Legal" drugs. It took about 6 months to feel like it was totally gone, but it is finally gone. It's now been 2 years, and I have not taken a single prescription drug since. I have not even been back to my Dr since.
While I do feel a lot of pain still, I can at least sleep better, and I have a MUCH clearer head. To deal with the pain, I started VERY soft massage EVERY SINGLE DAY. I never missed a day. As we all know, massage hurts horribly when you first start it. BUT, what we don't realize is that your body will eventually allow it. I got to the point where I could handle it at a very strong pressure like deep Swedish massage. My tumors actually started to slow their growth, and myself and my family actually felt they were going away.
I started to walk slowly, and even got to the point that I was walking up to 5 miles in one day, and ran 1/2 mile! This was very exciting for me because I used to be an athlete in my teens and twenties, but for the past couple decades, I have not been able to walk far, let alone run. My breathing became easier, and I was not getting as tired as easily. Some days, I used to get tired walking from the car to my front door.
Unfortunately, massage is VERY expensive, and the person I had doing it for me for free was not available anymore. Now, I'm having sleeping issues and pain issues much more than I was. I'm working on finding someone to start the massage again. My wife will do some, and I will find someone else to help cover. My wife has enough on her plate right now.
I FIRMLY believe massage and movement is the Solution to living with Dercum's Disease. If you can, please try it. Start with VERY light touch that does not hurt, and slowly work up to more and more pressure until you can handle a strong massage. It hurt at times, but as you can tell, I'm pretty strong willed. It may take weeks, or even months, but I TRULY believe it's worth it. Your family will thank you in the long run because it will give you back part of yourself that's been missing.
Good luck everyone. I'm so sorry you've all ended up on this forum because you NEEDED to. I never give up hope though that there's light at the end of the tunnel. I almost did at one point, but my wife, 3 daughters, 2 grandsons, 4 brothers, 3 sisters, and both parents would have been unjustly treated if I had.
This a great place for a person like me as i am also not able to sleep properly but not getting why as i have a opulent life without any tension but still can’t sleep.
http://www.laurenslinens.com/thtrsttwshse.html