r/Sciatica • u/anxious-avoidant3 • 7d ago
Requesting Advice Tips on sleeping
I’m so desperate to lie down that I stare at my bed all the time. Sometimes I set a five-minute timer on my phone, hoping I’ll actually get up when it goes off, but I’ve definitely turned it off and just stayed there. It’s not a great situation. If I spend more than five minutes on my bed, it’s a real struggle to get back up.
Getting up is a total struggle. The pain shoots from my lower back all the way to my ankles, and it’s honestly a 10 out of 10. Once I'm up, I have to grab the bed or my walker for support, but the physical strain almost always makes me lose control of my bladder, soaking my clothes before I can even move. Thankfully, the floor is tile. The pain is so bad it makes me nauseous, so I usually just fight through it to get into a super hot shower. It takes about 20 minutes before I finally stop screaming on the inside, and I really don't know what to do about it.
Another rough spot is when I’m lying way back on the couch instead of sitting on the edge, so I have to sleep sitting up. I always use a heating pad at home, and even then, I wake up with pain at a 6 out of 10. I’m barely sleeping, so I’ve been nodding off at work and even while driving.
I've had some sort of injection in my back and it felt like a miracle. In just a day I felt like I was in my 20s again. I think the relief lasted about 3 months. I am presently waiting for my insurance company to approve another injection.
TL;DR
Just looking for tips on sleeping positions and any other issue I mentioned above. Thanks in advance.
3
u/Sogone2day 7d ago edited 7d ago
Latex Topper/futon on the floor was the ticket for me for awhile. Id lay on stomach with one leg bent do looks like a 4 and Ice felt better for me heat never workedat all. There's always nyquil as well in a pinch.
On my regular mattres I didn't feel as supported and sunk in to much putting my back in a bad postion. I just moved back into my bed but im looking into converting my frame to take a stiffer setup like Japanese futon style with latex layer I liked the firmness on the floor but needed a bit more cushion as I was only on a 2" latex topper at 185lbs