Sleepless nights

Hi tj. You are such a kind person and an inspiiration to newcomers here that I had no idea of the severity of your insomnia and pain. After getting a few hours of sleep, I turned over in bed about a half hour ago, and my left stump, which has clonus, began kicking and kicking and kicking. I should name that stump "Thumper", after the rabbit in Bambi. It's not just annoying, it's painful. By choice, I don't take any (prescription) medication, not even for these events. But on occassions such as this one, I remember that this was what the drugs were "for". Now that I'm sitting up in bed, the dramatic kicking has stopped, but there is still a spasm in my hip joint. This tells me that as soon as I lie back down the "display" will begin again.

But I hadn't intended just to talk about myself, during this Midsummer Night's Non-dream. What does it mean that you are in "the third stage of arachnoiditis"? So, at that stage, even morphine offers little reprieve? (...and your humor about wishing that the morphine would "come in a six pack" - cute. I hadn't heard that one before.) It's nice that you at least had the thunderstorm to distract you for a few minutes. I'm sorry you've had such severe insomnia. Would pain medication and sleep medication give you a temporary fix of the problem? Have you asked for it and the doctor not given it to you? It's a disgrace how unresponsive the system is to our needs. The delay in getting what we need adds to our stress levels. Anyway, 'rant on' whenever you feel like it, and know that somewhere another SCI forum member is wide awake and suffering, too.

Damn TJ, that's not enough sleep. My sleep consistency is crappy, but compared to what your dealing with I'm Sleeping Beauty. My friend, you needs some meds. Many here have chronic pain, but unlike you we get some relief, whether by meds, or when we catch some sleep. I wouldn't screw around with the usual crud. If morphine takes the edge off, thats what you should have. IMO I think you should ask your doc about Methadone which may work better than the straight up morph.

I know some folks here take great pride in not needing meds. If they can have some quality of life without them, then I'm happy for them. I myself without meds would be almost useless to my family. So for me the negative aspects of medication are outweighed by the positive.

Something needs to be changed TJ, you shouldn't have to continue like this. Don't make me send the Sandman.

That's a lot to need to rant about, tj, I had no idea you had such challenges. I know that cannabis still has a stigma, but have you tried it or thought about trying it? It's certainly nothing like morphine either in terms of pain relief or (thank goodness) addiction, but it sure can take the edge off and help you sleep.
It is legal medicinally and recreationally here in MA, and I use it all the time for pain, spasms, high BP, and insomnia. I don't use any other kind of pain killer, and it keeps my spasticity at minimum. Yes, it does also alter the mind a little, although that's not always a bad thing. You probably already know this but it can be vaporized (so it's easier to inhale) or ingested, not just smoked. It works TJ, and it's "all natural"   Just a thought.

Good morningTj. I hope you have had a wink or two since your last post! I agree with Jaylock with regards to medicinal cannabis. I have never smoked recreational "pot" in my life and have no intention of doing so. But my neurologist prescribed the cannabis to me after Inrefused all of the drugs he wanted to put me on. I was excited to find that I didn't have to smoke the cannabis to get the benefits. My options are fruit flavored gummies, cookies, vapor pen, and drops, in addition to the traditonal method of smoking. I am a chicken, so I tried the CBD version of the pen, gummies and drops. My favorite (because I didn't care for the taste of the others) is the CBD oil drops. There is very little to no THC in it. I found them to loosen my very stiff legs and feet when I walk with my crutches. It's not perfect, so I will try using the 1 to 1 oil (1 part THC to 1 part CBD) on my next visit to the pharmacy. There are many options! I have found a great difference with using the cannabis and find it to be a miracle "drug" in a more natural form. I hope this can be an option for you. Good luck to you, and I truly hope things get better for you soon.

www.painonline.org Wow, the site has been updated quite a bit since my last visit.

tj wow I had no idea you had to deal with this ontop of everything else you're dealing with. I can't even imagine how hard it must be for you but you're doing an amazing job dealing with it. Why is it that you don't have medication to take for sleep/pain related issues? Doctor isn't writing up a prescription? Have you tried natural remedies for both?