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Trellum

Legendary member
Joined
Jul 17, 2013
Messages
1,788
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
04/2011
Country
NL
State
NL
Lately I've been struggling with neck pain, I think this kind of pain is one of the most debilitating ones, because when I have it I can't even sleep :( I'm firm on my decision tho: I'm NOT taking more meds! I don't want to load my body with more chemicals and expose myself to a lot unpleasant side effects (I already take meds for other things). I'm using medical marijuana to help me tho; it's amazing!

I'm just 26, so I'm planning to keep doing this until I can. I know the pain can get worse once I age, but I'm not thinking a lot about the future anymore :)

Are you are suffering from this often? How do you handle it? How do you manage to fall asleep while you're experiencing this?
 
Lately I've been struggling with neck pain, I think this kind of pain is one of the most debilitating ones, because when I have it I can't even sleep :( I'm firm on my decision tho: I'm NOT taking more meds!

:-( I'm sorry to hear that you're having to deal with this, Trellum. How long has the neck pain been so bad for you? Have you tried different shapes and firmness options with pillows? It may sound too simple, but it really makes a difference for "regular" (meaning non-fibro) neck and shoulder pain, so may it's worth a try?
 
Hi - I'm sorry to hear about your neck pain. I have fibro and I feel the most pain in my back and neck...the neck being the worst. I am older than you....37, but still do not consider myself to be that old. I have 3 kids to take care of so sometimes I walk around the house doing my chores with a sock of rice around my neck. Try to fall asleep with an old tube sock filled with rice and knotted. Microwave until nice and warm and lay it around your neck. Sometime it's more comfortable than a heating pad. I sympathize and hope you feel better.
 
I've been suffering from neck pain also. I don't know if it is because of the position that I sleep in or because I sit upright and stare at a computer screen for five days a week. I've tried heating pads, long showers, stretches and nothing seems to work. Maybe I need a nice new pillow. What is the best pillow for neck pain?
 
Lately I've been struggling with neck pain, I think this kind of pain is one of the most debilitating ones, because when I have it I can't even sleep :( I'm firm on my decision tho: I'm NOT taking more meds! I don't want to load my body with more chemicals and expose myself to a lot unpleasant side effects (I already take meds for other things). I'm using medical marijuana to help me tho; it's amazing!

I'm just 26, so I'm planning to keep doing this until I can. I know the pain can get worse once I age, but I'm not thinking a lot about the future anymore :)

Are you are suffering from this often? How do you handle it? How do you manage to fall asleep while you're experiencing this?


Unlike many, I swear by opioid medications.

I say this after spending most of the first 20 years dealing with my chronic pain ...yes...it has been OVER 20 years, by using every alternative therapy I could find, every diet promising to end chronic pain issues, and all sorts o physical therapy and snazzy traction devices.

There were times when my pain was so intense that it affected my vision, yet I kept trying to avoid medications that might create addiction, and I was wrong to do so.

Medications gave me back a portion of my life, but things had to get so bad that I could not hold a book or read a newspaper before I accepted my situation and went for the big guns.

If you have writhing pain, not the stuff of migraines but the stuff of suicide, time released opioids raise your pain "baseline" preventing bad days from becoming bad months. I still take muscle relaxants and vicodin for break through pain, but I sleep through most night again, can crochet again, and most of all, I can think!

Since you are 29, you might have a few more years before you absolutely must have your pain managed differently, and that is fine, but I had to stop talking to people who uttered the word "addiction" without understanding that the word "addiction" punishes people with legitimate reasons for using these medications.

I am no different than the diabetic dependent on insulin. I am dependent on morphine because of my legitimate, documented pain. Without the morphine I cannot work, drive, read, or rest.
 
:-( I'm sorry to hear that you're having to deal with this, Trellum. How long has the neck pain been so bad for you? Have you tried different shapes and firmness options with pillows? It may sound too simple, but it really makes a difference for "regular" (meaning non-fibro) neck and shoulder pain, so may it's worth a try?

Hi there! Well, it's been a while now, but sometimes is worse.... sometimes isn't that bad. I've good pillows, sometimes that's just not enough. I'm using some medical marijuana daily, that has been helping me a lot. I plan to keep using it, even if I move the Netherlands. It's really helping me with my neck, thigh, knees, wrists, back pains. It's funny today it was my knees, yesterday it was my wrists! There is always something to complain about, heh :p
 
Hi - I'm sorry to hear about your neck pain. I have fibro and I feel the most pain in my back and neck...the neck being the worst. I am older than you....37, but still do not consider myself to be that old. I have 3 kids to take care of so sometimes I walk around the house doing my chores with a sock of rice around my neck. Try to fall asleep with an old tube sock filled with rice and knotted. Microwave until nice and warm and lay it around your neck. Sometime it's more comfortable than a heating pad. I sympathize and hope you feel better.

Hi weber! I'm sorry you have to deal with this as well, neck pain is so far one of the worst pains I've ever suffered. Because it might not be as strong as other pains I've suffered before (gallbladder attack pain) but it sure is really debilitating. I've spent many sleepless night because of that pain, so I know that when it comes... I know I'll not be sleeping for a while!

Poor you :( Having to take care of 3 kids and dealing with neck pain and fibro in general. I also suffer from back pain. So I really know what it feels like! Thanks for the useful tip, by the way! It's a really creative one! It'll surely come in handy when the neck pain gets really bad :) Thanks!
 
I've been suffering from neck pain also. I don't know if it is because of the position that I sleep in or because I sit upright and stare at a computer screen for five days a week. I've tried heating pads, long showers, stretches and nothing seems to work. Maybe I need a nice new pillow. What is the best pillow for neck pain?

I've heard the cervical traction pillow can make wonders, hasn't helped me that much (sometimes the pain is really bad). I think when neck pain is caused by fibro is not so easy :( I personally like pillows that are not too soft or too hard; just perfect. Wish that would help. Heating pads feel nice, but it never lasts :(
 
Unlike many, I swear by opioid medications.

I say this after spending most of the first 20 years dealing with my chronic pain ...yes...it has been OVER 20 years, by using every alternative therapy I could find, every diet promising to end chronic pain issues, and all sorts o physical therapy and snazzy traction devices.

There were times when my pain was so intense that it affected my vision, yet I kept trying to avoid medications that might create addiction, and I was wrong to do so.

Medications gave me back a portion of my life, but things had to get so bad that I could not hold a book or read a newspaper before I accepted my situation and went for the big guns.

If you have writhing pain, not the stuff of migraines but the stuff of suicide, time released opioids raise your pain "baseline" preventing bad days from becoming bad months. I still take muscle relaxants and vicodin for break through pain, but I sleep through most night again, can crochet again, and most of all, I can think!

Since you are 29, you might have a few more years before you absolutely must have your pain managed differently, and that is fine, but I had to stop talking to people who uttered the word "addiction" without understanding that the word "addiction" punishes people with legitimate reasons for using these medications.

I am no different than the diabetic dependent on insulin. I am dependent on morphine because of my legitimate, documented pain. Without the morphine I cannot work, drive, read, or rest.

Hi, first of all thanks for taking the time to share your personal experience! I'm so sorry you have to deal with such a pain, I must admit my pain in general seems to be a bit more intense. I guess it will be matter of time before I have to start taking strong medications like you do. I can't even how bad a pain like the one you described must feel... specially dealing with it on a daily basis!

I've been dealing with pain since my early teens, but it was nothing to worry about at first, I'm just 26 years old, but I'm already starting to feel my pain is getting a bit more intense and I'm feeling it more often now. I try not to think much about it, since I'm dealing with so many other health issues (genetic).

I don't judge people who use strong medications, I think you gotta do what you gotta do and if I were in the same situation you described... I'm sure as heck I'd not think it twice! Life is too short to live it in pain! Specially a severe pain like the one you described! I might start using that kind of meds once the medical marijuana stops helping me, but I hope it'll take at least other 3 decades for that to happen.
 
I've heard the cervical traction pillow can make wonders, hasn't helped me that much (sometimes the pain is really bad). I think when neck pain is caused by fibro is not so easy :( I personally like pillows that are not too soft or too hard; just perfect. Wish that would help. Heating pads feel nice, but it never lasts :(

Cervical traction pillow...sounds interesting. Where do you buy it? I also enjoy pillows that are of medium firmness. I usually end up with one that is too soft or hard because it is so hard to properly judge while in the store. My heating pad does overheat after 20 minutes or so and it ends up feeling like it is burning the skin. I guess I need to stretch a lot more and maybe take longer showers.
 
I used to suffer from some really bad neck pain! The only thing that would help me was putting a heating pad on the area, but that would be hard since it'd be so hot that I'd start sweating, and it just wasn't a pleasant experience! I think medical marijuana is a great idea, and I wish it were legal back when I was experiencing it as well. I find how I sleep really impacts neck pain, like if I sleep with my chin too high, my neck kills the next day!
 
Cervical traction pillow...sounds interesting. Where do you buy it? I also enjoy pillows that are of medium firmness. I usually end up with one that is too soft or hard because it is so hard to properly judge while in the store. My heating pad does overheat after 20 minutes or so and it ends up feeling like it is burning the skin. I guess I need to stretch a lot more and maybe take longer showers.

You can find those on Ebay :) You can also go to one of those stores that specilize on selling orthopedic things. I'm sure you will find it there! Just try with one of those pillows, I'm sure you will find some relief :) I hate heating pads by the way... they kinda scare me! Specially the electrical ones :-x
 
I used to suffer from some really bad neck pain! The only thing that would help me was putting a heating pad on the area, but that would be hard since it'd be so hot that I'd start sweating, and it just wasn't a pleasant experience! I think medical marijuana is a great idea, and I wish it were legal back when I was experiencing it as well. I find how I sleep really impacts neck pain, like if I sleep with my chin too high, my neck kills the next day!

I hate heating pads :( They make me so nervious because they over heat, and that really makes me feel really uneasy! Specially the electrical ones... I had that image when you mentioned sweating :p So... did the neck pain go away on it's own?

I'm using medical marijuana to treat most of my health issues ;) My appetite will never be the same but marijuana really helps with that. I'm sleeping even better now :) I hope they approve the use of medical marijuana everywhere!
 
You can find those on Ebay :) You can also go to one of those stores that specilize on selling orthopedic things. I'm sure you will find it there! Just try with one of those pillows, I'm sure you will find some relief :) I hate heating pads by the way... they kinda scare me! Specially the electrical ones :-x

Well, thank you for the tip. I'll head to ebay right now. The electrical heating pads to get very, very hot so you have to watch out not to fall asleep with them on your body or else you could get burned.
 
Another idea is to buy one of those neck wraps like people use after an injury. I had one and used it when riding in the car or even sitting at home reading or watching TV. It seemed to help my neck muscles relax and took the pressure of the nerves and muscles. Also try using two pillows instead of one. That way you are not lying flat but at a softly curved angle. Using aspercreme on your neck and sometimes help.

I agree with rollinloud, heating pads can be used for short periods of time, but leaving one on all night or for extended periods of time could cause them to start a house fire or give you severe burns. :)
 
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