Sleep Quality Tracker started by Antibenzo7

[[Tr...]]

Hi nightengale,

 

What can you say? Some supplements work, others give a lot of issues. It's all trial and more often than not error.

I'm glad you slept again after stopping the glucosamine.

Let's hope your other knee gets better soon.

 

We've had a week of winter; severe frost and millions of people skating on the ice. And over 40 thousand with fractures ( wrists, hips, shoulders, knees),  needing medical care in the ER. But yesterday the weather completely changed. In a day or 4 we're in for a tast of spring!  Crazy, right?

 

My legs and feet are still giving me lots of problems. As does my back. This morning I had bloodwork done. Next Friday I'm having a phone consultation with another specialist doctor. Don't have high expectations.

 

My sleep has been better the last couple of nights. No weird dreams, thankfully.

 

Wishing you all the best!

 

TS

[[ni...]]

Good day TS, nice to hear from you. Yikes, that is a lot of breaks and fractures that came form falling on treacherous ice.  That's great you are enjoying some spring weather! Enjoy the warm sunny days. 

Indeed there is a lot of crazy weather out there. 

 

My knee has gotten worse. I am keep limping around with a cane/walker. Good grief. 

I just called the rheumatologist to see if there was a chance of an opening before next Tuesday. I won't know if I don't ask.

 

I am sorry your legs, feet, and back are still giving you lots of problems.  That's a lot to deal with! You have been through so much. Hopefully your get some answers with the blood work and the specialist.

 

I'm feeling like a whiner, beings I am just dealing with my knee and feet. Now that I can't do much, I realize how much walking I do every day.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we both will get past this.

 

Take care,

NG

 

 

[[ni...]]

Sleep has been off. Yesterday I went to the rheumatologist and she was able to drain some fluid off of my knee along with a cortisone shot.

I felt no immediate relief, but this morning I got up and walked for 15 minutes without a cane! It was liberating.

Still some achiness and soreness, but the cortisone shot will slowly keep doing it's job.

 

I have lost some weight..a little over 10 pounds, so that was a plus.  I could tell, but had not yet gotten on the scales to see how much. 

As I kindled on clonazepam and Ambien and sleep kept decreasing, I began to gain weight, without changing what I was eating. It was startling

I have a closet with three different sizes of clothes in them..lol

Getting rid of the size I always wore was too depressing so I kept them. Giving them away seemed to say I was giving up to getting back to what I was before benzos took their toll, so they remained. 

 

I go back to the rheumatologist in 3 months, so hopefully things go well during the interim.

 

NG

[[Tr...]]

Hello nightengale,

 

Sorry your sleep is worse again. But those couple of good nights showed you're still able to sleep! That's a good sign.

Being able to walk for 15 minutes after you saw the rheumatologist is really great. Cortisone can work wonders.

 

My bloodwork came back OK,  one protein is still a bit " iffy" but nothing to worry about,  the specialist dr. said.

 

I had a couple of great nights: 7 hours of non-stop sleep.

Last night however was just a few hours, followed by lots of short periods of ultralight sleep. Much pain! Why? I probably did too much walking and biking.

 

Today brings really nice spring weather. Lovely!

 

Have a pleasant weekend!

 

TS

[[ni...]]

Good morning, last night was one of those off and on nights. I still did fairly okay. 

My knee is definitely better a little each day.  I walked 20 minutes this morning and did some sit ups.

 

TS, I smiled when you said the cause of your aches and pains. I am glad you are getting out there and feeling the results.  The non stop sleep the last couple of nights is such a plus that you well deserve. 

 

Hopefully tonight will be better than last night.

 

It is going to be a pleasant weekend here, also.  The sun is shining and the temp is rising. 

 

Take care,

NG

[[ni...]]

Sleep and more sleep.

I did okay last night. Slept initially for two hours, then woke up for a bit. but found a good sleep video and slept again. My guess is I slept 4-5 hours.

Today I made a decision to make an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for two new knees. I am ready to get back to myself again.

I am so tired of the constant pain and stiff legs, so it is time.  After the benzo years, I wanted to move on and enjoy life again, but here I am still dealing with this. I hope the surgeon can get me in as soon as possible. I'm even okay if he will do both at once!

NG

[[Tr...]]

Hello nightengale,

 

Glad you got some quality sleep.

 

A brave decision you made there. Pain can (and often does) drain all your energy and take away the joy in life. I know exactly how you feel. I hope there's space to fit you in for surgery asap. I don't think they're going to give you 2 new knees at once, though. But any improvement counts.

 

I made a decision as well yesterday: I 'm going to speed up my taper. Nothing too crazy, but since being under 2 mgs, it's said Diazepam loses it therapeutic power, so I only get the sxs. And to lessen the Fibromyalgia pain, I have made some adjustments to my diet. Let's wait and see how it goes.

 

Hope you slept well last night. My sleep was quite good, so no complaints there. Really enjoying the early Spring weather!

 

I hope your pain and stiffness aren't going to bother you too much today.

 

Stay strong.

 

TS

[[ni...]]

Hi TS, I am pleased you are speeding up your taper a bit. Indeed that amount does lose its therapeutic benefit.  The change in diet will hopefully manage the Fibromyalgia pain.  I wish you good healing.

 

My sleep was a bit lacking last night, but doable.  I dozed off watching TV and didn't even mind.

I've discovered that sometimes my most refreshing sleep is the hour nap I get in the afternoon.

 

I plan on having a informative conversation with the knee surgeon to see what he suggests, concerning doing them both at the same time, or spreading this out.

My take is your are probably right, don't take on too much at once.  My cousin had both knees replaced so she could be well enough to help her son and wife when they were expecting twins, so it does happen. Pain was her biggest issue.

 

The pain and stiffness is still with me, but the cortisone shot keeps the pain manageable, which helps a lot. 

 

Take care,

NG

 

 

 

 

[[ni...]]

Today is my appointment with the ortho doctor. Last night I became so anxious after I had gone to bed.  I felt like I was jumping out of my skin.

I finally listened to some Michael Sealey guided meditation, hypnosis on my computer.  Went to sleep soon after that, awoke and listened to the next one.

I actually calmed down and did fairly well with sleep.

 

The dog had a possible ruptured cranial cruciate ligament. I decided at almost 15 years of age, she cannot withstand the surgery, so she limps, but the rest we are giving her with no jumping, etc., is helping, as she now puts weight on her back leg.  The vet suggested physical therapy. Seriously..lol

I will look into that as it may be cheaper than the $2331 surgery bill would have been had we gone the surgery route.

This morning dog would not eat her breakfast, then had issues with having a BM.

 

I decided to leave my husband home to stay with the dog and call  him to make sure both he and the dog are okay, while I am at the doctor's office.

Snow is on the way.

 

Wishing good sleep for everyone.

NG

 

 

 

 

[[Tr...]]

Hi nightengale,

 

Nice to hear from you again.

 

Glad you did get back to sleep again.

I hope the appointment goes the way you hope it'll go.

Good idea to give the dog some more rest. After all, she is getting on a bit.

 

After speeding up my taper, things are more or less okay, but it does mean more muscle and joint pain. Still bearable, but nothing to write home about. My sleep is not to bad, I 've had better nights, though.

We had a week of warm(er) weather with lots of sunshine, but now it's cold and overcast again.

 

Hope your day and night are better.

 

TS

 

 

[[ni...]]

Good day TS, your weather sounds like ours. Today the sun is shining after a rainy day, yesterday.

That's good your sleep is not bad.  The road twists and turns with hills and valleys, but eventually it does even out. Hang in there my friend. You are heading in the right direction.

 

My appointment went fine. Someone will call me next week to set up a time/date for the surgery. 

Both knees have no cartilage, so they are bone on bone.  My knee caps have collapsed. I could not see that as the swelling makes them look  normal.

The doctor was a no nonsense person. He breezed  in, discussed the problem, my options, and the plan. The fluid withdrawal, the shots and physical therapy had already been tried with minimal results.  I will be walking the same day after the surgery, go home the same day and start PT on day 2.  I am happy with that. 

The left knee will be replaced when the right one has healed. 

 

I want my life back, again.

 

In 2019, I was walking all over Alaska with my husband, son, and his girlfriend. The years before that, we were in Europe walking everywhere our feet would take us.  I'm not yet ready to give up traveling. it is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.

 

Stay strong.

NG

 

 

 

[[Tr...]]

Hello nightengale,

 

You sound very positive again! I'm glad your specialist doctor has a no-nonsense approach: they're the best kind you can wish for. I hope you'll get a phone call soon. This is the only way to be able to heal and, as you so correctly say it, get your life back. Something I'm also looking forward to ...and have been for so long.

 

The lower I get in my taper,  the weaker my muscles are becoming. I can't help but worry about that. I know it's quite common, but it's making the whole process harder to do. Walking has become more of a burden than a joy.

Strangely enough biking is still ok. I do have muscle power then. 'The only way is forward' , so giving up isn't an option. I just have to be patient and not hurry things.

 

Wishing you a lovely Sunday!

 

TS

[[ni...]]

Good day TS, that's so difficult when your muscles become weaker as you continue  to taper.  Being on here does help to understand what we are up against. 

That's a definite plus that you can still bike!  Our bodies are such a mystery.  Patience definitely helps us deal with these things. 

Hang in there.

My sleep was so lacking last night. On the plus side, I went right to sleep, but then did my typical wake up an hour later.  it didn't seem like I slept after that, but most likely I did. At least I hope so!

It is going to be a beautiful day here, so I'll try to get out and at least breathe some fresh air. Hopefully you were able to do the same.

NG

 

[[...]]

Good day TS, your weather sounds like ours. Today the sun is shining after a rainy day, yesterday.

That's good your sleep is not bad.  The road twists and turns with hills and valleys, but eventually it does even out. Hang in there my friend. You are heading in the right direction.

 

My appointment went fine. Someone will call me next week to set up a time/date for the surgery. 

Both knees have no cartilage, so they are bone on bone.  My knee caps have collapsed. I could not see that as the swelling makes them look  normal.

The doctor was a no nonsense person. He breezed  in, discussed the problem, my options, and the plan. The fluid withdrawal, the shots and physical therapy had already been tried with minimal results.  I will be walking the same day after the surgery, go home the same day and start PT on day 2.  I am happy with that. 

The left knee will be replaced when the right one has healed. 

 

I want my life back, again.

 

In 2019, I was walking all over Alaska with my husband, son, and his girlfriend. The years before that, we were in Europe walking everywhere our feet would take us.  I'm not yet ready to give up traveling. it is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.

 

Stay strong.

NG

 

I just wanted to say that I have also been told that I have bone on bone in both knees and will need total knee replacement surgery. I've been feeling terrified and have not even talked to a surgeon yet. I am just wondering how you are handling the prospect of surgery? I find that after a year of tapering, and more to go I feel so disheartened to have yet another battle to face. You seem to have a positive attitude which is great! 

[[ni...]]

Hi SSR, I am sorry to hear your knees are also bone on bone. 

 

When I found out over a year ago, that I had bone on bone, I opted for the cortisone shots as well as aspiration of fluid in both knees. The first knee reacted very well, but the second not so well.  The pain grew worse and worse. I walk with intense pain with every step. Icing helps a little, but then the pain comes right  back. I cannot take NSAIDS as they make me feel like I have the stomach flu, after taking the first dose.

 

Someone on here said that motion is lotion, so I try to keep walking, but it's painful and when I stop, I ice both knees for some relief. 

 

I'm tired of the pain. My 81 year old neighbor had knee replacement surgery two years ago and the man was out mowing his lawn two weeks after the operation.

 

Am I worried? Certainly! I do worry a lot, which then takes away my sleep, which then causes more worry.  But the reality is, if I want to keep going in life, I must get the surgery.  Not just one, but two.  I asked about doing  both knees at once, but the doctor said no. 

 

Over  a year ago, I developed pain in my right wrist after mowing the leaves up in the yard.  I went to the hand doctor who diagnosed it as de quervain's tenosynovitis and gave me a cortisone shot, which took away the pain. A month later the pain was back, so he gave me another shot. That one lasted a few more months, but the doctor said no more shots, I needed the surgery called de quervain's release. I suffered with intense pain for over four months before I gave in and had the surgery. I opted for a tourniquet, so I could drive myself there and back.  I stressed about how much pain the tourniquet would cause, etc.  Surprisingly the surgery was incredibly easy and the tourniquet was painless.  I wondered why I waited and suffered for so long!

 

I am weary of the pain and suffering. Surgical procedures keep improving, so why keep waiting? I'm not!

 

I'll post after the surgery and the recovery on here, so you can follow along.

 

I learned that being positive was so much easier than being negative. There is always someone so much worse off than we are. 

 

At night, when sleep is elusive, I do have my moments of despair, but they pass.

 

Hang in there!

NG

 

 

[[...]]

Hi SSR, I am sorry to hear your knees are also bone on bone. 

 

When I found out over a year ago, that I had bone on bone, I opted for the cortisone shots as well as aspiration of fluid in both knees. The first knee reacted very well, but the second not so well.  The pain grew worse and worse. I walk with intense pain with every step. Icing helps a little, but then the pain comes right  back. I cannot take NSAIDS as they make me feel like I have the stomach flu, after taking the first dose.

 

Someone on here said that motion is lotion, so I try to keep walking, but it's painful and when I stop, I ice both knees for some relief. 

 

I'm tired of the pain. My 81 year old neighbor had knee replacement surgery two years ago and the man was out mowing his lawn two weeks after the operation.

 

Am I worried? Certainly! I do worry a lot, which then takes away my sleep, which then causes more worry.  But the reality is, if I want to keep going in life, I must get the surgery.  Not just one, but two.  I asked about doing  both knees at once, but the doctor said no. 

 

Over  a year ago, I developed pain in my right wrist after mowing the leaves up in the yard.  I went to the hand doctor who diagnosed it as de quervain's tenosynovitis and gave me a cortisone shot, which took away the pain. A month later the pain was back, so he gave me another shot. That one lasted a few more months, but the doctor said no more shots, I needed the surgery called de quervain's release. I suffered with intense pain for over four months before I gave in and had the surgery. I opted for a tourniquet, so I could drive myself there and back.  I stressed about how much pain the tourniquet would cause, etc.  Surprisingly the surgery was incredibly easy and the tourniquet was painless.  I wondered why I waited and suffered for so long!

 

I am weary of the pain and suffering. Surgical procedures keep improving, so why keep waiting? I'm not!

 

I'll post after the surgery and the recovery on here, so you can follow along.

 

I learned that being positive was so much easier than being negative. There is always someone so much worse off than we are. 

 

At night, when sleep is elusive, I do have my moments of despair, but they pass.

 

Hang in there!

NG

 

Thanks for sharing this. I also can't take pain meds. They make my blood pressure to up. I hope I can find a way to wrap my brain around it all. You are right though. It's probably better to move forward than to keep waiting. 

[[ni...]]

When I had wrist surgery, the doctor gave Tramadol after initially giving me oxycodone. I had a lot left. The knee surgeon's assistant said they would give me Tramadol for sleep following the surgery.  My current knee pain level was 10 going down to a 5 or so when I am sitting on the sofa that has reclining seats. 

Yesterday, I decided to take a tramadol.  The pain when walking went down to a 5-6. I was elated. I took another one at 10:30 pm, as it had been four hours since the previous pill.

I was awake for a while, then finally dropped off to sleep. I remember waking up and my legs kept moving/RLS, plus I was itching all over. The PA said itching is common, so I didn't take a Benadryl. I must have slept because the next thing I knew it was light outside.

I got up and walked for 15 minutes, as my pain level is down to a 0.  If I can keep the pain level down to close to 0, I will keep taking the Tramadol for a few more days.  We are having a major snow storm this weekend, so I won't be going anywhere. 

Any thoughts on my plan are welcome even if you don't agree.

NG,

[[Tr...]]

 

Hi nightengale,

 

That's wonderful: zero pain! You must have felt over the moon.

Since you're not on a benzo, it's okay to take a Tramadol. So, taking them for a few more days would be fine, I'd say.

Much less dangerous than Oxycodon, that's for sure.

And the possible extra damage to your knees by walking isn't an issue either: you're getting brand new ones shortly...😀

It's great you slept better.

Snowstorm, right? Nobody 's waiting for that. Best stay inside and enjoy the warmth.

 

Have a nice weekend!

 

TS

 

[[ni...]]

 

Hi TS

We had two feet plus lots of high winds in Colorado on Sunday. A neighbor with a snow blower cleared the walks and driveway Sunday morning, then two other neighbors with snow shovels cleared everything again that evening. This morning my husband and I cleared it all off again. Thankfully, we had a lot of helping hands.

 

I am both happy and stressed about the upcoming surgery. One step at a time will soon put this all behind me. 

I have lost a fair amount of weight.  Hopefully I can soon get back into my pre-benzo withdrawal clothes.  I knew I saved them for some good reason!

Someone wrote about gaining weight and then heard the reason..too much eating, too much of this or that.  I agree 100% but there is also a medical reason for this.  Yes, I craved sweets, carbs and whatever else caused the weight gain, but this didn't happen before I began this long trip down the benzo road.

Seriously, there were times I felt like I would kill for something sweet.

 

Stay warm!

NG

 

 

 

 

[[Tr...]]

 

Hi nightengale,

 

O no, so much snow this late: Spring is here in a few days.

So glad your neighbours came to the rescue. A good neighbour is worth so much more than a distant friend,  right?

I feel what you say: dreading and ,at the same time, looking forward to the surgery. Just remember: " after the bitter comes the sweet". It gets worse before it gets better.

 

A good thing you lost the extra weight. Your clothes will fit again,  and it'll be better for your joints. (knees especially).

 

I have put on weight too, but am glad I did. When I started my taper I lost quite a lot. Now I 'm back on  my normal weight. Feel better and look better.

 

Be thankful you didn't kill anyone because of your cravings! 😃

 

Hope you have a better day!

 

TS

[[An...]]

Hi Everyone. I slept ok last night but I am still not getting enough sleep. I was able to sleep 4.5 hours I think. I would love to get a good solid 6-8 hours per night.

 

Enjoy your day everyone.

[[Tr...]]

Hi AntiBenzo,

 

Glad to see you slept some 4,5 hours. That really isn't that bad! Many on here would kill for that amount of shut-eye.

Try not to make too much of an issue of it. The less attention you give it, the better it will get eventually. As with all things benzo and tapering, it takes time. But it does get better!

 

Have a nice day.

 

Trochsetter

[[ni...]]

Good morning, I am getting ready for the surgery. I actually thought it was Friday of next week, but it is the week after that. Whew. That bought me some extra time. My sleep is down to maybe 3 hours. I've got too much on my mind for now.

I had to stop taking the tramadol, as after the sleep effect wore off, I was wide awake at night and wanting to sleep all morning. I would even take the last dose around midnight, but at 10 am I can barely keep my eyes open.

Since I stopped, I am not trying to fall asleep after getting up.

 

In all seriousness, the best way for normal sleep to return is like the Theway2 says, take nothing..

He's oh so right.

 

NG

[[ni...]]

 

TS, I did feel over the moon with no pain. I will take what I can get! 

The effects of the drug have gone away, but that's okay.  I can handle whatever comes my way, more or less.

I find this all so strange how the tramadol worked so well the first two nights, then after that it was like I stopped taking anything, except I still felt woozy and drugged.  It seems like the brain is saying no deal.  Hopefully the surgeon can find a pain killer that will work for my knee after the healing takes place. If not, I guess I can muddle through it all.

 

NG

 

Hi nightengale,

 

That's wonderful: zero pain! You must have felt over the moon.

Since you're not on a benzo, it's okay to take a Tramadol. So, taking them for a few more days would be fine, I'd say.

Much less dangerous than Oxycodon, that's for sure.

And the possible extra damage to your knees by walking isn't an issue either: you're getting brand new ones shortly...😀

It's great you slept better.

Snowstorm, right? Nobody 's waiting for that. Best stay inside and enjoy the warmth.

 

[[Tr...]]

Hi nightengale,

 

All of those meds are crazy stuff. The less we can take, the better it is. But, reality doesn't always work like that.

 

I can sense you're developing a knew look at life: less stressed out and more relaxed.  Am I right? I'm working on that too. Just take it as it comes. Don't fight it, just (try to) accept that's how it is at the moment. Not that easy to do, though.

 

My sleep was better again last night, after 2 nights with pain and tossing and turning. The muscle pain and stiffness are really bothering me a lot at the moment, so I decided to back hard on exercise for a few days. Seeing a orthopedic specialist in 2 weeks time. Thinking about having PT again as well.

 

Hope you slept well. Stay safe and warm!

 

TS