Up All night

[baerbaer]

I had a major flare yesterday along with my monthly migrane..what a great day. Even with Elavil I was miserable and flipped back and forth all night on the couch so I wouldn't wake my husband..One time during the night I started pounding my stomach to try and get some relief it was so bad..I just lay there having spasm after spasm and getting up to go just a trickle..I am so discouraged. I guess I am going to have to get used to it getting worse during my pms week.
At one point i did get up and drink some cold water with a teaspoon of baking soda..it did give a little relief..anyone know how many times a day is safe to do that?

[ICLori]

I'm so sorry you had such a bad night. I'm not sure how often it's safe to take the baking soda, I'd limit it though because it's a lot of sodium.

I wonder if your doctor would have some ideas about what to do for the flare times? Maybe he would be comfortable prescribing a small amount of a painkiller such as Ultram or a narcotic, just for really bad flares like the one you had last night?

Also, you probably already tried this, but I find that getting into a hot bath (hard in the summertime when it's already so hot, I know) really seems to help soothe my bladder, or a hot water bottle (seems to help more than a heating pad, for me.) I will use the hot water bottle either on my tummy or between my legs for pain relief. I love my hot water bottle, I got one with a plastic neck (not metal) so I could just fill it with water then microwave it for several minutes. It makes the hot water bottle fall apart after about one year of doing that, but it's cheap to buy so I just go get another one when that happens, when it springs a leak. Use extreme caution if you microwave the water, though. Try it just for one minute at a time, then 30 seconds thereafter until it's warm enough. You don't want it melting in your microwave or being so hot it will burn you.

Some people get relief from Prelief or calcium tablets of some sort, too, and that doesn't have the high sodium of baking soda.

I think maybe a talk with your doctor is in order, honestly. If I were a doctor, I would probably give you a small prescription of Ultram to try, to see if that helps during the PMS week. If he's not comfortable with that, then maybe he would consider a raised dose of Elavil during that week (if you are not already maxed out on Elavil, that is.)

Hopefully you will feel better soon,

Blessings, and welcome,
Lori

[Olivia]

It is so miserable when you can't sleep and it just leads to another bad day. I don't know what meds your doctor has you on, but when my doctor put me on ditropan it really helped with the spasms and he has prescribed me pyridum plus to take as needed as well. I have found that a heating pad feels great and relieves some of the pain.

Sometimes, I try imagining I'm in another place...somewhere relaxing...I will lay there in bed and try to mentally block out the pain and visually imagine myself in this warm log cabin with a crackling fire and beautiful snow on the mountains outside the window or maybe a warm (but not too warm ) beach and the sounds of the ocean and nature. It may sound silly , but it actually works sometimes. I also get down on my knees and pray. I thank God for all that he has done for me and ask him to help me get through another "bump in the road.

The pain is real and I am not suggesting that you can make it go away with mental visualizations; I am only suggesting that it sometimes helps me to block out some of the pain in order to fall asleep - for even a little bit. I didn't have a sleepless night last night, but I did wake up many times due to pain. It is always a chore to try and figure out if I am starting a flare or if I could possibly have an infection...Of course 9 times out of 10 it is a flare.

I will keep you in my prayers.