Pain in the neck

[KICKSTART]

Help ! Ever since ive started hemo and having to sit/recline ive noticed my neck aching and stiff, but last night (after yesterdays session) i didnt know where to put my self. I have been up all night the pain has been so bad , it travels up the back of my head and makes me    I did have an appt with a chiropractor this morning and she said my neck was shockingly full of tension. She did some stretches on it and it felt great, but within half an hour of leaving it was back. My head is pounding with it , i feel sick , i cant get comfy. I have taken pain killlers and done alternate hot and cold compresses on it .. zilch ! Even if it goes today im dreading tomorrow cause its hemo day again, so it will be back , its making me very miserable and i cant get anything done and feel crap. Any suggestions?  We are sat at such funny angles at hemo , neither upright or lay down , just at an incline , which is awful for 4 plus hours ! The chiropractor wants me to go back for more sessions but i cant afford it , its too expensive.

[tyefly]

    I have only done a couple of D sessions  and I am one of those types of people who dont sit long....so its been trying to sit there as well....  I guess since your have problems you are going to have to trial and error some equipment....like a neck pillow or sometype of pillow that will support your nect better.....  I know my arm has to be straight all the time and I am going to try a pillow....  I know I am going to need to sit on something, my lower back hurts after a couple of hours.....   I think you will do fine after you find what will work for you ...... I suppose all of us have had to try different things to make us comfortable.... and then it all about just getting use to do it.... I know when I started driving truck I had a real hard time sitting there and sometimes I would have to try to drive half standing up... just to give the back end some rest...  I did get use to sitting.....  Do they have a stationary bicycle that you could use while your hooked up....that my help too......just some thoughts....
   

[boogreenwood]

Kickstart, try using a pillow that molds to your nect and shoulders. They used to have them at Walgreens, you could heat them in the microwave and it helps support your neck and relieve the tension from being in a recline position for long periods of time. Maybe one of the techs could give you a neck and shoulder massage LOL!

[Pam]

I had the same problem Kickstart. A neck pillow will do wonders. But make sure you get one that is soft and squishy. I didn't like the memory foam ones. I did find one filled with buckwheat and it works great. If you can't find one in a store, they sell them on ebay. They can be micro waved for heat...I think.

Pam

[zona]

Kickstart,Im sorry I don't have any suggestions since I am not on dialysis yet.But I just wanted to say I hope it gets better for you. I cannot imagine how hard it is for you all to sit still for so long.That is gonna be the hardest part for me.

[KICKSTART]

Thanks guys but i cant use a pillow as we have built in headrests (sorry forgot to mention it) the trouble being its not where my head is ! So if i lean back on it , its constantly tipping my head forward (thats another part of the problem)

Tyefly ..a stationary bicycle  ?  We arent even allowed to sit upright , nevermind leave our chairs ! I dont have a problem with sitting , its just my neck and when it keeps me up all night and makes me sick , it just makes me miserable !

If i microwaved a pillow but the time i got to the unit , it would be cold ! No we are not allowed near the one in the kitchen , hell we are not allowed in the kitchen , its to your bed and stay there till done!

Can you think of anything else ?

[billybags]

Oh Kickstart, there you were saying you were having a good day Tuesday and wham a crap day today. What to do, if you can not use a pillow or a cushion I dont know what the answere is. Are you small like me 5.2 I find it hard sitting in a car my head does not reach the rest. So if you are small could you try asking for cushions or pillows to put under your bum to higher you up'; How about one of those child seats, the ones they have to have when they are about 10. My husband says the chairs, sorry "recliners" are not comfortable. You can neither sit, or lay comfortably in them. Hope you get some rest tonight.

[Pam]

Kickstart before you give up on the idea of a neck rest, try a med towel. roll it up and put it behind your neck to see if that helps. I'm short. Only 5 ft. I do not sit in the chair at a comfortable position. The neck pillow fills in the gap from my shoulders to the back of my head. Its worth a try.

Pam

[KICKSTART]

Sorry guys im the opposite, Im tall !!! I also have a problem with the length of the bed/recliner as my feet always balance on the end rail !!! The headrest sort of comes to just above the base of my neck thats why my head is pushed forward ! thanks for your suggestions though. Im not sure what im going to do as the pain is terrible tonight and tomorrow im back in the chair !

[tyefly]

    I know   go to sleep.......   I wish I could go to sleep   anywhere

[nursewratchet]

If you sew at all, you can get a GIANT tube sock.  Fill it with beans or rice (uncooked of course), and sew up the top.  You can put it in the Micro to warm it, but even if you can't get it warm, it will support your neck.  I made these one year for the patients at my clinic.  They loved them, and are still in use.  Your clinic SHOULD warm it for you when you get there, even if they wait till everyone is on to dio it.  This also makes a great arm (weight) to put across the access arm.  It is not heavy, but gives enough weight to be a reminder to keep the arm still.  Hope this helps. 

[lizabee]

I got one of those pillows that you put around your neck (like people on airplanes have) and it seems to make it more comfy

[billybags]

OK Kickstart, I am getting the jist of what you look  like.
You are tall, got big feet, like a tinnie and a fag.
So what colour hair have you got? Only having a laugh.
Have a good day today. Alan has gone off for another session this morning before tomorrows op.

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Thanks guys but i cant use a pillow as we have built in headrests (sorry forgot to mention it) the trouble being its not where my head is ! So if i lean back on it , its constantly tipping my head forward (thats another part of the problem)

Kickstart are you sure you can't take of the headrests? At my unit you can just take them off. I hate those things, they literally gave me a pain in the neck till I realised you can take them off.

[Wallyz]

OUch.  I feel your pain, as I have the same issues.
The chiropractor is expensive.  I gave up on some other stuff in order to go once a month.  I also use this exercise:

http://www.chinese-holistic-health-exercises.com/stiff-neck-exercise.html

I do it 2-3 times a day.

[MomInDialysis]

There are a couple of very tall men at the center where my mom goes and they use the little travel pillows like you would use on a plane or as a passenger in a car.  They seem to be "happy" with them. 

[zona]

Billybags,I am just wracking my brain as to what a tinnie and a fag is! I'm  from the south ya,ll

[KICKSTART]

OUch.  I feel your pain, as I have the same issues.
The chiropractor is expensive.  I gave up on some other stuff in order to go once a month.  I also use this exercise:

http://www.chinese-holistic-health-exercises.com/stiff-neck-exercise.html

I do it 2-3 times a day.

 :2thumbsup;Thanks for those ! Do you know thats exactly what the chiropractor did yesterday and it cost me an arm and a leg for 15 mins !  I would give things up too, but she wants me there EVERY week and if possible twice ! Yeah i bet she does !

[KICKSTART]

Billybags,I am just wracking my brain as to what a tinnie and a fag is! I'm  from the south ya,ll

A can of beer and a cigarette ! 

[Treasure]

Ah, Kickstart. I feel you. I suffer from neck pain, too, from sitting in a dialysis chair. The pillow solutions people already mentioned do not work for me. I have found that if I sit completely upright, though, that that helps the pressure on my neck.  Luckily, my unit got a chair for me that sits more upright than the usual dialysis chair.

I have also found that I have fewer neck problems when I'm consistently on my Sensipar-- you know, that whole parathyroid/calcium/phosphorus relationship gets out of whack, and I seem to have more joint pain.

I hope you find something that works soon!
Treasure...

[KICKSTART]

Thanks Treasure , do you know we are NOT allowed to sit upright ! They put us at this stupid angle , neither sitting up or lying down. God forbid i should ask for something like a chair , we are not there to be made comfy , we are there for dialysis !

[pamster42000]

Have you tried any ontiments such as biofreeze or bengay? Just a thought.....