Anyone with these symptoms?

[Guest guest]

Does anyone have trouble sleeping on your side because it is

very uncomfortable and sometimes feels as if it is cutting off your

breath when you are symptomatic? I cannot lay on my sides

(easier to lay on left than right side) because it is very

uncomfortable and sometimes feels like it cuts my air off. I am

very bloated right now, discomfort mid sternum, feels like

something swelling up inside me there, pain in back and under

left shoulder.

(snip) all of a sudden got weak and shaky feeling inside. Had to

sit down, ate some soup and felt a little better.

(snip) Ater eating, the weak and shaky is better, Anyone else with

these symptoms?

(snip)The weakness and shaky feeling inside is fairly new. Am

going to doctor this week after holiday, but never get much help

from them.

Dear Ozzie,

I'm really sorry that you aren't doing so well right now. My first

concern is the weak and shakiness that you're complaining

about. Please have your doctor check you for diabetes this

week. If he puts you off about this, insist!! Mine did, and the

results were traumatic and nearly fatal. That weak and shaky

feeling that you have just begun feeling at different times of day

is most likely the effects of low blood sugar, and as a chronic

pancreatitis patient, you are at risk for diabetes. That weak and

shaky feeling is exactly the first thing I noticed eight months

before I was diagnosed with diabetes.

You say that once you eat something the feeling goes away.

This is exactly how the early effects of low blood sugar react.

Your doctor can order an HBA1c blood test, or do a glucose

tolerance test. There are other signs of diabetes that I'll list:

* fatigue

* weak and shaky feeling

* blurred vision

* frequent urination

* having to get up several times at night to urinate

* excessive thirst

* excessive hunger

* dry mouth

You must remember that some people have one or two of these

early warning signs, some have many of them and some people

have none at all. Early detection is so important, and you will be

better off in the long run if it's detected early.

In regard to your other complaints, I must say that I've

experienced all of these, too, and they seem to be common

enough complaints that we all suffer from at one time or another.

While I don't know all the reasons, I do have some suggestions

that may help.

Use a heating pad set on a low to medium setting at night before

bed, or as you sleep, applying it to the area that causes you the

most discomfort. Frequently I'm not able to sleep on my side,

especially the left side, so I lay with the heating pad on my

addomen, or lie with it under my back left shoulder area until I fall

asleep.

The mid sternum pain is also a problem for many of us. There

again, the only relief I've been able to find is from the heating

pad, or using a tens unit. Do you feel as though there's a broad,

tight band around your body, just under the breast line that keeps

getting tighter and tighter? This is what mine feels like.

I've just recently found an anti-gas product containing

Simethicone (180 mgs.) that helps with the bloating and gas.

You might give this a try if your doctor says it's okay. It's helped

me so much with the distension and the flatulence.

I hope these suggestions are of some help. I know it's not

much, but I just want you to know that I understand exactly what

your complaints are, because I've so often felt the very same way

myself. I don't have all the solutions, but I did want you to know

that you aren't alone in this. I hope today is a better day for you.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are based on personal experience

or opinion only, and should not be substituted for consultation

with a medical professional.

[Guest guest]

I too am one of those who cannot sleep on my sides. As a matter of

fact, I cannot sleep on my back either. Therefor I sleep in a

reclined position. I have been sleeping this way for about 5

years. It was alittle difficult to get used to , but now I can fall

asleep pretty quick. Sometimes I will lay down on the rug (on my

side) and sigh " ooohhh this feels sooo good to lay down again), then

in a matter of approx. 10 minutes my side aches worse and I quickly

remember why I sleep in the reclined position !! I am guessing that

my side aches worse because the stomach is applying pressure against

the pancreas causing it to become irritable. Often when I am having

more pain than usual, I will stand or sit and lean forward. That

seems to help alittle too.

Kris in TN

[Guest guest]

Hi Kris,

I have the same problem - laying down on my right side is

usually painful but I can bear it for a few minutes, same on my

back. Left side is about the best....with my knees drawn up to my

chest supported by a body pillow. When things get really bad, I

can lay on my back this way for a while but usually the reclining

position ends up to be the best. However, I have yet to get used

to sleeping this way.

Laurie