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[Wrensong]

Hi Jillyboo, I'm sorry to hear that.  Have you had physio for the cervical spondylosis?  I did, but found the exercises aggravated the pain which made my insomnia worse.  Can I ask does the spondylosis pain radiate to your arms or is it confined to the neck & is it a burning pain?  Also, is it more problematic at night, interfering with your sleep?  Sorry, rather a lot of questions & please don't feel obliged to answer if you prefer not to.

Thank you for sharing 

[Jillyboo]

Hi - yes I'm doing physio exercises for both leg and neck. Unfortunately the pains are on different sides of my body so sleep is often pretty elusive! It's more of a sharp pain in my neck to be honest - as in a nerve being pinched. It doesn't radiate down my arm. Like you I sometimes feel the physio aggravates it! The amitryptyline at night was supposed to resolve the pain - which it did to a large extent but it also left me feeling like a zombie next morning which I hated. I must have spent hundreds of pounds trying different types of pillow to no avail - have you had any success in that respect?

[Wrensong]

Oh, thanks for the detail about the neck pain.  Interesting that the pain doesn't affect your arms.  No numbness in arms/hands either?  What a nuisance about the amitryptiline.  Imagine you took as low a dose as poss to minimise side effects.  I've been prescribed it 3 or 4 times for pain over many years but each time have had to discontinue due to problematic effects on GI tract, dryness & thyroid interaction.  I don't take any prescription meds for pain, just paracetamol occcasionally.  More often recently due to the back pain.

Like you, I've long been on a mission to find a suitable pillow & we now have quite a collection of abandoned styles, together with a mountain of nearly new, too hot bedding, mattress toppers etc acquired over 2 decades.  I need a flattish pillow, but I'm also waiting for a new mattress to come into the showroom in hope that might improve neck, back, night sweats & insomnia.  A big ask, but better sleep is the holy grail for me.  We have a newish, good quality mattress in one of the bedrooms but I need to use 2 different bedrooms & the mattress we're now hoping to replace is too insulating for me & I suspect may not be giving enough support.

I've just checked an old thread of mine on insomnia where Buffy26 kindly recommended the Simba pillow.  You may like to google that if you haven't tried it.
Wx

[Minicat]

Ahh! I can relate to your experience with persistent joint pain and stiffness, particularly in the neck and lower back. I dealt with similar issues for months, feeling like my flexibility had vanished and struggling with fatigue. I tried various treatments, but mostly over-the-counter pain relievers. Obviously, they didn’t provide lasting relief. Eventually, I discovered this acupuncture clinic kitchener, which transformed my approach to managing pain. The combination of procedures significantly improved my flexibility and energy levels!! Pls find the right specialists though...

[Wrensong]

Hi Minicat.  Thanks for posting.
How are you now?  Any progress?
Wx

[Ana21]

Hi Wrensong!

A B12 deficiency can cause drenching night sweats.  Have you ruled that out as a cause?  Vit D deficiency is also associated with hot flashes and night sweats.

You're hypothyroid with low D and low ferritin.  Low vitamin D levels are associated with autoimmune hypothyroidism.  You said, "On Vit D many years but result hovers around insufficiency as side effects preclude a higher dose."  What forms of vit D have you tried and what side effects do you experience?

Wondering if the vit D deficiency is preventing your body from properly absorbing calcium and phosphorus, resulting in muscle pain and weakness.  It could also cause hair loss.

[Wrensong]

Hi Ana21, good to hear from you & with some helpful suggestions  , thank you.

Night sweats are v longstanding, nearly 2 decades, every night & continue to wreck my sleep, with frustrating effects on fatigue & stamina.

Lower back pain has thankfully improved somewhat in recent weeks, but neck's not likely to with spondylosis & various other joints & muscles/tendons/ligaments seem increasingly fragile. 

No B12 deficiency whenever tested, whether on or off supplements & try to keep levels up as per Endocrinologist advice.

I take D3 tabs, but at only 200 iu as I find they consistently worsen slow gut transit at 400 iu or higher, though research (fairly recent from memory), found good D levels were important for normalising gut transit.  Probably didn't include thyroidectomised patients, or those who don't adequately convert thyroxine, so also have to take T3.

Calcium always fine when tested & phosphorus never flagged as abnormal.

Awaiting recent blood test results, with Endocrinology, Physiotherapy & Orthopaedics appts coming up, all within a few weeks.  If that lot doesn't throw any light I'll think again.  May need to go back to Rheumatology.

Thanks for posting.  I hope you're OK?
Wx

[Ana21]

Hi Wrensong!

You have a number of conditions linked to low vit D.  You've tried D3 cholecalciferol and that doesn't work for you.

I was wondering whether you had tried calcifediol.  It might be a better option.  Different absorption mechanism.  It's used to treat people with malabsorption issues.  Here's some info:

Calcifediol is superior to cholecalciferol in improving vitamin D status in postmenopausal women: a randomized trial
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8597097/

Calcifediol: Why, When, How Much?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10222038/


Wondering if raising your D level might help.

I'm doing well.  Thanks for asking!  I hope things are OK at your end.

[Wrensong]

Ana21, thank you for taking the time to post those interesting links.  I have scanned & bookmarked them this morning, plus a few more I turned up.  I don't think I have probs absorbing from standard D3 tabs, just problematic side effects from higher doses, so not sure about increasing levels further via a different/more potent form.  I'll see whether I can turn up anything on side effects specific to calcifediol & it's probably worth asking my Endocrinologist about.  There is also a FH of renal disease so I need to be careful. 
Thank you again  .
Wx

[Ana21]

Hi Wrensong,

Some of the studies refer to Hidroferol (calcifediol 0.266 mg).  In the UK, Domnisol appears to be an equivalent drug:

https://flynnpharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Calcifediol-PI-final_03-Aug-2023-final-1.pdf

If you decide to speak to your endocrinologist about it, please let me know his thoughts.

I hope your tests and upcoming appointments shed some light on your sudden increase in symptoms.  I hope you get answers soon.

[Wrensong]

Ana21

[Wrensong]

Quick update.  Turns out my estradiol is <120 pmol/L & at its lowest for 5 years, way lower than before the onset of all this joint pain earlier this year.  The third lowish E2 result I've had since then & no surprise this time around.  Levels all over the place in last 2+ years, so v erratic absorption from patches that were reliably consistent for me when younger.   My T is also close to bottom range & lower than on any previous test post-BSO.  Together these seem to make sense of quite a few symptoms.  Time for yet another rethink.

Thank you to everyone who posted with suggestions & support.
Wx