scatteredwriter

I have a new love in my life! It’s my recliner. I discovered a couple of weeks ago that after sleeping in it all night, I woke up with no pain!!! This was a superb reason for celebration for me! This was a “Go tell it on the Mountain” kind of deal. So I did – I revealed my excitement to others; I posted it as my status on my facebook page.
My sister’s response was something like this, “Who knew that a recliner could make such a difference?” She knows a bit about my chronic pain. Then, she asked, “What is the magic in that recliner?” I went some detail telling her. I’m sure it was far more information than she’d asked for; I’m sure now it was a joke, although she was happy for me. But I wondered if some of you who also deal with chronic pain might benefit from my experience.
I’ve always loved recliners, because they’re generally very comfy and “snoozable.” In fact, we have 3, and I often fall asleep in one of them when I finally stop, sit down, lie back and watch TV with Mark (hubby) or read or watch TV by myself, enjoying the shows that are recorded. I never make it through a whole show these days, and there’s a reason for that. I’ll touch on that at the end.
The recliner I now prize over all other possessions is the one that used to take up space in our upstairs TV/exercise/granddaughter’s play room. I didn’t like it as well as the 2 we have downstairs. The “pillowy” part on top turned out to be not so much. I always had to flip that “pillow” over the top of the recliner so it hung down the back. I replaced the recliner’s pillow with my own. I didn’t discover the magic, though, until 2 weeks or so ago when, quite by accident, I fell asleep. I was attempting to watch a television program – one of my favorites – but I didn’t even make it half-way through.
Mark came in to wake me up to “go to bed.” I begged him to bring my psych meds into me, so I could take them and sleep in the recliner the rest of the night. He reluctantly obliged me. I didn’t even get up to brush my teeth! And I woke up just as he and Lucy, our puppy, were waking up. I was pain-free and felt as relaxed as if I’d been to a Day Spa! I also experienced so much less pain during the day, so I just had to tell somebody. I told Mark and my daughter. I refused to get too excited. What if it were a fluke and only lasted one night, like Cinderella’s ball gown, glass slippers and pumpkin?
I tried it the following night, except I was better prepared. I changed into my PJ’s, poured over my rough feet Vaseline, pulling on “protective” socks, and brushed my teeth. I began to take my psych meds in with me, planning to take them later, after I’d enjoyed a TV show, but Mark knows me so well ~~ smile ~~. He suggested I take them as soon as I got situated in the recliner, so I wouldn’t accidently fall asleep without taking them. Knowing how physically ill I got when I forgot to take these nightly meds, I agreed with him. I was kinda bummed, because that would cut short my TV and/or reading time significantly. “But,” I told myself, “This is the whole purpose behind this recliner now – to give me a good night’s sleep.” I’d been desperate for that gold at the end of a rainbow for a couple of months.
And here’s why I have to take a handful of psychiatric (psych) medications (meds) every night. I have Bipolar, type II, except that I haven’t fallen into the usual depression after Christmas. That’s a good thing, but not so much for me now, because I’ve been battling mania for a long time. I’d been looking forward to the let-down after the holidays, because it meant I’d finally feel relaxed and be able to sleep. But my energy level remained high. I continued to make plans and start projects and put them aside – just as I do every time I have to deal with my mania. And I failed to use my coping skills: No computer after dinner, actively seek quiet activities later in the day, read my Bible and limit my words, since talking always seems to rev me up. Instead, I did none of that. Lucy is my Labrador retriever “toddler,” and my life is lived in 15 minute snatches, as it was when my children were toddlers. OK, maybe Lucy sleeps a bit more now at 5 and a half months than my young children did as toddlers and preschoolers. I can walk Lucy for an hour, and she’ll sleep for four. I cram in as much as I can into those 4 hours = mania!
The recliner certainly has worked its magic on me! We had often thought of ridding ourselves of it, since it turned out not to be as comfortable as the sample at Costco was. Now, it has a happy home in the corner of our bedroom, where I can read, Bible or otherwise. I kiss Mark good-night as he lays on “his” side of our bed, tell him I love him, as he tells me the same . I crawl onto the recliner, and fit my head into the hollow where my pillow is. I pull up the covers, lean back as far as possible without being flat out and begin to read, tamping down my mania, and fall asleep when the words of my book start running together. Listening to great, classical, relaxation music is great, too. Sweet dreams!