Sciatica

Ever since we have gotten back from our trip to the Everglades, I have been having horrible issues with sciatica.  The polyarthritis in my left leg has always hurt, but this is a whole new level.  Ice packs and heat pads do not work very well.  At times the pain is so unbearable that it leaves me in tears.  The worst is at night when I am trying to sleep.  It is very hard to fall asleep, and then once I do, I can only sleep a couple of hours before I am up.  Some nights I move from the bed, to my chair and to the floor multiple times.  On nights that it is the worst, I sleep maybe four hours total.  It has been awful.

Last night while it was at its worst, I began researching ways to immediately relieve the pain.  Most were stretches and although they helped, they didn't take care of the pain for any long period of time.  I was about ready to give up when I saw a video about relieving pain with a tennis ball.  I instantly remembered that years ago a physical therapist recommended to me using a tennis ball to help with sciatica.  I even had one in my tub of medical supplies.  I grabbed it out and started following what the video said to do.  Once I found the pressure point of my pain, I definitely began to feel relief from the most acute pain.  

After a couple of "tennis ball treatments", I started to really be able to tell a difference.  The pain wasn't as intense or as long.  I had hope once more that I might be able to recover from this nightmare or at least feel good enough to enjoy Meg's wedding.  That's all I really want.