Feet and leg pain when lying down...

Posted , 6 users are following.

Hello everyone.  Not sure that this is the correct place, but if there are any commonalities between my story and yours please give me some advice.

I have chronic fatigue syndrome, which was generally improving until last autumn, when I had to change my mattress because I could feel the springs digging into me on the old one.

My old mattress was a very soft 600 pocket spring with memory foam, which I had for two and a half years (it was a clearance model).

Since then, on literally every other mattress I've tried out (and I'm talking 100 different ones at least), my legs are in incredible pain.  It starts out with my feet, which would become freezing cold within an hour.  If I continue to lie, the pain spreads up my legs and morphs into a burning, throbbing pulse, which makes me feel more and more physically exhausted as time progresses.  I never had any pain on my old mattress.

As such, for the last few months I've been lying on my settee, which again is very soft and doesn't cause me this pain, but I'm not getting as good a night's sleep.  If I didn't have the settee, I'd probably have to try and sleep whilst sitting in an armchair.

I just feel so low.  I've tried waterbeds, Tempurpedic, basically every "soft" mattress in every shop within a 20 mile radius of my home and the unbearable pain comes every single time.  I was told that my iron levels were low a few months back, but the supplements cause my arms to break out in a severe rash.

Does anyone else find a difference with their pain between lying on a softer and a firmer surface?  It's literally went from no problem whatsoever, to complete physical exhaustion.  Any advice would be much appreciated.

1 like, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Hello jrw i would like to start by saying i fully understand what you are and hve gone through, i hve being going through this for yrs i hve trouble laying down on certain matteresses, memory foam, if it is to hard or soft it poses a problem, i hve severe fibromyalgia, and non diabetic perhphieal neuropathy, so with fibro i hve trigger points, and with the neuropathy i can't put cover on my lower extremities do to severe pain, i can only sleep but a couple of hrs a night do to the severity of pain in which i endure, i hve been up for 4hrs crying in pain while waiting for day light, It's the worst any one can experience especially while dealing with other health issues. I wish you nothing but the best it took me some time to find the right mattress. My prayers go out to you & anyone that might be experiencing this same fate. Sincerely Rachel.

    • Posted

      Thanks for the response.  Can you tell me specifically which mattress you found that works for you?  There's no middle ground for me: either I get the horrible pain and muscle exhaustion from lying down on a mattress, or I'm perfectly fine.

      Re: the bit about covers over your lower extremities causing you pain.  When I wear trousers around the house I've got a habit of rolling the legs of the trousers up to past my knees, leaving the lower half of my legs exposed.  I've been doing this for years and never really understood why I did this, it wasn't a conscious decision, but it seems to be consistent with what you said.

    • Posted

      I've resorted to Moving to couch every night. I understand your legs need to breathe. I always have my legs sticking out of sheets or wear capri"s or dress during day. And forget shoes. I feel like my feet are being strangled. Only Croc's for me, no matter what I'm wearing. If I'm at work and need to wear socks, I have too let my feet out at lunch break, such a feeling of relief.

      Sorry you're going through it. I don't know about others onset, but I got my multi faceted neuropathy after 10 days in a coma.

  • Posted

    I have a friend with fibro myalga and she found that putting many doonas on the bed and sleeping on top of them helped a bit

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