Not sleeping good?

[sunshine]

Just wondering if it is because I am worried about possibly crossing my legs or rolling over?
I didn't sleep good in the hospital either but I thought it was the bed. I was exhausted last night and 3 am I was still listening to my sleep music, first time I heard the end several times.
I have tried pills in the hospital but they didn't work at all.

Is this common?
Sandy

 

[westexas]

Hey Sandy,
Go Back To Page 2 And Read "insomnia Two Months Out Of Hip Replacement Surgery". Oh My Gosh, I Thought I Was Going Crazy. There Is Some Good Advice On There And Believe Me I Needed Help. To Be Honest, What Finally Worked After 6 Weeks Was The Fact That I Could Finally Sort Of Sleep On The Operated Side For A Little While During The Night. I Am Not A Back Sleeper At All And That Had A Lot To Do With It. Start Trying To Sleep On The Good Side With A Pillow Between Your Legs And Get The Operated Side Comfortable. As Far As Sleep Aids, Just Read As Many Blogs As You Can. It Just Takes Time. Just Know, We Are All Here For You. Patty

 

[sunshine]

Thank you Patty
Last night i don't think I slept at all, it was awful. I do sleep on my side with pillow or a blanket in the legs and on the side so I don't roll over. I have been laying mostly on my operated side because they told me that was safer. But I like to be half over and curled up, no can do that yet. I am going to go read, thank you for info. Sandy

 

[Doug]

We had extensive discussions on this over in the knee forum a couple of months ago. I discussed it with my Dr., and he had no answer for the cause or cure for post replacement surgery. Some ideas that perhaps the pain meds interfere but nothing concrete.
It does resolve itself eventually. Just keep the t.v. controls handy and go with the flow.

 

[Vjklander]

I slept on my good side from the gitgo. It was 4 weeks before I could lay on my surgery side without discomfort. I don't buy that sleeping on your surgery side at all. My doc said either way was fine with him, but he'd sleep on his good side too. I just used a pillow between my legs and one behind my back. It worked just fine. And don't forget, if you are taking a couple long naps during the day you WON"T sleep very much at night.

 

[Susan58]

I am 7 weeks out of having both of my knees replaced and I am still having trouble sleeping at night too. I can get some sleep in a recliner, but if I try laying on the bed, I wake up with my knees throbbing. I have found that since I am not on such strong pain meds that I can sleep more at one time. I am also trying to stay awake during the day more and that is helping. I am up most nights from 11pm to 5am.....and that is really getting old. At least it is summer! Thank God for cable TV!

 

[JenniferG]

I sleep pretty well. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep, that's where Advilpm works. I think if my husband quit snoring and hogging the bed I'd sleep a whole bunch better! lol

 

[westexas]

Jennifer G,
Add Two Dogs To That Mixture....lol.....
BY THE WAY HAVE NOT HEARD FROM JUDY YET...I PRAY SHE IS DOING WELL. PATTY

 

[JenniferG]

If our dog was allowed, i'm sure she would. I'm optimistic that Judy is OK. These surgeries are more of a doozy than one thinks afterwards.

 

[sunshine]

Wow from the looks of it I guess a lot of us are up all night! This really is a pain because I am so tired during the day I hardly feel like walking or anything cause I am so dopey.
Maybe we need a night owl thread Lol. Sandy

 

[westexas]

Sandy,
Not A Bad Idea. Go For It. Believe Me, I Have From Time To Time Gotten On In The Middle Of The Night When I Could Not Sleep And I Felt Like It Was Good Therapy. Made Me Go Back To Sleep After Awhile But Still Tired...patty

 

[chaloo]

I had an uncemented RTHR on 25/04. Tomorrow it will be 7 wks. I am not a good back sleeper. I could not sleep at all for the first two weeks. Like Westexas suggested, I then tried to sleep on my good side with a pillow between my legs. I felt so comfortable and been sleeping properly since then.

Not tried to sleep on op side yet. I think Ill wait for another couple of wks.

 

[JudyS]

I am a little curious about what will happen tonight on my first night home. The dog will sleep with me but I am kicking every other noisy person out.
I have beeen having sleeping issues for a few years due to endocrine problems and take trazadone to sleep.
But I am worried about trying the side for fear of crossing my legs.
can we hippies curl up ? How does the pillow prevent the 90 degree rule fro being broken??

Surgery as I knew it would be was the easy part (I slept). As hard as I tried to get my apx. 13 prescription meds straightened out in advance, that was a huge disaster and had me in tears on day 1!!
Puking on day 2!!! Nurse with smelly breath and hard to understand accent (it was not southern) tellling me I must order food was the memory from day 2
Day 3 was my mantra...Patty said to keep up with the pain meds...
Day 4 In rehab they would not give my a minute of down time.
Day 5 People left me alone and let me come home!!!!
Once I got ahold of my computer I felt really home
Thanks everyone for being there before and after as the new journey beginsJudy

 

[Josephine]

I am a little curious about what will happen tonight on my first night home. The dog will sleep with me but I am kicking every other noisy person out.
I have beeen having sleeping issues for a few years due to endocrine problems and take trazadone to sleep.
But I am worried about trying the side for fear of crossing my legs.
can we hippies curl up ? How does the pillow prevent the 90 degree rule fro being broken??

Actually, the whole point of having a pillow between your legs is to keep your legs spread apart. Some surgeons use a large triangular padded block (called a Charnley wedge) between the legs to keep them spread apart and thereby reducing the possibility of dislocation in the first 48hrs. It would thus be obvious that even sleeping on your side is taboo, much less curling up!

Sorry!

 

[sunshine]

Josephine, Just how long is one supposed to sleep with that triangle pillow between the legs?
No one ever said anything to me when I didn't sleep with it. My pt asked me today if I used it when he noticed it and I said no I use pillows and he said nothing. Now I am curious about it.

 

[JudyS]

Josephine,
I did have the big triangular pillow in the hospital on day 1, possibly day 2. I was supposed to take it home, but it did not make it when I got transferred to the rehab section.
I did not take any naps yesterday and took my trazadone at 10pm, but still had much difficulty. Partly because pain med wore off and I had to pee. I guess I have to keep up with it at night also.
I used a big fat foam type pillow between my legs . While still in the hospital before I got to use my crutches, I thought I would get diapers to prevent having to get up at night!!!!!!

I had some wonderful nurses in the hospital, but also some that told me I did not have to use the compression calf pumps after day 1 or the big triangular pillow either.
Also that I could not possibly need any prescription for lovenox as people only use it in the hospital. A visiting nurse taught me how to do it this afternoon. (Unfortunately, I did not know she was coming and ruined one in the morning!!!!)
My OS' prescriptions disappeared, but he had told me about them so it meant another trip to his office for my husband.

Each and every day since April when I made the decision to have this hip replaced this forum gets more and more helpful and fun to know people all over the world.
Judy

 

[rnorris]

I finally am able to sleep comfortably on my op side. My doctor did tell me yesterday (4 week check up) to keep using the pillow between my legs when sleeping on non-op side. Another couple of weeks same as the other hip precautions.

Rob

 

[Josephine]

Josephine, Just how long is one supposed to sleep with that triangle pillow between the legs?
No one ever said anything to me when I didn't sleep with it. My pt asked me today if I used it when he noticed it and I said no I use pillows and he said nothing. Now I am curious about it.

[FONT=&quot]sunshine and Judy ..

Hmm - as far as I was aware (in the UK, anyway) they are used in the immediate post-op period and once the patient is up and about, they are no longer required. It's all about the tone of the muscles and the effects of the anaesthetic as well as the surgery. Once the anaesthetic has been eliminated from the body and the muscle tone returns, then the risk of dislocation decreases which is what it's all about.

Most people I know used ordinary, firm domestic pillows which was perfectly adequate. Anything that just stops the operated leg from over adducting (crossing over the other leg) and thereby putting the hip at risk.
[/FONT]

 

[westexas]

AND TO ADD TO WHAT JOSEPHINE SAID, I DID NOT WANT TO TOUCH THE ONE LEG TO THE OTHER ANYWAY. I KEPT A SHORT BOLSTER PILLOW BETWEEN MY LEGS FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. I SLOWLY STARTED LAYING ON MY GOOD SIDE FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME WITH A PILLOW BETWEEN THE LEGS.

AND NOW AT ALMOST FOUR MONTHS, I CAN LAY ON THE OPERATED SIDE QUITE A BIT MORE. IT STILL GETS ITSELF IN A TIZZY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND WILL TELL ME, THAT IS HURTING SO I ROLL BACK OVER TO THE GOOD SIDE. AND ALWAYS WITH A PILLOW BETWEEN THE LEGS. THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH FOUR C-SECTIONS. GOT USED TO IT....
THE FIRST SIX WEEKS ARE TOUGH. BUT, ONE DAY YOU WILL WAKE UP AND SAY, "I ACTUALLY SLEPT ALMOST ALL NIGHT" GETS EVEN BETTER AFTER THAT....patty

 

[sunshine]

Going on 7 weeks now and just this week I finally have slept several hours through the night without pills. I have taken a huge blanket to sort of tuck my good leg on top of but the surrgery leg is o the bottom of it like preenting me from rolling over. I have been sleeping on the surgery side all along for some reason.
It feels good to sleep again.