THR Scarlett on the Other Side<

[Rutabaga]

You've gotten a lot of tips already but I'll add mine for the sleeping situation. I'm not a back sleeper normally and found it hard to adjust. I found that if I used both a pillow under the knees, AND pillows on the side of the op leg, I was able to be just slightly turned to the side and sleep a little better. The pillow on the side supports you so you don't actually roll on your side. But I found that just turning to the side a little bit was a lot more comfortable.

Early in my recovery I had issues with heartburn (not sure if it was from meds or from positions) and had to start propping my back up more in bed.

I was able to sleep on my non-op side by day three, and was starting on the op side by about 2 1/2 weeks. But only for a couple of hours at a time. If you want to try laying on your side just start on your back and put the pillow between the legs BEFORE slowly starting to roll over. It's such a relief after all the back sleeping!

 

[Squirrellymom]

I'm going to buy one of those soft travel pillows that go around your neck for next time round. When I had to sleep on my back, what annoyed me was not having any support around my head.

Oh Yay @Zelda Just one more great idea that I wish I'd thought of. I think I have one of these somewhere and it should be in my bedside arsenal as that might be just the ticket for the shoulder/neck pain I sometimes experience when I'm struggling to get comfortable. Going now to dig in my closet. I know it's here -- somewhere. Thank you for the suggestion! A travel pillow to help with partial sitting up in bed comfort. WhooHoo. --julie

 

[Dan2]

It's like when I started to drink black coffee. After 1 week I've never been able to drink it any other way. Just sharing a related experience here.

How you drink black coffee I can never figure out. I have tried and can't seem to make it happen. Happy you are recovering well at home!!

 

[Squirrellymom]

@Zelda . I found IT. I knew there was a travel neck pillow in there somewhere. I have it bedside and I will report on how it works. Why didn't I know about that for #1. I think it will be a nice way to hold my head when I am -- flat on my back. --julie

 

[Clipper]

How you drink black coffee I can never figure out

I never tried black coffee before a co-worker told me I would never drink it any other way if I drank it that way for a week. This was when I was much younger and starting my engineering career. He was 100% correct! I started out sipping it slowly. In less than a week I didn't want any cream or sugar. I much preferred just black coffee. Same thing with sleeping on my back. It was a learned way of doing things. Now it's how I roll.

 

[Zelda]

I have discovered I snore when I sleep flat on my back.

 

[Arlene56]

@Zelda
Same here! In fact so much my hubby moved to couch. Erggg. Did you hear yourself snore? Know that's a weird question but I have heard myself briefly Plus hubby recorded me as I didn't believe him.

 

[Zelda]

I wake myself up with the noise! Plus my throat gets all dry if I've been at it for long.

 

[ScarlettB]

I have been having hypnic jerks -- you know, when you dream you're falling and then jolt awake? since my surgery. Three or four so far. Can't remember the last time I had one before this. I've also been talking in my sleep a lot. That's something I do normally, but I do it more now. Must be the meds.

 

[Jessicageb]

@Zelda and @Arlene56 I think it's normal to snore after surgery, especially if you are flat on your back. After one of my c sections I snored so badly that my roommate complained to the nurse. I was so embarrassed! Thank goodness the trend is toward all private rooms in hospitals now.

@ScarlettB I have had the same exact thing since my surgery (the hypnic jerks). I thought it was the meds, or maybe just disrupted sleep patterns. I hope you are resting more comfortably now!

 

[Arlene56]

@ScarlettB
I do the same thing. When taking a nap in the recliner, my husband says that I twitch a lot and jerk. Sometimes the jerking wakes me up. It's weird. The other night, my husband said I was yelling in my sleep. It must be the Norco.

 

[dandy_candi]

I have been having hypnic jerks -- you know, when you dream you're falling and then jolt awake? since my surgery. Three or four so far. Can't remember the last time I had one before this. I've also been talking in my sleep a lot. That's something I do normally, but I do it more now. Must be the meds.

I have been talking in my sleep for years but in the last few years I have woken my husband up screaming! He struggles to calm me down. Sometimes I remember and sometimes I don't- if I do remember, it's a scary dream of someone suffocating me or hundreds of spiders running all over me. I hope I don't get that during recovery as I also jolt awake when I do wake up.

Going to talk to the doctor about it once I've recovered, along with some endometriosis issues. Don't have the capacity to deal with all that in the next month and a half before my surgeries. I was hoping the Meds would make me sleep deeper but it doesn't seem the way with you- guess it depends on the meds


Candice, 28 yo. Rheumatoid Arthritis. Australia. Sequential unilateral THR June 1st 2016 and July 13th 2016

 

[YoungHippy]

@ScarlettB I had issues with those jerks after my first 2 surgeries. Back then it was a painful experience to jerk awake like that. So far I haven't had that issue this time.

My weirdest experience however was that for that first month I couldn't walk that I actually had dreams where I was walking with my walker like I did when I was awake. I was non weight bearing so I was a hopper. I actually had to say to myself in my sleep "hey dummy, it's a dream, you can actually walk here".

 

[Squirrellymom]

Yes, dream, vivid dreams and the falling sensation and jerks. I've also had the talking and shouting that woke my husband. I'm not on any narcotics so it isn't the drugs. I was still experiencing some weird sleep/dream issues at 3 months out and now, here I am, starting all over again. Must have been some experience or hypnosis done in the operating room. Hey, doctor, what did we do in there? --julie

 

[Clipper]

I snored pretty bad before having a sleep apnea test. While gasping for breath (ie snoring), my blood oxygen level would drop into the 50's (normal is mid 90's). That is the real problem with snoring, some level of suffocation which is bad for human organs. If you snore, do yourself a favor and get tested for sleep apnea.

 

[ScarlettB]

I got un-stapled today! This means that I get to take a shower tomorrow night! I'm so excited to wash my hair, I can't even tell you. My partner is also going to change the bedsheets, so I can crawl into a nice clean fresh bed once I am nice and clean and fresh again. This is going to be the best Saturday night EVER.

The past few days have been very up-and-down -- some days I feel terrific and ready to take on the world; others I am just as low as can be, exhausted, despairing. Trying to take it all in stride and enjoy the good days. On the bad ones, I distract myself best I can with reading or watching TV.

I've also been itching like CRAZY. I know it's a side effect of the oxy, and my home health nurse told me that I can take Benadryl, which does calm it down somewhat. But I am blotchy with big itchy welts all over. The worst is my hands, as I have suffered a form of hand eczema called pompholyx eczema on and off all my life. It had been under control until a few months ago when it began to re-emerge, and then after the surgery I had a major flare-up. My hands itch so bad that they hurt. Naturally, scratching makes it 10x worse, so I try very hard to resist the temptation. The recent flare is probably just a stress reaction to the surgery. After I'm a bit more ambulatory, I'm going to see a dermatologist and see if I can't get treatment for it, in advance of having my RTHR.

Thanks for letting me vent! Sounds like dinner is almost ready so I'm going to sign off. Have a good weekend, all!

 

[Jessicageb]

@ScarlettB congrats on being un-stapled! Enjoy your shower!

That itching sounds terrible. Maybe your doc could prescribe a different painkiller that is not so itchy?

 

[Jaycey]

I agree with Jess - sounds like you need a different pain med. Have your tried the Benadryl? Many people need this post op as the itching is a very common side effect of pain meds.

Hope you enjoyed your shower!

 

[ScarlettB]

I did take some Benadryl and it helped tremendously -- and I haven't needed any for a few days now. So weird!

 

[Miss Muffet]

Dreams .... That's just nudged my memory. In the Step-Down unit (post Op and after recovery) I didn't really sleep. I dozed. And when I dozed I had funny dreams. Nothing scary, just slightly bizarre (and a smidgeon amusing). They were only brief and I'd come to thinking "that was weird". Then a short while later I'd doze again and have another kind of weird dream. I cannot even remember what they were about - possibly the opiates caused it.
All for now