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TKR Sleep is back - now for more recovery!

hi @JDP ~ just getting caught up on your thread. glad you are feeling a wee bit better this morning even with the lack of good sleep. hope you were able to get your son ready and settled in school. i'm so sorry you had been feeling so overwhelmed, not surprising being a single mom responsible for yourself and your child's well-being with the added issues of insomnia and recovering from a major surgery.

how are you doing at physio and how are you doing with regards to functionality: stairs, walking, household chores, etc.? how long before you think you'll be able to drive again? since it was your right knee you had replaced, it might be a bit longer than if it was your left. hang in there and you'll know when you're ready. for me it was 6 weeks, more from anxiety since i had a new car and only driven it twice; then it was suddenly thrust upon me without warning and i made out fine. i think once you start driving again, gain back that independence, you'll feel better ~ maybe you'll even sleep better at night. a heads up about driving: in my case, although i'm glad i'm driving again, it's really hard on my knee which stiffens up and is very painful upon exiting the car, even at almost 5 months post op.

continue to take good care of yourself, accept help when offered and enjoy netflix while you can. (just finished watching the series "river" :thumb:). also enjoy this amazing weather we're having.:SUNsmile:
 
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I had to reinvent my sleeping pattern at night. I'm a "side" sleeper. I could not lay down on my side or on my stomach....so that left sleeping on my back. My knee would "catch" if I tried to sleep on my side. The "catch" would spike my pain up to extreme levels; like 8 or 9. So I became totally afraid to try and side sleep. Tried sleeping in my recliner at night and that was ng. Found a position flat on my back that worked. Leg or legs elevated with pillows about 12 inches, thin pillow supporting the small of my back and a couple of feather type pillows supporting neck and head. Could not cover my foot with a blanket or sheet, so foot stuck out uncovered. This continues to work presently on TKR #3. It's kind of like a nest or cocoon. This would give me 4 to 5 hours of basically uninterrupted sleep. I've found at about 6 weeks or so I've been able to transition back to my side. So I'm coming up on week 5, so getting close to returning to more normal sleep.
 
I am so sorry about your insomnia. That can lead to such unsettledness and anxiety. Can you get a medication just for sleep? I used a very very low dose of an anti anxiety medication during a long period of insomnia and it made a huge difference. Didn't solve the whole problem, but it kept me sane and somewhat rested and at times very rested! I know what you mean about reading and focus. Sometimes reading during the night can help, but anymore, I can't focus. Keep trying things, okay? You will come upon things that help you.
 
It was frustrating to not be able to read in those early weeks. I had stacks of books and magazines ready to go and could not concentrate at all. Was thankful for Netflix and Amazon which usually led to a nap.
 
@JDP early in my recovery I also had trouble sleeping partly because I napped so much during the day. When my husband went back to work and my son was in school I was home alone. I napped about twice a day mainly because I needed it and pain meds made it easy to drift off. Later on, I found that when I felt like it was the meds making me sleepy, I fought off the urge to nap! I would watch tv or read until the urge passed. Then at night I found that I slept better because I was ready to sleep!

If you need to nap then please do so! But sometimes plain ole boredom made me sleep more during the day.

Best wishes!
 
JDP, I didn't take the Ambien when doctor first offered, but due to absolute exhaustion, I take 10 mg./night! I slept 7 hours last night!
 
@Pheebs52 - did you realise you can edit your posts if you do it within a few hours? Click on the "Edit" box at the bottom of your post.
 
430am again. No nap today and I was absolutely useless which is very upsetting. Initially I was hesitant about sleeping meds but if my doc offers something I think I must accept. I had zero caffeine today, made sure I got lots of light, the house is cool, no screens until now, etc. I give up!! This is crazy. How can one not sleep when you need it the most? I've read the information provided but it still makes no sense to me physiologically
 
JDP I too can't sleep. Even after all my 5 replacements. My friend at work who is into essential oils got me so involved it it. She made me mixtures of calming, stress and calming. Than suggested an olio called rutavala rub I wrist. I used it 2 nights in a row and it' really helped me go to sleep. Who knows why but she got me into all these natural oils and they do wonders



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JDP said:
430am again. No nap today and I was absolutely useless which is very upsetting.
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Trying not to take daytime naps just doesn't work for this post-op insomnia. Take a couple of naps - your body needs some sleep. As I said before, sleep where you can, when you can, and how you can.
Your sleep pattern will eventually return to normal, but it does take quite a long time.
It seems to be something that you just have to go along with.

Clock-watching and timing your sleep seems to set up more stress, which acts against the ability to sleep.
JDP said:
I've read the information provided but it still makes no sense to me physiologically
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It doesn't make a lot of sense, I agree, but it is a fact.

I moved into the spare bedroom so I didn't disturb my husband. I watched a lot of mindless TV during the night. Sometimes I would fall asleep with the light still on and the TV playing softly. Somehow, for me, just accepting those sleepless nights did help me to eventually sleep better.
 
Thanks again all!
@susanne - I know everyone is different but I am curious how long your insomnia lasted after each surgery. I, too, have a friend who is into essential oils - I will ask her. Can't hurt! Thanks.

I agree that clock watching doesn't help. I post here when I am at my wit's end and the time is right there on my phone. I try to nap but some days it doesn't happen either.

I had really bad post parnum depression and I am starting to feel like that again. It is scary.
Why does none of the information given pre-op here warn you of this? Why do they not screen for depression?! Sorry to vent again but ignoring the mental health aspects of medicine does not make it go away.

I definitely would have waited a few years until my son was older if I knew..............
 
JDP if I am remember as far back as 10 years from my first hip surgery it would be s miracle
Mostly I remember my knee surgery I think that with all the drugs I took I slept on an off thru out Day and night. Maybe an hr or 2 than up to get ice. I was on oxi and it put me out fit short periods of time. Anything with codeine kept me up, itchy,moody and depressed
I also when coherent would try and read. Mostly I slept didn't eat and lost 30lbs. I was out on Workmans Comp for 8 months with knee. Guess I milked it for awhile. But the first few months of tkr were horrible and it was during the winter. Didn't plan right
Maybe don't dwell so much on sleeping. Your body will tell you what you need. Now I'm functioning on 3-4 hrs of sleep and working all day.


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hi JDP...my niece sells essential oils and swears by them for a lot of issues ~ might be helpful to look into. i really empathize with you for the insomnia. the only time i had it was after cancer surgery, chemo and the steroids i was on made me jittery and unable to sleep at night. it was horrible laying awake all night. i can't imagine going through it for as long as you have and you still have daytime responsibilities along with the task of recovery. keep trying to find a resolution to this, whether it be essential oils, napping during day or medication. :console2:
 
People are right -- try not to think about it. Just accept that for this stage of your recovery and life you will not have normal sleep. Trust that it will return in its own good time. And if you're able too, go with the flow. If you feel sleepy, close your eyes and see what happens.

Relaxing herbal teas, or using essential oils, might help put you in a good sleep zone. And yes, if your doctor offers you a sleeping med, take it on. Once you sleep a little, that will help rid you of the stress and make subsequent sleep easier. You'll feel so much better if you can do that. :sleeep:
 
I'm so happy you got some sleep! I was going to insert some quotes from other people above and generally support what they are saying, but now I don't need to. I'll just reiterate one thing @liam2015 mentioned, which is that this insomnia reminds me of when I had cancer surgery, chemo, etc. The treatments made me so jittery, I felt as though I was jumping out of my skin--and no sleep for a whole weekend after each one, with very poor sleep the rest of the time.

My thoughts about this are that I understand your concern about being a parent! My daughter was 4 when I coped with cancer as a single parent, and there were many times when I dozed off reading to her. One thing that helped me is that I talked to her about what she should do if I was dozing when she needed something: wake me up! And she always did. I also was very careful for a while when handling hot things in the kitchen and when driving her around. But you can do this! Don't beat yourself up about choosing to do the surgery now. If you didn't need it now, you wouldn't have done it.

I'm still having sleep issues, but I was never a champion sleeper. Your latest post has given me the push I needed to make an appointment and get some Ambien or something for myself. Thank you!

How old is your son?
 
What sleeping pill did he give you. If it's ambien be careful with it
Lunester leaves a metallic taste in your mouth. Think I tried enough !!


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