Re: my new durom/Sleep problems

[Guest guest]

Hi a,

In the hospital they gave me Benadril when I asked for a sleeping

pill. That may not be over the counter. At home I have used Ambien

(prescription) which supposedly has very little side effects. But I

stopped taking pain /sleep medication 12 days post op.

Getting rest at night is terribly important to get thru the day, let

alone work on your rehab. Also from a mental stress point of view.

Worst is if worrying about not-sleeping helps to keep you awake. Yeah

the old viscious circle. I struggled with that for a while. It helps

to stop worrying if you don't have to get up at a specific time and

just accept that you can't force it, turn on the light again and read

some more.

But you also talk about pain (as opposed to discomfort).In my opinion

take whatever medicine you need to get you thru this period. Because

it will pass. Question: What kind of pain? and, is the pain

regardless of position? Sleeping on your back is best for most

people. Because of some back problems, this is not good for me.

Pillow under the knees helped a bit. When I couldn't stand it, I also

propped pillows under back to sleep sitting half upright. Similar to

sleeping in a recliner chair (I don't have one) which is recommended

especially for bilaterals.

On day 10 I could lie for 2 hrs on my good side: what relief. When

that became uncomfortable, back to the back. Took about 6 wks till I

could sleep all night comfortably on my good side. I still cannot lie

more than 1/2 hour on my op. side even though the incision was fully

healed and not sore to the touch 3 wks post op. Is not a real

problem, but wonder why. Tried softer mattress: no matter. Have to

talk to Dr Mont about that on my visit next wk.

Hang in there; things WILL get better.

Ed

Mont RC+ Nov 03

> > Hi a

> > congratulations; It seems you are recovering well. I am also in

Vancouver but

> had to go to Belgium for the first hip. So maybe the second one

(which seems

> to become more of a necessity...) can be here in Vancouver. Did you

have to

> fight to get it from Mazri? Did he suggest it or you?

> > take care

> > Sunita

> > R BHR January 6/04 De Smet

> > my new durom

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi a and others with sleep problems,

In surfacehippy , " ehlderksen " wrote:

> It helps

> to stop worrying if you don't have to get up at a specific time and

> just accept that you can't force it, turn on the light again and read

> some more.

This is what I did. Also took naps during the daytime. I agree

that the pain seems a lot worse at night. I don't think it's just the

stationary position, it's the fact that we have nothing else going on

to distract us. I found doing hard crossword puzzles (the British

Sunday Times " puns and anagrams " kind are the most challenging for me)

was one way to make the time pass faster. We also rented quite a few

videos during that convalescing time. Fresh air and exercise helped

somewhat, but too much exercise could cause more pain.

> But you also talk about pain (as opposed to discomfort).In my opinion

> take whatever medicine you need to get you thru this period. Because

> it will pass. Question: What kind of pain? and, is the pain

> regardless of position?

At the Birmingham Nuffield they really stressed controlling the

pain, and would work with us to find something that would help the

pain without nasty side effects. They said that we'd heal a lot faster

if we weren't kept from sleeping and exercising by pain. Luckily I was

able to take tylenol with codeine (along with Zantac 150) without too

much stomach upset, but they also had other prescription meds they

gave us in the hospital, although they wouldn't give me any to take

home because they were narcotics. Not sure what they were, but they

sure worked! Maybe the pharmacist could suggest something that you

could then ask your doctor about. I'd also be interested in hearing

what's in Sunita's herbal compound.

Once my pain receded enough so that I could get off the codeine,

I took a muscle relaxant with Tylenol (Robaxacet) plus a melatonin and

an antihistamine (for my chronic sinus problems, but it also makes me

a bit drowsy) most nights, and an Ativan about two or three times a

week. As well as being a tranquilizer, Ativan has a bit of a muscle

relaxing function that helps reduce the pain. I doubt that you will

get addicted to them in 10 days, if you are on the lowest dosage. I

took them every day for two weeks once when I was travelling across

lots of time zones, and what eventually happened was on day 15 they

stopped working, and I would have had to double the dose to get them

to work. But the doctor said that was habituation, not addiction. I

was able to stop taking them without any cravings, although I did wake

up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night with jet lag for a

few nights afterwards.

I couldn't sleep in any position except on my back for the first

two months. So I'd sometimes have to get up and walk around for

awhile, or change to the chaise lounge in a semi-sitting position and

read for an hour. Using LOTS of pillows was recommended, and sometimes

I could lie on my unoperated side that way for an hour or so, but then

it would get too painful. While on my back, the nurse recommended

putting the pillow under the good knee and leaving the operated leg

flat, so that the quads would stretch out more.

If the Ativan is working for you, why not take it every second

night, so you don't build up too much of a sleep deficit? You won't

need it very often once the pain lessens. In the meantime, if you go

several nights without enough sleep, you may get so over-tired and

" wound up " that it's really hard to relax, and that will just

aggravate the pain and sleeplessness.

I don't know about you ladies, but even before the arthritis got

so bad I had lots of trouble sleeping some nights (especially when

there's a full moon; lots of people laugh when I say that, but I

figure if it's strong enough to control the tides, why not my

nerves?!) I put it down to peri-menopause (now post-menopause), and

I've heard about sleep problems from lots of middle-aged women who

don't have anything wrong with their hips. So although I don't usually

need painkillers anymore, I do still take the occasional Ativan if

I've had a sleep problem the night before. Sometimes I find that a hot

milk at bedtime helps me sleep longer.

What Ed says is true, it DOES get a lot better with time. My

incision hurt a lot for about six weeks, and now I can't even feel

where it is, although I can still see the red scar in the mirror. I

had a lot of muscle spasms for the first three months, and now they

are only an occasional problem. The healing just takes time, and any

painkillers or sleeping aids that will help you get through the first

few weeks or months will help that time pass more easily. As a put

it, you've been " hit by a truck " , so you deserve all the rest and

assistance (chemical or otherwise) you can get during this

recuperation time.

Hopefully in a couple more months this will all be just a distant

memory. I've almost forgotten (at 4.5 months) how bad it was the first

two months, until I read some of the postings here.

All the best,

n

rBHR Oct.17/03 McMinn