I'm sure Kate won't mind
Posted , 12 users are following.
Hi everyone, I was looking back through some old posts trying to find one about constipation if all subjects (!) & I found Kate's post about sleeping. I'm sure she won't mind as I've took the liberty of copying it again. It was such a great read & made perfect sense particularly now I'm post -op.
As I now consider myself a hip guru after two THR's wink I thought I would impart my most considerable knowledge about sleeping post op.
So as you gather in closer to the screen to read I am going to poke you in the eye and tell you the first first rule...
1) There are no rules of sleep club
In fact there are so many rules of sleep club world wide that it would be hard to confine them all but we are all victim to our country, our county and surgeons particular cruelty (I mean surgical style) when it come to how we are supposed to sleep. Anterior, posterior and lateral scars all bring their own particular delights when trying to stop doing the twist in the early hours.
So, you can arm yourself with the latest in latex support pillows, V pillows, small hand embroidered cushions that Aunty Edna gave you, mattress toppers, wedges, sleeping tablets, pain relief, whiskey cocktail or a complete hospital bed but one thing isn't going to change - your healing!
Our lives before were clock driven , getting a good night's sleep before getting up for work was imperative. Lack of sleep meant we couldn't function properly.
Now, the God of New and Shiny Hip Implants has thrown all that up in the air and we don't know where we are!
We toss and turn (very carefully) waiting for the elusive sleep that never comes or comes in annoying one hour servings. You think you have slept all night only to find that barely ten minutes has gone by since you last looked at the clock. You hobble out of bed with one eye shut, trying to fool yourself into staying asleep while you have a midnight wee and you just know that if you lie there a bit longer then YOU MUST fall asleep.
As we all know things at night are magnified to horror proportions and the sweating, the pain, the twitching, the discomfort have all become mountains we cannot climb.
So, you have read this far and you are waiting for me to give you the secret to sleeping all through the night after having part of your leg chopped off and in a position that you detest. Sorry, I don't have have those answers but what I have learned is....
This lack of sleep, is it so bad? Are you hoping to go to work in the morning? Are you leaping out of bed to go hiking, on holiday, ice sking? No.
The best cure I can find for lack of sleep is - chill out, go with it, let it happen.
Goodness knows what healing is going on inside but it doesn't confine itself to happening at night. It is imperative to rest in the first 6 weeks as it is to walk and that rest can be feet up on the sofa or a few catnaps throughout the day.
I have no problems with lack of sleep because I don't care about it.
A six weeks (today) after my 2nd THR I have learned that it is all transient. Regular sleep comes back in a position that we favour eventually and the trick is to stop worrying about it.
I sleep most of the night now, waking up between 5.30 and 6.30am. Once you find that it okay to find a sleeping place all over the house you will sleep much better as well.I was more comfortable on the sofa this time so that's where I went.
I watched all the films that no one else wanted to watch and knew that I was getting back to normal when it took me five nights to watch a film.
So, wave yourself a magic wand, stop fretting, this is temporary and I'll even go as far as to say enjoy it. For those going back to work that will come soon enough and your body regulates very quickly so in the meantime give yourself a night break, chill out - a bowl of ice cream at 3am is really rather nice!
6 likes, 31 replies
noplaybarbie Fernlady
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jennifer86394 Fernlady
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ptolemy Fernlady
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Fernlady ptolemy
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ptolemy Fernlady
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Fernlady ptolemy
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ptolemy Fernlady
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Fernlady
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sandra02646 Fernlady
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vanessa88276 Fernlady
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renee01952 vanessa88276
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I went through the same stages when date for 2nd THR was coming closer - by that time I was in so ,much pain though that excitement exceeded fear - funny huh? we know what we can expect - it wasn't that bad - surgery was nothing, really ... but still !!! I can tell you that I was absolutely euphoric post-op - Of course I compared the two, eventhough I was told not to - I even became cocky and paid for it (too much too soon)-
to be honest, I was put on anti anxiety medication, I was freaking out that much -
hang in there - thinking o fyou
renee
fluffylapinski Fernlady
Posted
My daughter may be nearly 23 years old but this has been as bad if not worse (maybe my memory had faded 😂) as new baby tiredness.
At least the new hip doesn't cry all night.
Fiona xx
lors23 Fernlady
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Time served hippies we are
Laura xx
Fernlady lors23
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renee01952 Fernlady
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absolutely worth to be re-posted ... it is so true and funny and put things in perspective -
I miss her too and hope that she is back living a full life , painfree and enjoying whatever she is doing
big warm hug
renee
how are you getting on otherwise, darling ?
Fernlady renee01952
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renee01952 Fernlady
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I am so sorry about the constipation - there are many threads about this problem - I actually am a bit surprised that they discharged you without you having had a bowel movement ....nurses in the hospital asked me to not flush when I had one so they could be sure ... sorry, too much information -