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Sleeping

Posted , 10 users are following.

mary7663
mary7663

Ok.  I know it's different for everyone but it seems like two steps forward, one step back for me. Just can't get comfy at night, when I do I wake up In such awful pain it's hard to even move to new spot. 😡

1 like, 30 replies

30 Replies

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  • linlee
    linlee mary7663

    Posted

    I'm 6 weeks po and still having sleep issues. I had manipulation done this past wed. And have been doing aggressive pt the past 3 days. As well as 5/week for 2 weeks! Augh! Worked on muscle strength yesterday. Last night was the worse in 6 weeks. Ended up in the recliner and was able to get a few hours. Wish there was a simple answer to this problem. I'm so tired. And am trying not to sleep during the day. :-(
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 linlee

      Posted

      At this stage i would suggest getting a little sleep whenever you can. Your body is tired and it needs to regenerate whenever possible. Remember a tired body just doesnt heal as fast as a rested one. Stay hydrated and rest as much as possible.
  • deborah77015
    deborah77015 mary7663

    Posted

    This is a difficult time for you and unfortunately you'll just have to work it through. You haven't mentioned by the way it sounds, I'm guessing you're in your first few weeks post TKR surgery. Your pain meds before bedtime and a pillow between your knees to relieve the pressure will be your best friend. Don't forget to ice and elevate when needed. Sometimes I wake up tired of being chilled by the ice packs so I would just end up elevating and this helps a lot too. Unfortunately you are just going to go through a few weeks of pain/discomfort where you're your knees are ywaking you up in the middle of the night and you'll want to take a second dose of pain meds. You can't sleep in pain so do whatever you can (massage, take meds, icing and elevating, placing a pillow between the knees for soft comfort) You don't want to just endure in agony the whole night through. Don't lose sleep and lose that time when your body really heals. I still find it amazing with My two knees having recently been replaced ( Rt ,1/22/16 & Lft. 3/8/16 )

    When I get that GOOD deep healing sleep, what a dfference! I can FEEL something good happened in my knee that night!.

    This is the hardest time Mary. Work closely with your therapist, go to all your sessions, do your home excerises.Eat healthy with good protein and dairy...you'll find that by taking good care of yourself and finding that healthy balance of excerises and rest you'll be surprised to find yourself experiencing less pain sooner than you thought. But the first 4-5 weeks ARE tough. Hang in there and if you have a walker ( I could not have rehabed at home without it! ) try and be up as much as you can strengthening those quads even some arm push ups!. I found just doing that and housework made for some of the best PT!

    Best wishes for life without pain...which IS coming soon.

    Blessings and healing, Deb

    • linlee
      linlee deborah77015

      Posted

      Someone on here recommended taking melatonin at night. I took pain med then an hr later took some melatonin. I slept 3 hrs straight and woke up. Slowly repositioned and probably 15 minutes later I was back to sleep for another 2 1/2 hrs! May not sound like much but it was the best night of sleeping I have had in 6 weeks. Feeling motivated this morning. ...
    • mary7663
      mary7663 linlee

      Posted

      This is awesome!  I'm swear by Melatonin, but I've been supplementing with it before TKR. My husband (payback caretaker time) just recovering from a bout of chemo and radiation was put onto it by his cancer doc.
    • mary7663
      mary7663 deborah77015

      Posted

      You had them done so close together! In awe of you.  

      Thanks for for the advice.  Had my one TKR on March 28. I don't know how I would survive without this forum and everyone one it.  😘😘😘

  • judy16658
    judy16658 mary7663

    Posted

    At five weeks post op I was still sleeping in a recliner. It took almost two months to transition to sleeping in a bed all night. Even then, I woke often from discomfort. At five months post op I began sleeping through the night . Hang in there, ask about a sleeping pill or perhaps take a pain pill in the middle of the night.
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