1. Community
  2. Operations and surgical procedures
  3. Hip Replacement

Sleepless nights

Posted , 6 users are following.

mary89276
mary89276

I had a right hip replacement In November '17 .During the day I do not experience much pain but at night I can sleep for 2/3 hours then wake with groin and buttock/leg pain which is only controlled with strong painkillers. Have others experienced this after 3 months.

1 like, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • thomas14224
    thomas14224 mary89276

    Posted

    Hey Mary,

    I had THR Jan 16, 2018 and my biggest problem is sleeping.. I cannot sleep on my side with pillow between my legs and have been unsuccessful sleeping on my back in the bed...I am doing most of my sleeping in my recliner which last two to three hours max and then I need to get up.and stretch and try it again... Sleeping on my side in the bed was torturous for me and did cause pain in my thigh, incision area and legs...I am off the pain meds and am taking Tylenol extra strength...Am walking unaided and doing excercises and walking daily outside .. Now to just get some good sleep would be wonderful...Think our pains are part of the process...even three months into...JMHO.

  • thomas14224
    thomas14224 mary89276

    Posted

    Hey Mary,

    I had THR Jan 16, 2018 and my biggest problem is sleeping.. I cannot sleep on my side with pillow between my legs and have been unsuccessful sleeping on my back in the bed...I am doing most of my sleeping in my recliner which last two to three hours max and then I need to get up.and stretch and try it again... Sleeping on my side in the bed was torturous for me and did cause pain in my thigh, incision area and legs...I am off the pain meds and am taking Tylenol extra strength...Am walking unaided and doing excercises and walking daily outside .. Now to just get some good sleep would be wonderful...Think our pains are part of the process...even three months into...JMHO.

    • mary75553
      mary75553 thomas14224

      Posted

      Hi Thomas, I had posterior hip replacement Jan 13th o have a fair amount of pain but only take paracetamol , use 1 crutch inside and 2 outside everything is so slow for me . Can I ask how far you walk outside and for how long ? 
    • thomas14224
      thomas14224 mary75553

      Posted

      good morning Mary,,,,i walk right now 10 minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the afternoon outside in our neighborhood.     I am taking it slow and not trying to overdo it..I am retired and have time to do as I need to..I have been reading a lot on this sight and it seems a great faction of people are sorta discouraging the exercise and leaning more toward  walking and resting , elevating and icing early on in recovering...Have been doing the exercise but not to the point of pain,,,Am walking without any assistance...Getting good sleep has been tough for me..The bed with the pillows between the legs is not working for me so I have been sleeping in my recliner with some success...starting my fifth week today....I think we have to understand it is not a sprint but a marathon and we must pace ourselves and know when enough is enough...Hope you continue to improve.
    • mary75553
      mary75553 thomas14224

      Posted

      Thanks Thomas, I myself started walking twice a day 15 mins local then yesterday did 3 walks totalling 1hr 10 mins and boy was it painful in the evening so went back too twice 15 mins each today and continued with the exercises.

      i have trouble lifting and sliding my operated leg onto the bed do you have any such problems ? 

    • thomas14224
      thomas14224 mary75553

      Posted

      sounds like that was a little too much walking.  .lol...good idea to drop it back down....it takes time..no problems getting operated leg on the bed but just hard to sleep in the bed yet,,  guess everyone Is different...

       

    • mary75553
      mary75553 thomas14224

      Posted

      I was dreading sleeping on my back but it has come quite easy , though I do wake a few times through the night . Just one more ? Thomas was you operation anterior or posterior ? 
    • thomas14224
      thomas14224 mary75553

      Posted

      mine was posterior with about a 10 inch incision....My Dr swears by posterior, 
  • mary25429
    mary25429 mary89276

    Posted

    My first THR was Sept. 18, 2017. I had huge problems sleeping and could not sleep for more than about an hour. Just had second hip done Jan. 15. And have had spasms at night. I am now taking Tramadol and it has done wonders! Much better than Oxycodone. Oxycodone may be fine for relief immediately after surgery but the Tramadol seems to relax the leg and allows you some quality sleep. Hope things get better for you. 

     

  • sue76774
    sue76774 mary89276

    Posted

    My anterior thr was 11/7/17 so pretty much your timeframe.  I am sleeping pretty well so unsure why you’d be having such difficulty.  I would probably be seeing my surgeon with some very pointed questions. Hope  this improves for you soon!
    • mary89276
      mary89276 sue76774

      Posted

      Hi Sue, thank you for your reply, yes I will be going to see my surgeon this week so hope for some clarity about the night pain.Take care.
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.