Insomnia

I too have this problem I am only 13 days post op and over the last week have found it hard to sleep. The benefit is that I am getting all my assignments done but working on only 1 or 2 hours sleep a day is getting hard to cope with. Even with 2 tamazapam under my belt it dosnt help at all. Will read the article and get all the info. Meanwhile pick out some good movies and enjoy the rest.

Hope all the August Sisters are healing well

Kerry

Insomnia is not fun....I am dealing with this as well. I have Ambien; however, due to past hallucinations (um apparently I was at the grammies on stage with Madonna ) I have been afraid to take it. I am just hoping it will pass.

Hugs to all sisters.

I figured out that I get sleepier at night if I take my hormone pill with dinner instead of breakfast. My friend who had her TAH in December tried it and it works for her, too. We are taking different types of hormones.

One benadryl tablet makes me sleepy and I sleep better all night. Lack of estrogen causes insomnia as estrogen plays a role in regulating sleep cycles.

Just wanted to mention to everyone to avoid alcohol while dealing with this insomnia. I'm struggling with it too. Alcohol will not give you a good night's sleep. It interrupts the ability to go into REM sleep, which is the stage of sleep that refreshes you. It also thins the blood, and could cause extra bleeding post-op. Also, you shouldn't drink alcohol while taking painkillers such as hydrocodone, you can depress your respiratory system and just stop breathing.

I wish I could take Ambien, but it causes me to sleepwalk. I just went to the library and checked out a ton of books. Been hitting the turkey sandwiches heavy, since the tryptophan in it can make you sleepy, and Benedryl.

Any sleep medication can make your body need the medicine to go to sleep, so don't take it for over 2 weeks without talking to the doctor!

i worked nights prior to my surgery, so i thought my body just couldnt get used to night sleep, but sounds like its a post op thing!!! thanks guys

The more I read everyone's response to Ambien, the more afraid I am to take it. I haven't had any of the hallucinations, sleepwalking episodes, or amnesia problems that I have read here, but now I'm getting worried.

I've only taken it two nights (tried to skip last night, and got less than 2 hours of sleep total for the night).

Now, I don't know what to do!!! I don't want to cause additional problems of dependency for myself down the road either (I know I've only taken it twice, but I still worry).

I bought Ovaltine and Chamomille tea today (which other sisters have recommended) to see if that helps, but it's almost midnight, and I'm not the least bit sleepy...

Glad to know I'm not the only one, although what an awful club to belong to, ha ha!! Did go to the doctor yesterday and he prescribed Ambien (the insomniacs friend I hear) and it did help me sleep last night. I get to return to work on 9/11/2006 so hopefully I can get back to a normal routine. Good luck to all of you.

I'm having trouble sleeping too. It started my second night home. I didn't really need pain meds, but I took one pill on two different nights just hoping that it would work. Even that didn't put me to sleep. And the pain pills I was given is a combination of two drugs (Demerol and Phenergan) that normally by themselves would knock me out! Last night, I was really sore along with not being able to sleep. It was after 2AM before I went to sleep and woke up several times throughout the night! Motrin didn't help with the pain. And for the first time since the surgery, I started crying. Luckily, I go back to the doctor tomorrow to get my stitches out and have my first post-op visit. So I am definitely going to ask him about what to do. Hopefully, he will give me something that works! Here's to a good nights sleep for one and all!

Ambien works well for me. My problem with it is I would take it, but then call my friend. She would get my hallucination stories, and my son actually recorded me talking to her..what a trip that was.

If I take it and go directly to bed, I have no problems.