Insomnia...

about headaches---- i had had headaches before surgery---but with the exception of the caffiene withdrawel headaches I had in hospital--tonight was the first time i had a headache--about the hormones---i have no ovaries--or cervix- but i think all the cramping & leg stuff is more due to the stomach pain & how one cannot get in a comfortable position & if i do not wake up with a stomach or leg cramp, i wake up with a shoulder cramp. I do not sleep but a few hours at a time---so in the last few days i have given up and I sleep in the day as i can---(up til now i have always avoided sleeping in the day)---

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Margaret39 I kept my ovaries. I've also started getting headaches in the middle of the night. Maybe it's because I have problems sleeping? Anyone else getting headaches?

YES............I also get the bad headaches since my surgery 5/21. I had a TVH and were lucky to keep my ovaries and can't sleep as well. I dose off about 11pm and always seem to wake up between 2:30-3:00 and normally stay up for the rest of the nights. I guess it would be OK if I took naps during the day but I can't even sleep then. I return back to work on 7/9 and am praying that I can get a least 2 straight nights of non stop sleep!!! Did I mention the Dr prescribed Ambien CR and it's not working!!!

I have the headaches too. I find that my jaw sometimes feels like i'm clenching it, and that can give me headachestoo????? Any one else have the restless legs?

Yes my left leg in particular is restless but mostly only by end of day. Going to call my Acupuncturist & see if he can help both the insomnia & leg issue.

I only have trouble with the legs when I lay down to try and get comfortable. My poor DH, I have been running him out of the bedroom with all of my tossing and turning, luckily we have a guest bedroom he can sleep in. I hope this doesn't last long. Let me know if your Acupunturist gives you any relief.

Wishing you well.

Hey Sisters!


I found this on the internet by a Dr Erika. What I found interesting is she states that your Cortisol shoots up and I'm wondering if that isn't what is causing our problems with sleep......if we can get the cortisol down which is making us hyper......maybe that will be our answer to a good night sleep. Let me know what you think...hope it helps.....

What you need to know before your Gynecological surgery
Too many women are suffering terrible symptoms of hormone imbalance after gynecological surgical procedures.

Too many women receive no preparation from their physicians on what to expect after the surgery.

Whether the surgery is a hysterectomy ( partial or total), removal of ovarian cysts, wedge ovarian resections, ovary or ovaries removal ( oophorectomies) or a combination of all of the above, the hormonal implications are enormous and must be carefully addressed if the results are to be a healthier woman than before the surgical procedure.

Unfortunately, most women who have already had surgery that I hear from are not properly prepared or treated. I listen to 35 year olds who feel like they are 90 and

I saw a 27 year old who was 50 pounds overweight, had no sex drive and was taking two antidepressants since she had an ovary removed for a benign cyst, and that was last week alone. Women should not have to suffer.

We cannot go through these surgeries unprepared if we have to go through them at all.

This article will help you understand what happens hormonally at surgery and how to prevent the devastation hormone imbalances create after the surgery.

If you have already experienced the effects of untreated surgery, you can help a sister, a mother, a daughter or a friend.

Although infrequent, there are times when removal of the uterus and or ovaries is a life preserving procedure (cancer or uncontrollable bleeding are the only absolute indications).

All too often women are told they have no choice and the fear of dying will make anyone go under the knife, no matter what lies ahead after the surgery.

We all want to believe the surgery will save our lives and once a couple of months have passed, we have recovered and will go on with our lives as before, only better.

However, all too often, the surgery turns out to be the beginning of a never ending nightmare you were never prepared for.

As of today you will never be unprepared for surgery again.

I will teach you what happens inside the body when you have the surgery and how to prevent the hormonal fallout and its aftermath from ruining your life.

Your job is to become informed, make sure the surgery your doctor recommends is absolutely necessary and take responsibility for getting well and staying well afterwards.
Before you have any surgery:
Get a second and third opinion. (Keep in mind that getting an opinion from a surgeon is most likely to translate into surgery. Get an opinion from a physician who will not stand to gain financially from performing the surgery on you)
Spend the 2-3 weeks before the surgery getting in best physical and emotional shape.
Eat high protein, low processed carbs, high fiber multiple meals every day.
Cut out the alcohol, soda and coffee.
Take supplements that will improve your immune system (Colostrum, vitamin C, omega 3, B complex, Calcium. Magnesium, Zinc)
Get as much sleep as possible ( minimum 8 hours a night)
Do not worry about paying your bills as much. Worry about getting yourself in ideal shape for the surgery
Start taking natural hormones two weeks before the surgical procedure.

The Physiologic Facts:
When surgery is performed, any type of surgery, the amount of stress the body experiences are enormous. Even something as simple as the removal of an abscess creates hormone imbalances.

Even plastic surgery causes long lasting hormone imbalance problems.

The hormonal effects of stress can not be minimized and should not be minimized, if you want to come out of a surgical procedure the same way you went in, minus the part that caused you problems.

Hysterectomies and oophorectomies (ovarian removal) rob women of life sustaining and youth maintaining hormones.

The body goes into shock even if the surgeon tells you he/she left a piece or a whole ovary behind. The whole system shuts down and hormone production disappears with the surgical procedure.

Surgical menopause is the result of sudden withdrawal of the hormones. It is even more damaging than natural menopause because of this suddenness.

Stress induces cortisol release. Cortisol increases insulin production and thus blood sugar levels drop and the body uses up all available blood sugar to just maintain its balance.

Estrogen and progesterone suddenly removed throw the system into further chaos. The master gland, the pituitary, keeps sending desperate signals to the now gone ovaries, to release estrogen and progesterone, but nothing happens.

The thyroid gland tries to make up for the hormone disappearance and it too burns out in the process.

The longer this situation continues, and it does indefinitely if left untreated, the more depleted of hormones we are, the more symptoms we develop, the faster we age.

Weight starts to pile on, depression sets in, hair thins, sex drive disappears, anxiety and sleep disorders take over.

We wake up at 5 am with palpitations in a pool of sweat. We are constantly experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, we feel old and decrepit. And it is all a vicious cycle that does not stop.

And all you thought was that you were having surgery and after that, you would be fine. Now you understand why that can never be the case without outside help.
The Help:
By now you know there is help and the help is primarily in the way of natural/bioidentical hormones started a few weeks before the surgery and continued indefinitely.

Start estradiol and micronized progesterone at least 3 weeks before the surgery. Increase the dose immediately after the surgery and work with your doctor to get the balance correct and tweak the doses until you have fully recovered (a minimum of 4-6 months). No matter what you are told, the recovery time is much longer than the 1 week back to work routine. You may feel okay but your body will take almost a year to get back in balance. Do not ignore your body.
Rest. Get enough sleep. If you can’t, take a sleep aid ( Tylenol PM, Ambien, Valium, Sonata, Xanax)
Take supplements and vitamins to boost your immune system, increase your cellular energy production and help balance your hormones.
Have your thyroid checked and watch for symptoms of low thyroid (cold extremities, constant fatigue, recurrent laryngitis, weight gain, hair loss and water retention)
Start a gentle exercise program within 2 weeks of surgery (yoga, meditation, stretching, strengthening) No aerobics, running or jumping.
Eat well. High protein, high fiber, no soda, coffee, alcohol. Lots of water and frequent little meals. Make the surgery an opportunity to become more aware of your body, your feelings, you as a person. Do not become a victim of the surgery! Move onward and upward!

Wow!! That's alot of great information. I have the urge to eat better, to use this as an opportunity to better my health and my life. I Thank you for sharing this infromation, this is just more full to my fire to get my butt in gear. I WILL use this surgery as a means to improve myself!! Thanks for the swift kick. I am going to call my Dr. today and ask questions, and a sleep aid (lol).

Trust me I needed a swift kick too.......lol

Oceanmist

Oh Wow, I had breast surgery two weeks before I had my hysterectomy, so I'm sure that didn't help my situation from what Dr Erika stated. I was taking Estroven before the surgery, maybe I'll start taking that again. I meditate every day already. Thanks for the info Oceanmist!!

I find that the deep breathing helps a lot before I fall asleep.............also NO STRESS seems to help a lot as well.....needs to get rid of everyone she knows in her life.....lol. I have had two nights of good sleep since that all nighter.. thank god! I take a sleeping aid if I need it.

I found this Dr. Erika website interesting....she is female...and I don't know if what she says is all true ...I'm no doctor....but it sure seems to make sense to me. Expecially the high cortisol and thyroid burn out from working to much.....My doctor stated to me that my ovaries had no idea anything happened!!!!!!!!!!!.......... .(needs to talk to her ovaries and tell them that they shouldn't be acting like this and its all in their heads ......male doctor said so!!! :

Hugs Oceanmist