Sleep disturbances post-op

Hi. This is my first time writing in on this site.
I had a total hysterectomy done in January 08. I am 6 weeks out and having sleep disturbances...wake around 3am, back to sleep, up again at 5am, back to sleep at 7am. Cannot be on hrts due to complications. Has anyone had this sleep problem, if so, any suggestions on how to get a full night's rest?
Mary Oh

I don't know Mary Oh...all I can tell you is that I haven't had a good nights rest since my TAH LSO last Tuesday..I will be watching this thread though for ideas..

I am thinking about calling my gp for a sleep aid to help me get back on track.

I had my total hyster on Jan 7th - can not be on hormones either. I wait up about every hour usually having a major hot flash! I have to be at work by 7 a.m. so the lack of sleep is wearing on me! I tried acupunture yesterday for the hot flashes... will do several treatments to see how it works for me. I take soy and black cohash. Yesterday my doc gave me a prescription to Ambien CR - haven't tried it yet, do not want to become addicted. I have tried meletonin, tylenol pm and bendryl. Guess it is part of having a hyster! But much better than painful periods, bleedin and pms!

I am with you guys, I haven't gotten a good night sleep in the longest time!!! I am afraid to ask for a sleeping pill prescription. I do have xanax and I will use one of those to sleep, but I don't like to waste them on sleeping. I use them for those emergency anxiety days.

Gotta love the female issues.

Good luck.

T

I have to take hrt's or I'm up all day and night. Soon I can't spell my name. Lots of information and goodies out there, but treatment really depends on your medical history, don't you think? I'm a big advocate for calling your doc asap. They don't know what to do for you till you tell them what's going on.
I know that call is hard to make but you are worth it!

I have had trouble sleeping since the surgery. I have had a few nights of good sleep (about 5 hours with no interruption). I typically get 3 - 4 hours of sleep per night. My PCP wants me to try sleep aids to see if they work. I think I will try to wear myself out with walking exercises prior to bed and see if I sleep through the night tonight. If that does not work, I will take the Rozerem or Lunestra.

I had my surgery on Jan 8 and within two weeks I was done sleeping. After 5 nights of NO sleep I researched everything I could find on natural sleep aids. I tried them all- melatonin, lavender essences, hot milk, cammomile tea, a glass of wine, etc. (I am a psychologist/hypnotherapist but even hypnosis didn't work). I was finally getting 2-3 hrs a night with the "natural cures." That is not enough! I resorted to meds- my dr prescribed Ambian. I then would get 4 hrs and wake up. I could GO to sleep couldn't STAY asleep. She switched me to Ambian CR and I started doing things in my sleep and having conversations that SHOCKED me in the morning. Apparently, I am having passionate thoughts and actions during the night that I don't recall AT ALL.... I find this frightening. My hubby didn't believe me for awhile that I had no recall of these events. My insurance won't pay for the "CR" (only the generic Ambian) and the cost is $145 per month (30 pills). My husband informed me that HE didn't care how much they cost. He likes the new passionate wife. Too bad I don't remember ANY of it. I also wake up feeling "drugged". I have a friend who is on the CR and gets up at night and bakes cookies and eats them. The kitchen is a mess when she wakes and she has gained 10 lbs in a month. She has no recall of even getting up. (By the way, my husband said he'd rather have nighttime passion than cookies... LOL). I have decided to stay on the generic Ambian and get 4 good hours of sleep, know what I am doing and wake up feeling pretty good. Anybody else have any such situations? John's wife

I'm not sleeping well either. Well, last night I slept great but I was exhausted and only woke up around 3:00 to go to the bathroom. Other than that I'm up several times a night. I'm thinking about calling my doctor on Monday to discuss sleeping aids. There's nothing wrong with calling... obviously this is a problem for several of us and I'm certain it's not the first time our doctors have heard this complaint after our surgeries.

I have been using Tylenol PM to get to sleep each night for the past 2 months. I'm afraid that I am getting addicted to it. Is that possible?