7 days post hysterectomy and have terrible restless legs

Hi All

I'm 6 DPO and the past 2 days have been bad, but night time is the worst. I seem to be having restless legs and also seems like it's in my whole body. I'm unable to get any sleep. Has this happened to anyone else? What do I do?

removing your ovaries puts you in surgical menopause ,are you on any hormones? if you are, you should get your levels checked. if you aren't, hormones may help.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by dressedupinblue removing your ovaries puts you in surgical menopause ,are you on any hormones? if you are, you should get your levels checked. if you aren't, hormones may help.

No I am not on any hormones. I have my 2 week post of appt on Tuesday. My Dr was waiting to see how my body reacted before putting me on anything. So you think the hormones are causing the issue?

Restless leg syndrome could be due to various reasons such as low iron, magnesium, hypothyroidism, etc.
Make sure you mention this to your doctor

Yes, it could be the hormones. Keep a Symptom Journal of what you're experiencing to share it with your doctor. It'll give more clarity than just saying "I can't sleep".

I've dealt with restless legs before, and what helps me is lying on my side with a pillow between my knees. Not easy early on in recovery, but a travel-sized pillow under your tummy might help. Sometimes, I'll just get up and walk the house, recline and read, maybe drink some decaf tea or warmed milk until I can relax. For sleepless nights, I'll take a melatonin, or sometimes Tylenol PM (if you're taking Percocet or are already on Tylenol during the day, be mindful of the maximum daily dose of acetaminophen).

You mention that "days have been bad, but nights are the worst". Tell us what else is going on. This is major surgery where you've had 5 sets of ligaments and many blood vessels cut as well as organs removed. All those tissues have been cauterized and stitched - lots of trauma - and recovery has to be thought of in terms of weeks.

Since you've just joined us, you might find these resources helpful in knowing what to expect:

• Hysterectomy Recovery Videos on the Recovery Splash page
• Hysterectomy Checkpoints for a week-to-week guide (you can sign up to receive Checkpoints in email, too)
• Do This - Not That: Hysterectomy Recovery with additional links

I'd also like to invite you to connect with your Recovery Thread for women who had surgery the same week as you at Recovery Progress Reports for Aug 03-09. Recovery Threads are wonderful for getting support, comparing notes, encouraging others, and keeping one another company.