I generally get to sleep within a few minutes of lying down at night. But only a year ago, sleep was a significant issue.
After my hip replacement surgery, I was put on pain medications that made me anxious, kept me from sleeping, and had me pacing the floors on a walker. The dilemma was that, at least for the short term, I had to be on meds and was restricted to an uncomfortable day bed until I could again climb stairs. After three days, I felt half-dead from sleep deprivation. My best sleep came at about five in the morning if I took a light cover and pillow to my little side porch. Sitting, waiting for the sun to rise, and listening to the birds, I would drift off to sleep for an hour or two.
As the nights went by, my nighttime anxieties mounted. Not having had significant issues with sleep previously, I began to worry that this was a new normal, that a new unbreachable pattern was setting in. On day four post-op, I threw the pain medications away. I preferred the pain from my operation to the problems created by the meds. Fortunately, I found that over-the-counter medications worked better for me.
After dumping the synthetic opioid, things began to improve. I was still confined to the first floor but found that if I did get up at night, my cat and dog would visit. Dr. Xenia prescribed purr therapy, and Dr. Max prescribed dog treats as a sovereign remedy for what ailed me. Their monkey shines distracted me from the hip issues and the anxieties from my limited mobility.
This morning, an article on anxieties and sleep disorders was at the bottom of the paper’s website. A flood of unpleasant memories flowed back. What I remember most about those nights was my inability to do anything about the problem. It seems that I have not processed or resolved all my anxieties, and like many of us, I have issues with not being in control of my life.
I totally get it… I am a control freak… I know I need my arm operated on, but the thought of not being able to use my arm for a time, is something I have to work on… lol
That’s definitely part of the issue!
It surprises me how many people blogging have had hip replacements. I have had one also and I’ve read about at least three more. Hope you are back to normal now.
Yes, but I find I really need to keep my physical activity high to help the hip regain lost muscle mass and strength. I’m not 25 anymore.
Yes, none of us are!
I was able to get off stronger drugs (narcotics) within 3 weeks of my hip surgery and get by on extra strength Tylenol 3 times a day. Also, I live in a one-level home, so no stairs to negotiate. But between my hip surgery and a shoulder injury and all the physical therapy, my biggest issue has been a loss of energy. I had no trouble falling asleep, but staying asleep was a struggle. Any movement during the night would cause pain, either in my left hip or the right shoulder — or both. Then, falling back to sleep was a challenge. Further, as a septuagenarian, I suffer from old man’s system where I have pee at least twice each night. Getting up and going that with a bum hip and gimpy shoulder has been (and still is) a problem.
Yeah, I know. Poor me..
Yeah, those strong opioid pain meds are bad news. I’ve had two cesareans, admittedly not at all like a hip replacement. After I came out of surgery the second time round, I insisted on only having paracetamol. Still can’t sleep at night though.