Since my THR 5 weeks ago I, like everyone else have had to sleep on my back. At first this wasn't too bad but now I'm waking up every hour and sometimes can't get back to sleep for a couple of hours. I now dread going to bed! Any one out there had the same and if so any advice?
I was the same told to sleep on my back, it a nightmare i pratically sat up in bed, but I read other people were told they could sleep on their side, with a pillow between their legs to keep them in alignment, so would try that hon, wish i had, you have to get sleep, i know it terrifying and it will be for long time, good luck .......
Thank you Susan! I will do that tonight zzzzzz
Hi Cathie, I am now 8 weeks post op and had the same problem as you regards sleeping. On my 2 week check up I mentioned this and was told that I could start sleeping on my operated side as my wound was fully healed. I tried it around 3 weeks and found that I could sleep for about half an hour like that before turning onto my back again. Then by week 4 I tried my good side, but made sure that I put a pillow between my knees when on that side to stop the hip dislocating, and again could manage about half an hour on that side, so during the night I alternated between the three positions. Still not a great sleep but at least I wasn't on my back all the time. Then by 5 and a half weeks I noticed a big difference in my sleep quality. I did away with the pillow at 6 weeks as was told by the physio that I was no longer at risk of dislocation. I think you know yourself when you are ready to try sleeping on your side. Everyone is different, but I felt ready at that stage.
Hope this helps. It's funny, but it just doesn't feel natural to sleep on your back does it?
Love Cathy Uk
Cathie,
You should be able to sleep on your side now with pillow between your legs. Also try Tylenol PM or another night time over the counter pain med to help you sleep.
Thank you so much! I have been thinking of doing that in desperation and now I will! X
Cathie,like most of us Hippies in the first few weeks I found sleeping "tiresome"but as Susan said a pillow between your knees and sleeping on the unoperated side until you are comfortable to sleep on your new hip works wonders.....as time goes on you will get back to a normal sleeping pattern....I found my kindle was a comfort in the early hours of the morning..
wishing you a speedy recovery and even though it seems a long way off there is light at the end of the tunnel... :-)
Thank you - I have also found my kindle a great distraction. I'm looking forward to trying out lying on my side now. X
Thank you Kathee. X
Good luck hon, whichever you try, dont dispear if it takes a while, I am 4 months post op, and still get bad nights, and dont know which way to to lay, ...... hope you get better zzzzz also from UK......
It is also 5 weeks since my THR. I managed to sleep on my back for a couple of weeks, but found this uncomfortable. I then placed a pillow between my legs for another two weeks and was able to sleep on my side comfortably. A pillow can be a bit bulky so for the last week I have slept with a cushion instead and this seems to work for me. I have had no other problems. Hope this works for you too.
Thank you Barbara! Will try this.
Hi Cathie, I am 5 wks post THR, like you i had major problems sleeping on my back. After 3 wks I started sleeping on my operated side & could manage an hour or so. I then tried sleeping on my good side with a cushion between my legs & found i could sleep for several hours like this. Now I am able to sleep on both sides with no problem but always with a cushion on my good side. Give it a try, you won't regret it i am sure. Best of luck.
Sleeping flat on your back often causes backaches. When you sleep on your back, put a couple pillows under your knees to take the pressure off your back. I have a bad back, but because of surgeries I've had on my thighs with the incisions on the inside of my legs, my legs are very sensitive so I can't sleep on my side. I got two of those large wedge pillow and put them together and put my legs up on them. That was easier on my knees because my knees would hurt after keeping them bent all night.
And when you sleep on your side, keep a pillow between your knees. It's easier on your hips.
I found trying to sleep on my back was the worse thing about the whole thing. I couldn't sleep at all, and ended up thinking I'd be at more risk of falling during the day because of exhaustion rather than dislocating the hip during the night anyway I did research about how dangerous it really was to sleep on your side and decided to do it anyway (after about 3 weeks), with pillows etc. So I tried it and actually physically couldn't move my leg over to sleep on the side after all. it hurt too much. And even when I got it there, I couldn't move it back without a lot of pain.... So I carried on trying to sleep on my back and very gradually I found I was stong enought to sleep on my non-op side and then on my operated side. My feeling is when your body is healed enough, it is probably safe to sleep on your side, but that's just the decision I took, and it worked for me...Also take a nap whenever you can, I found it eaiser to sleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon as there wasn't that dread of a sleepness night...and even 12 weeks on, I still seem to need an afternoon siesta...Good luck with it all, with time it does seems to get better...
Hello Cathie yes I had a thr on the 20th Nov and found sleeping on my back a nightmare,Ihave arthritis in my lumbar region which made it very comfortable indeed, but now after 6 weeks have started sleeping on my operated side and with a pillow on my non operated side it is bliss,getting to sleep comfortably,was told it would be like this,but now am beginning to sleep mormally the waite was def worth itx
Hi Cathy
five months ago I had THR..I left hip. About two years ago I had to complete shoulder replacement a left shoulder. I'd say it was about two months and I could lay on that side. I sleep on my side's turning several times during the night. Before hip surgery I couldn't sleep on my back because my left leg and hip would hurt too much. Now if I tried to lay on my back my right leg and hip hurt. Surgeon wants to do the right hip too. He wants to do it next month. I say no way, of all may have the two surgeries in my life. The shoulder was because I broke it and it heal wrong. The hip was because of arthritis. I don't want to ever have surgery again. Pain medicine doesn't work on me and they don't believe me so they off plug on the drugie.
my son is a caregiver by occupation and after the surgeries he would put a pillow just under my side that helped tremendously.
hang in there, as one person said on this forum, (this too shall pass). The only way we can go is up.. Keep us posted on how you're doing.
Sorry cathy
spellcheck?? It is that they don't believe me that pain medicine doesn't work for me so they act like I'm a druggie. They say what we're giving you is better than nothing isn't it?
That's exactly my scenario! Have no idea why. Pain isn't that bad but I guess it's enough. I can't and don't take Benadryl cuz it over drys my sinus' and I fight it. I am going to try listening to audio books. I've done that in the past. YouTube has a lot of free long segments. I subscribe to a bunch and then play them. I guess it gives my Brain something else to think about. And it's not a pill. I have found that my restless leg syndrome which was only on occasion is more trouble some too. I use a heating pad in between my legs for that. Also not a pill. It's weird that so many of us post oppers have insomnia... Weird!
Turmeric was my anti inflammatory of choice. I take 3 caps a day. The pool was always my relief. I've had two knee scopes, one shoulder scope, three scopes on the left hip and one in the right, injections into both hips and now the left THR. I COMPLETELY understand you not wanting the other hip done. Being a pt and nurse is no fun!