BAD Insomnia

[crosswind 134]

I don't know what's up with me but I am totally wired. Last night I was fully awake until 9 AM this morning and I fell asleep til about noon. It's 2 AM right now and I'm just not going down, I'm sort of puttering and putting on moisturizer and I can not sleep.

I am a pretty terrible insomniac but ever since surgery I've been sleeping at night and waking up in the morning at least. It used to be so bad that I would give up on sleeping at all for a couple days just to make myself tired enough to go down and stay down.

I have herbs. Passionflower, hops, valerian, skullcap, etc. I have unisom but diphen causes weight gain doncha know. I have Ambien I can't really take yet ( and I never do because that stuff scares the crap out of me). None of the OTC/herbals really work all that well. I have no Ativan and decided to cool it on that stuff when I ran out last month. ( Actually that is a functional untruth. In reality the doctor at my clinic threw me out the last time I asked for more and threatened me with a drug panel)

I'm still in the healing phase and I know I need to rest. I'm not doing it though.

Are ya'll sleeping and if not what are you doing for it?

[Loooou 30]

My whole day shifted 2 weeks after surgery, It started good then everyday I just stay wide awake for a longer hour than the day before until I ended just like u! It is 9 am here now and I cant sleep either.

I use to take muscle relaxer before but not for too long just a month or 2 it was for my aching side of the port which I thought then i was having hernia in my left side... then later I used it to downsize my anxiety before surgery.

Now I am either wide awake for nothing, or I just keep having terrible thoughts( Not surgery related at all) but when I wake up, I am out of energy no matter how many hours I sleep, and then I start getting active or slightly much awake at midnight!

I wish we can know if this is surgery related or are we just alone on this.

If it is I will take it too!

[meggiep 57]

I seem to every other alternate between sleeping for 10 hours and not sleeping for hours and hours and getting a few hours.

When I can't sleep I just surrender and watch You Tubes until I get drowsy. Fortunately I am self employed so I always have a sense that I will be able to sleep in the day.

I am so sorry because I know how awful insomnia is. I have never been truly troubled and hugs to you- wish I could help. Even with my atavan but I'm in NO CA!

[swizzly 901]

I had a lot of insomnia post-op -- but not the kind where you can't fall asleep, the kind where you wake up at like 2 or 3 am and can't go back to sleep, and just think odd or anxiety-ridden thoughts. It has gotten much better the past month or so, I think it was anaesthetic hangover and hormonal wackiness from surgery. I hope yours resolves soon.

[Loooou 30]

Swizzly, It is sooooo amazing u sound like my mom speech today! when I woke up and told her about my last night suffering she said ur same exact words, it s anesthetic hangover. It makes so much sense!! I hope it really gets better soon for all of us who is suffering with it.

[Nancy Rivers 24]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. This has me worried now. I'm meeting with the surgeon for the first time on Wednesday (May 18), and I will definitely be asking him about this. The reason: I have insomnia now. I hope it doesn't get worse.

[LissyinTX 1]

Don't scare me with the thought of insomnia. I already fight it, to the point I have a sleeping medication prescription. I was taken off of Ambien and started something else when I was awake for 2 days after taking it. Now, after reading what you guys are going through, I am afraid that I will have the insomnia worse than it is now.

[crosswind 134]

Well, I took a unisom last night, the sleepmelts. I hate taking those though. They leave you with a hangover and they cause weight gain over time.

I don't know if it's the surgery that's causing this or if it's just my zoomy little brain messing with my sleep wake cycle. It's probably unisom again tonight.

[swizzly 901]

FWIW, I had insomnia pre-op too, though probably not as bad as some of you here because I didn't ever take any medication for it, except half an ativan sometimes because of the accompanying anxiety, just muddled through it somehow. And then after surgery, as I said, it got worse for a while.

But I also wanted to add that, a couple of months later, I am sleeping MUCH better than I did pre-op. So it might get a bit worse for a while, but there's a chance that it could also then improve a lot over what you already experience. In GENERAL, I slept much better when I was thinner than I did after I got heavier (even though I didn't have any sleep apnea or any sleep disorders). So, hope for the best!

[pholsch 0]

I am 8 days post op. This is the 4th night in a row that I am unable to get to sleep. I am ready for bed when my family goes to bed, around 9:30 - 10:00. But I cant get comfortable, then when I do, I just lay there and nothing happens. I have no idea why. It's now 2:31am. I have a son to get up at 6:30, physical therapy at 8:30, and a job interview at 10:30. I have been unemployed for over a year now, and I am needing to be bright eyed and bushy tailed.

I am not doing much each day on my own. I had my right knee replaced two months ago, and getting around can still be a challenge. My goal for tomorrow, after the interview, is to visit my parents, maybe a friend, go to the library, keep myself out of the house as long as possible. I guess I just want to wear myself out a bit. I also have not yet driven since the surgery, but I haven't really had anywhere I have needed to go.

I am hoping this insomnia will end soon. I have never had it before, do not take anything for it (nor do I want to), and about all I can do to get sleepy enough to eventually fall asleep is play angry birds until I can't see straight.

Any other suggestions? Not into meds for that kind of assistance. I have coronary artery disease, so I take enough pills as it is

sleep tight!!