Cant sleep after surgery

[mk3supra]

cant sleep after surgery

hi, i had an ileal resection 6 weeks ago and now i have real trouble sleeping because it is uncomfortable, i have got some sleeping tablets from the doctor but they dont seem to be working well now.

getting a bit fed up as i just lay in bed watching the clock, just cannot sleep well at all.

any ideas what to try?

 

[Jennifer]

Is it just that your mind is racing from thought to thought or are you feeling pain or discomfort (explain how its uncomfortable)? What medications are you taking? When did this start after you were sent home?

Edit: There are a lot of reasons why this could be, different bed, being used to the hustle and bustle of a hospital, medications affecting your sleep pattern (perhaps taking certain ones in the morning would help instead of later in the evening like Prednisone), could simply be insomnia from the whole ordeal (stress is a huge factor). Its hard to pin point as to why its happening though without more info.

 

[mk3supra]

it is discomfort/pain where the scar is in my stomach, in hospital i could put the bed at quite an angle so would sleep better, laid flat or even propped up by pillows does not help.
current meds are azathiaprine 40mg a day, pentasa 1g 3 a day and coming off budesonide as well. taking tramadol for the pain when i need to.

i had trouble sleeping on the 3rd week i guess, i am not worried about anything just fed up when i cant sleep.

 

[Jennifer]

Have you contacted your doctor about the pain and discomfort? What did they say? Is the surgical site hot to the touch? Do you feel nauseous? These can be signs of infection due to the surgical site not healing properly on the inside. Its important to contact your doctor and let them know if there are any changes. If the pain and discomfort are what's causing your lack of sleep, I don't really know how to help you. Pain medications only go so far and you can't take them forever. What you may want to try is a warm compress and see how that helps with the pain and discomfort. Other than that, I'd at least make sure you speak with your doctor to be sure that its healing properly. Your doctor may be able to do some blood tests like check your white blood cell count to see if you have an infection. If you do, they may treat you with antibiotics to see if that helps.

Sorry if I'm not much help at the moment. My surgical site got infected a week after my surgery and it is possible that you may have a slight infection. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[Rebecca85]

You could try putting the head of your bed on bricks, or put something under the mattress (like a rolled up duvet, or you can buy special frames that work like a sunlounger, they're probably available in medical supply stores) to raise your top half like in hospital.

 

[Lisa]

When I was pregnant, I got a wedge pillow to use to keep my head raised.....that might work too.....hope you do get checked out to make sure there isn't something else going on in there!

 

[CDDad]

You mentioned you tried sleeping pills - were they Ambien? I used Ambien after my surgery and it was wonderful. Take it about 20 min before you want to sleep and soon I was almost stumbling around like being drunk, except with a clear head. Put me right out. I like the regular, not the extended version. The extended (time release) made me groggy in the morning.