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Post by omaklackey on Apr 24, 2011 21:44:35 GMT -5
I put this under Emotional Support and Mental health because my lack of sleep is crucial to my mental health. I have had horrible sleep issues since my hysterectomy. Once I'm asleep, I stay asleep but I am staying awake night after night until about 1 am to 3 am in the morning. On the mornings I have to get up and get to work at 645 or just be somewhere with the family its sheer torture to get up. I currently have several theories as to why I have sleep problems now; One is fear! The night after my hysterectomy I had a bad episode in the early morning hours. My husband and the nurses actually started CPR on me after doping me up with Narcan. They called it an overdose on the morphine pump. I realized that may be the real reason I can't get to sleep at night. I become tired to the point of exhaustion and can't sleep because I think I'm afraid to close my eyes. I think that I may be able to get a handle on the fear with some meditation but I still don't know if its fully the cause of my lack of sleep. Many women claim sleep disorders post hysterectomy due to hormones and I at first thought that this may be the case. I'm uncertain that it is the cause any more because the only thing about my hormones that occasionally causes sleep issues is the hot flashes when I'm dehydrated.
So the other thought I have is that the anesthesia had long term affects on my sleep. I have been under so many times and the last two times I was unable to go under completely. The endoscopy and the colonoscopy both had issues with the meds keeping me under the whole time. I just wonder what all that anesthesia has messed up? I haven't been able to look for any research on the long term affects of being put under so many times, especially in a year, so I was wondering how many of the rest of you that have gone under many times, now have sleep problems that you maybe didn't have before? I just didn't have sleep issues before December of 2009. But maybe this isn't just me? Maybe some of you have the same problem? Would love to hear from anyone who does!?
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Post by hellsbells on Apr 25, 2011 3:43:40 GMT -5
I think I've had similar issues. For the most part I don't have too many problems dropping off, but occasionally have bouts of insomnia where I'm lying there anything up to 3 or 4 am. However, what I do share with you is the total inability to wake up some mornings. It can take up to an hour of my alarm clock going off every 5 minutes for me to become even reasonably conscious, in fact sometimes it's going off for about 40 mins before I even realise it's gone off.
Having said that, things have started to get a bit better recently, and it also ties in with a (short-lived) improvement in overall health with regards to constipation, fluid retention and mood swings, which I'm pretty much positive are hormonal related. There could well be something else going on with you hormonally other than the hot flashes that can cause sleep issues. For example, I've discovered that being progesterone deficient can cause magnesium deficiency in some way, or they're linked in some way, and magnesium I believe is key to good sleep. I think there could be something in all 3 of your points, but I'd be leaning to hormonal issues if it were me. Good luck, and let us know what you find out!
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Post by hellsbells on Apr 25, 2011 3:44:45 GMT -5
By the way, my inability to wake up did kinda start a couple of months after my lap, and while I was on Provera. If Provera has somehow messed with my natural hormone production, that could have an affect in my sleep.
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Post by JC on Apr 25, 2011 6:12:37 GMT -5
I'll have to tap into the university research database and see if there are any studies on the long term effects of anesthesia. I personally don't have a problem with sleep. I can drop off the face of the planet at the drop of a coin. The only time I have trouble sleeping is if I'm having hot flashes. Have you ever tried taking a melatonin supplement?
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Post by Karen on Apr 25, 2011 6:27:56 GMT -5
I used to have a horrible time going to sleep. It sucked. I don't know if it was the pain meds, the pain, or everything else going on. But, these days, I'll fall asleep in no time due to the oral progesterone. I take it at bedtime and within 30 minutes or so I can't keep my eyes open. I can't take sleep aids because I wake up so foggy in the morning, but progesterone does the trick! Consider looking into the hormonal side of things a bit more. Progesterone is naturally calming and if your body isn't producing enough of it, that could be at least part of the cause.
Other things to look into would be adrenal fatigue. If your adrenals are off, your sleep can be way off, which can throw all sorts of things off!
In the meantime, a few things I've read to help get to sleep without resorting to sleep aids are melatonin (over the counter supplement) and epsom salt. Either take an epsom salt bath or put some in a spray bottle with water and apply a few squirts to your skin in various places so your body can absorb it. I don't remember the dose, though, so look it up if you consider it. Both are inexpensive options to try to get some more sleep.
Good luck!
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Post by omaklackey on Apr 25, 2011 12:31:43 GMT -5
Thanks guys! My sister uses melatonin. I just need to get to sleep and I can stay asleep. I think the cortisol would be a good thing to check but the 24 hour study I did wasn't a very good one since the most important one is first thing in the morning and it filled up by 9 pm. I have another Dr. apt. so I'm going to ask about another cortisol test, preferably the spit test. I'm also going to try and look up sleep disorders and anesthesia because that may still be a factor.
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Post by JC on Apr 25, 2011 14:23:31 GMT -5
So I have been doing some research in the data base and I didn't find one article on this subject. Either there's no correlation with anesthesia and insomnia or it hasn't been studied yet. I did however, find some information about people with liver problems taking a long time to metabolize the anesthesia. As a result, the anesthesia stays in the body longer. I'm not sure exactly how long though.
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Post by omaklackey on Apr 25, 2011 16:06:55 GMT -5
interesting... I could have sworn I found some information on this a while back but I can't find it now. Maybe the sleep is related to one of the other two ideas then.
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Post by KSA on Apr 25, 2011 19:16:31 GMT -5
Karla I will say after my partial I have had the insomnia and sleep issues. I could lay in bed and just mind spin for hours which I get your trauma experience too with a awful overdose I had too at one point. I have a routine I use each night it may help. Light a candle and put in a relaxation cd beach sounds or something calming have everything as comfy as you can heating pad read...biofreeze on the sore parts of your body and just relax as much as you can. Do not eat 2 hours before sleep I heard it causes insomnia in some people. If you still can not get to sleep I would ask for a sleep aid. It is possible your experience with all you medical issues are stress and you may need a little help. Not long term but enough to give you the rest you need. Oh and Jenaya your research on the liver is so true Karla we are also without a galbladder so our liver has to metabilize all of what is in out body now without the help of that galbladder. I hope it gets better for you and I wish you a happy relaxed sleep soon:)
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Post by JC on Apr 26, 2011 6:21:15 GMT -5
I was reading the newspaper today and believe it or not, biggest coincidence ever, someone wrote into the medical advice column about anesthesia effects. It's not exactly the same as your situation but I still think it's somewhat relevant. I'm going to put the question that this person asked and the advice given by Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen: Q: My 77-year-old mother recently had knee-replacement surgery and is now suffering from some form of dementia. She asks the same questions over and over. She had small memory problems before, but nothing like this. Did her surgery cause something to happen to her brain?
A: Most likely, your mother's condition is what some refer to as "brain fog," though that's too frivolous a term for it. Docs call it post-operative cognitive dysfunction or decline. Memory loss, confusion and concentration problems can happen to anyone after an operation - but it's more common in the elderly. As many as 62% of those who go under the knife for hip fracture repair have temporary cognitive problems afterward. People with high blood pressure are more vulnerable too. There are several theories about why POCD occurs. One is that prolonged anesthesia or particular types of anesthesia may be the culprit. Another is that anesthesia accelerates dementia that is already present, but isn't very noticeable. Others link the problem to inflammation in the brain following major surgery. Studies of drugs to prevent POCD are under way. We hope your mother will be among the vast majority who recover completely within months. However, since it's possible the decline will continue, your mom needs to be evaluated now and monitored during the coming year. By the way, this might happen in infants who receive more than one anesthetic before age 4 - see smarttots.org if you want to make anesthesia and surgery safer.
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Post by JC on Jul 5, 2011 14:38:38 GMT -5
Hey Karla, I figured I would have more to say about this after I had my last surgery. I don't know if what I have to say has any bearing on what you describe since it hasn't even been a week since I've been under but I'm having a really hard time sleeping at night even with the pain meds. This is the third time I've been under this year, my surgery last week was 4 hours. I'm hoping this feeling goes away and it may be too soon for me to tell. Also I noticed I'm having memory lapses but that could be coming from the Versed and the heavy drugs I was given. Crazy how much this stuff effects us.
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Post by omaklackey on Jul 5, 2011 19:41:02 GMT -5
the memory lapses were huge, i thought it was menopause doing it to me but my hubby felt my brain is probably pretty srambled because I have been under so many times. But yes I still think it causes sleep issues as well! I wish i could find that article I read on it?! darn it!!
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Post by Lady Tewlie :P on Jul 6, 2011 16:12:18 GMT -5
I am a pretty severe narcoleptic, and I have to take stimulants just to keep from falling asleep anywhere, anytime, no matter how much sleep I have already gotten. I've have terrible excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) for as long as I can remember, and it got progressively worse to the point where I was barely able to function. I need to wake up and take meds 2 hours before I need to get up just to be able to retain consciousness when I actually need to be up. Then I need them after 6 hours at a slightly lower dose. That would get me through the rest of the day.
The really weird thing is how my body has been since my lap surgery. I've had surgery before - twice with general anesthesia and once under twilight, and this has never happened before. Granted, it took them probably at least 15 years to identify what was going on. Just like with endo, I got the complete runaround until I figured out my own diagnosis and made someone confirm it.
Since the surgery I have not only not had the sleepiness, I've also been suffering from terrible insomnia. The doctor finally rx'd some Ambien because I was so sleep-deprived. It wasn't such a problem the first week or so because I needed so much sleep to heal that my body made me sleep. I didn't bother trying to keep myself awake, so I skipped my meds. But after the second week it developed into insomnia, even when I hadn't resumed the meds. It's not so bad now (week 4) but I still don't need meds to keep awake. Now I can take a half dose in the morning for the kick-start, and I will be extremely alert the whole day and may have trouble getting to sleep at all without the Ambien.
It's not an issue of the pain medication because I have had the sleep problem even when I wasn't taking narcotic pain medication. I've taken them after other surgeries, too, and they've never affected my sleep like this. Apparently one of the things they believe causes narcolepsy is a problem with the release or regulation of whatever chemical (can't remember the name) regulates sleep. My fibroid in particular has increasingly been pushing on my innards, causing all kinds of havoc, including a pinched nerve that caused increasingly severe pain in my neck and shoulder. I am certainly no doctor, but I've learned a lot about how the body works, especially my own. Is it completely insane to think that in addition to nerves and other organs being pushed on, the fibroid (and maybe endo) could have been affecting the proper function of any other organ or nerve or bodily process? Maybe I'm just completely insane.
Oh...and these two conditions have been bothering me probably about the same length of time, both progressively worse until they were almost unbearable and severely affecting my life. Again, could be a coincidence.
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Post by JC on Jul 19, 2011 11:29:11 GMT -5
I've been meaning to write in this thread to you Karla but I wanted to tell you that I had a the exact same experience you had in the hospital where you were overdosed on medication and stopped breathing. Right after I had my surgery, I was wheeled into recovery where I had this God awful nurse from hell. She was just the worst f**king human in the world. I have been struggling really hard not to let this experience with her cloud my judgement of the hospital because my care was excellent every where else. But this nurse in PACU was a monster. She kept yelling at me to hold still and stop touching things. I was trying to fix my IV because it was kinked and the alarm kept going off and she came running in yelling, "STOP THAT, DON'T TOUCH IT!" Then she complained that she was held over at work and was mad that she couldn't pick up her friend at the airport. I actually apologized to her and thanked her for taking care of me. She was so terrible and I was actually quite afraid of her. Next thing I know I'm being shaken violently with a bunch of people yelling at me to breath. I wake up in this hazy feeling and the first thing I see is my own heart monitor with the oxygen saturation reading 85%. Next thing I know I hear my nurse being yelled at by another nurse saying, "You DON'T medicate people like that! She stopped breathing!" Then they sent her away. After eavesdropping even more I found out that not only was I having a hard time coming out of anesthesia, she gave me dilaudid on top of my already self-administered fentanyl pump, and then on top of this she gave me benedryl because the dilaudid made me itch. So that's anesthesia + dilaudid + fentanyl + benedryl = Jenaya stops breathing. Every single time I would pass out from the heavy drugs I would wake up to people running into my room shaking me and yelling at me to breath. The first few days I was home from the hospital I couldn't sleep because that experience was so damn traumatic. I would wake up in the middle of the night terrified that I had stopped breathing and I couldn't fall asleep because I was scared I couldn't breath. I wanted to share this experience with you Karla because the same exact thing happened to you and I was wondering, maybe this insomnia problem isn't the medication, maybe it's the trauma of having bad experiences in the hospital? It took me about a week to shake these anxiety attacks at night. I'm actually able to sleep better now but for a while, that experience in PACU terrified the hell out of me. Especially being able to see my own heart monitor and knowing just how bad things were getting. I did file a complaint about this nurse and I really hope they get rid of her stupid ass. It's such a shame that she's working at such a nice hospital and if it wasn't for that experience, I would have nothing to complain about. She terrified me and her nursing was just downright dangerous. I think I'm alright now and I'm getting over the trauma and am able to sleep again.
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Post by Karen on Jul 19, 2011 19:42:23 GMT -5
I'm so sorry you had an experience like that. Both of you! Super not cool. I hope they take the complaint seriously, and I hope both of you don't have long term effects - either physical or emotional - as a result.
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