Trouble sleeping after TKR: What helped you sleep?

Posted by jackieboo1 @jackieboo1, Nov 2, 2018

I am a 60 year old woman 2 months post op from left knee replacement. I am having trouble sleeping. My knee feels like a square peg in a round hole. Tried pillow between legs, Tylenol and ice. Nothing seems to help.
Suggestions?

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@msmontie64

I’m back on meloxicam....I was taking it before surgery. Today was first time at PT on it......Advil worked much better to manage pain.....so I need to talk to Dr. Tylenol does nothing for pain for me.....

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At 4 weeks I was on very little pain meds, usually the one before PT or my own morning workout. I found myself taking one before bed just to try and sleep not for pain. I still wasn't sleeping the best so I talked to my Dr and he prescribed Trazadone . It has helped, and he also prescribed me 4 Xanax to take in the beginning too so the cycle of not sleeping was broke. You NEED sleep to heal better and feel human during the day! I also had the intense burning at night. I was fortunate that a friend had TKR before me and gave me her BREG cooling machine. It's basically a small cooler that you fill with ice water and the pump continuously circulates cold water through the pad. I put the pad inside the pillow case I used between my knees and it worked to keep me cool all night. I hope you get some relief soon.

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@msmontie64

Was wondering if anyone can give me some advice on what helps them sleep at night. I had TKR 4 weeks ago and still cannot sleep for more than a couple hours at a time. The burning sensations keep me awake. Thanks in advance!

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Doodles418. Thanks for the tips. 1 day to go for my bi-lateral TKRs. I’ll talk with my Dr about Xanax or something else. I’m not ver a good sleeper. And the cooling pad between your knees at night sounds like a great idea. Did you leave the machine on all night?

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@msmontie64

Was wondering if anyone can give me some advice on what helps them sleep at night. I had TKR 4 weeks ago and still cannot sleep for more than a couple hours at a time. The burning sensations keep me awake. Thanks in advance!

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I should clarify the xanax was used for 4 nights not 4 at one time! And you cannot mix xanax with Percocet. You can take Trazadone and Xanax. The first weeks I kept up with the Percocet. Don't try to take too little at first. It was after 3 to 4 weeks that I could take less. And around the 6 week mark that I finally addressed the sleeping issues. Wish I had sooner. The first 2 weeks I had to sleep on my back which was miserable for me as a side sleeper. I was up so often then that I used ice packs through the night. When I started sleeping on side with pillow between knees is when I started to put the cooling pad inside all night. You might be able to find a Breg machine on Craig's list. They used to send them home from the hospital with tkr patients. Will be thinking and praying for the best for you tomorrow. Keep me posted. Kathy

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@10nsmom

I too researched this sleeplessness last year. All I read and my surgeon said it's normal and only time will help. Good news is your sleep will come back but it going to be a very long time. Just keep trying to rest.

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I had my surgery 8 weeks ago and sleep 0-2 hours a night. I have had maybe 5 days of 4-5 hours. It’s not due to pain, I just can’t sleep. I can’t nap either. I am a zombie. How long will this go on? Sleep meds don’t work, melatonin doesn’t work, meditation doesn’t work. Any help? Thinking of trying a sleep clinic.

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@auntmarmar

I had my surgery 8 weeks ago and sleep 0-2 hours a night. I have had maybe 5 days of 4-5 hours. It’s not due to pain, I just can’t sleep. I can’t nap either. I am a zombie. How long will this go on? Sleep meds don’t work, melatonin doesn’t work, meditation doesn’t work. Any help? Thinking of trying a sleep clinic.

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@auntmarmar I had trouble sleeping shortly after bilateral TKR. My OS prescribed Trazadone every night, and for the first 4 nights he added Xanax to break the anxiety cycle of not being able to sleep. It seems to help for half the night. Which felt like relief from the zombie state! Good luck!

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@auntmarmar

I had my surgery 8 weeks ago and sleep 0-2 hours a night. I have had maybe 5 days of 4-5 hours. It’s not due to pain, I just can’t sleep. I can’t nap either. I am a zombie. How long will this go on? Sleep meds don’t work, melatonin doesn’t work, meditation doesn’t work. Any help? Thinking of trying a sleep clinic.

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@auntmarmar - Welcome to Connect. I feel for you the sleeping issue. I had a TKR in January and I know how difficult it was to get decent sleep. For me, it WAS pain - not just inability to sleep. I had enough pain that I needed pain meds before bed to curb it enough to let me sleep. Did you have trouble sleeping before the surgery? I'm thinking I might just give it another month before you try the sleep clinic. I felt like the improvement and level of recovery increased drastically between 8 weeks and 12 weeks. Maybe yours will too. I'm pulling for you!

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@debbraw

@auntmarmar - Welcome to Connect. I feel for you the sleeping issue. I had a TKR in January and I know how difficult it was to get decent sleep. For me, it WAS pain - not just inability to sleep. I had enough pain that I needed pain meds before bed to curb it enough to let me sleep. Did you have trouble sleeping before the surgery? I'm thinking I might just give it another month before you try the sleep clinic. I felt like the improvement and level of recovery increased drastically between 8 weeks and 12 weeks. Maybe yours will too. I'm pulling for you!

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Thank you for the encouragement. I never been a good sleeper, but this is just ridiculous. How can a person go without sleep for so long? Thanks!

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@auntmarmar -- I would like to add my welcome along with @debbraw and other members. I hope you can find some answers for your insomnia. You mentioned you have never been a good sleeper. Do you think the problem might be habit related? Just throwing out ideas and hoping you find some answers. Here's a site I found that may help you figure it out.

Insomnia -- What to Do When You Can’t Sleep
-- https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/insomnia-causes-and-cures.htm

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Do not sleep on your stomach and with pillows under your knees.

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I had my bilateral knee replacement Mar. 11, 2020. I feel like I'm doing fairly well, but my sleep is interrupted around 4:00 am every night with stiffness & pain. Is this to be expected? And, when does it go away? Any other pointers are appreciated. Thanks.

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