Sleep,wonderful sleep.

[bancrobba]

I'm a veteran speaking from experience! Three years ago I was in an eight man post-operative ward at Hammersmith Hospital and quite heavily dosed with opiates. After four days or so, I asked the delightful nurses for something to shunt things along. I spent at least 10 hours sitting on an NHS lavatory feeling increasingly miserable as the laxatives did their deadly (and noisy) business.

I was mates with an Irish guy in hospital in London many years ago. We had both been on morpheme for pain relief, constipation followed. My man was given some sort of laxative, in truth, I had forgotten all about him. I wandered past the toilet and heard a nolse. *ssssswwwwwwhhhhrrrrttttt!*
His unmistakable voice screaming "joysis chriiiist!"

I thought it was hilarious..... they came for me next.....I have never prayed to non-existant God so hard!

 

[slowmotion]

I was mates with an Irish guy in hospital in London many years ago. We had both been on morpheme for pain relief, constipation followed. My man was given some sort of laxative, in truth, I had forgotten all about him. I wandered past the toilet and heard a nolse. *ssssswwwwwwhhhhrrrrttttt!*
His unmistakable voice screaming "joysis chriiiist!"

I thought it was hilarious..... they came for me next.....I have never prayed to non-existant God so hard!

 

[fossyant]

The problem with morphine is the dreams are very vivid. I remember waking thinking I was somewhere else, but soon realised I My mate, even though he was used to morphine having been on it for a long time, was constantly thinking he was somewhere else and tried to walk out but got confused as the doors werent where they should be. You should have seen his face and reaction when he realised. We had to laugh about it, but getting uo and out of bed was not a great idea with a broken back. I did sleep for about 3 weeks though.

 

[fossyant]

Oh yes, the constipation. Bear in mind we weren't supposed to be out of bead either, so I'd sneak out/up and have to squat over the cat litter tray (bed pan). During the last week in hospital I had negotiated to be allowed to the loo, but as it was once a day, had to wait till I was sure I needed it. In the last couple of days, the X-ray showed I was full of poop, so the nurses filled me full of laxatives. Those didn't work until I was out of hospital and had started to move about. Let's say I'm still not right yet !

 

[Deleted member 1258]

One of the things I've been loving since I retired is better sleep, I've lost the tendency to wake up between 3 and 4 am and then laying there waiting for the alarm to go off, also the lack of the early morning alarm. The knock on effect is that I've lost the tendency to nod of whilst watching TV in the evenings, I often had to go to the Iplayer to find out how programs ended.

 

[postman]

Well that didn't last long.The past two nights i have woken at around 02-30 and 06-15.despite taking the two sleeping pills.To urinate,and there is still blood in the pee.I am feeling tired and lethargic,only a month to go for next appointment.It can't come soon enough.

PS,It does say on the NHS website,expect blood for a few days after.Today is day ten !!!!.

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

I'm not allowed Tramadol. They gave me some when I had the nephrectomy in '08. Apparently I was waving my hand about and watching the pretty colours. Everyone had 'rainbow vapour trails' and I was giggling a lot. They changed my meds to Co-codomol, the rotters.

Not much of a sleeper myself. I got 2 1/2 hours last night. I could have done with more with a 5 hour drive ahead of me. Night before I got about 5 so that's about normal for me. I might have some 'help' tonight as I don't have to get up tomorrow. Just not sure if I should take the clonazapam or go with the Vodka option.

I was the other way. I was seeing bright colours and funny patterns on co codamol and they put me on Tramadol instead! I am still on it 18 months later. They want to up the doseage, so maybe I will get the good dreams again when that happens!
I am on Phenergan to help me sleep. It is an over the counter drug for motion sickness, but one of the side effects is drowsiness. It does not help me get to sleep, but it helps me when I wake up in the night, I am no longer wide awake and can normally drop off again pretty quickly.
I also got a sleep hygiene list. Most of it was obvious (get into a regular sleeping pattern, less caffeine, not taking naps in the day, no TV or electrical devices an hour before bed) but one of the tips was to take a shower an hour before bed, apparently you body cooling down after a shower tells you it's bed time! It also suggested that if you wake up and cannot get back to sleep within 20 mins, you should get up and do some reading until you are tired.

 

[Saluki]

I tried the sleep hygiene thing. I've actually not looked at a screen for the last hour or more of the day, for quite a while now. Tonight I am online at stupid O'clock as I'm bored with the whole not sleeping thing. I've taught myself the Theme from MASH (Manic's version) and listened quietly to a blues background track and noodled about on my guitar (no amp, I have neighbours that I would like to continue to get on with). I'm tired but can't sleep. I've got a chamomile tea on the go and I'll give it another 10 mins and go and have another lie down under the duvet.
Not sure playing guitar is as good as reading to relax, but it helps me. I just play dull, melodic stuff, late at night. Sometimes it helps, sometimes not.

 

[postman]

Update the bleeding has stopped.It took two weeks,no blood clots coming away.I stopped the sleeping pills after eight days.Two good sleeps,right through trill just after six am.Woke at half two this morning for a pee.But less peeing through the day.So looking forward to my next visit to the Doctor bloke.Who will decide the next course of treatment.Feeling really good.

 

[Trevrev]

Oh the joys of broken sleep..........I've always been a bad sleeper, even in my teens. But now at the ripe age of 49, I pee at least 4 to 5 times a night.
I've seen the specialists, I've taken the tablets, I've not drunk anything for hours, before bed.............I still pee!!
I Cycle hard, I run hard, I workout at the gym hard......I still can't go through the night with out waking.
Even a new bed and mattress isn't helping.
It's complete rubbish!
But it seems everyone around me at work, all sleep soundly...........Ba$tards!

 

[Yorksman]

Oh the joys of broken sleep..........I've always been a bad sleeper, even in my teens. But now at the ripe age of 49, I pee at least 4 to 5 times a night.

Has your GP ever referred you to a Sleep Study Centre? They have one at Southampton University Hospital. You might be wanting to pee as a result of waking up, not the other way around. Try approaching your doctor along the lines of broken or fitful sleeping - for some unknown reason.

Alternatively, are you thirsty during the night? Frequent peeing and a thirst is usually your body trying to get rid of excess sugar in the blood. Have a finger rpick test. There are other things in your blood that might be in excess of normal levels too, so a full blood test would be a good idea.

 

[steveindenmark]

What happens when the pills run out?

Giving you pills may give you respite but doesnt solve your problem.

 

[vernon]

The normality of unbroken sleep is challenged here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783