sleeplessness

Has anyone experienced any problems with sleep after a pm was put in?  Mine is a month old now and my arm is still very uncomfortable, even though I’m tired, I can’t sleep.  I don’t know if it is pain or just fear of the unknown that is causing it.  Has anyone else experienced it ?  I would sure appreciate your input.

5 Comments

sleepnessness

by veronika - 2011-01-18 02:01:16

hi, fiddlebritches,
oh yes, I can relate to your sleeplessness. My PM is a month old tomorrow and I have bad nights. I am exhaustet but sleep won't come. I try music and reading etc. I can't sleep on my left side because I hear the heart pumping, only on my back. That keeps me awake. they put the PM on my right side, so I can't sleep on my right side yet. I am healing alright. What I have done also is getting up, having a glass of hot milk with honey and watch some TV. I have fallen asleep once with the TV on.
everything is new, our antenna is probably very sensitive to everything.
hope you can sleep tonight.. we need to keep positive. this is a wonderful site. people are so kind and helpful with suggestions and experiences. great support.
veronika

My PM is less than a month old, too

by Daffy - 2011-01-18 03:01:02

We are all about the same stage... about a month out from implant. I don't have a problem with sleeping. I feel so much better during the day that I don't take naps anymore. So when I go to bed at night, I'm tired and ready to sleep. Sometimes I take a book to bed and fall asleep after a few pages. I can't sleep on my left side (pm is on left) which is where I used to sleep. Now if I try on the left side I feel the thumping of the 3rd lead. Drives me crazy. But sleeping on the right side is fine. Of course, my husband has been very sick and in and out of the hospital ever since I got my pm.. so I get tired taking care of him. Makes going to bed very attractive!!!

correction

by talldave - 2011-01-18 11:01:15

that last sentence of mine should read:
It is NOT addictive and freely available in most pharmacies (at least in Europe).

It takes time

by talldave - 2011-01-18 11:01:51

Well, i have had my pm since last august and I never ever had trouble sleeping before I got it. It took a while of getting used to, but now I am almost back to normal regarding my habits. I think in most cases it is 90% mental. The harder you concentrate on not being able to sleep, the harder it is to fall asleep... at least for me that seemed to be the problem. What has helped me is some relaxation techniques. There's a ton free information on Google and Youtube.

Also, I have found Valeriana-based pills to be very effective to calm me down and help me sleep. It is a natural herb with a very mild sedative effect. I am not exactly the man who is pro-pills, so I try to avoid any artificial sleeping pills or any chemical stuff, but that natural stuff really helped me a lot. It is neither addictive and freely available in most pharmacies (at least in Europe).

sleepless nights

by 6efrau - 2011-01-18 12:01:38

Well, I am at almost month 4 with my pacemaker and as I told my doctor last week, "My pacemaker and I have not become friends yet. It keeps me awake because it won't shut up and is running it's motor all night long." :)

I will tell you that at week 7 I was so exhausted for lack of sleep that I called the doctor and said I couldn't wait for my 3 month check. They went ahead and brought me in and dialed back the voltage. That helped some.
You see every time I start to doze off, the pacemaker kicks on and wakes me up. I think TallDave may have a point that part of it is mental, but I feel the thumping of the pacemaker when I lay on my left side and I don't see how anyone can sleep with that beating against you all night long.

My doctor did tell me that it was ok to take an over the counter sleeping pill if necessary. I don't like to rely on medication, but twice now I have taken a sleeping pill and was so thankful to finally have a good night's rest.
Take care.

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