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[LG1816]

Hey,

Been considering LL for a while. The pain I could accept. The length of time required I could deal with. But by far the most worrying thing for me going into this would be the sleep problems.

Having read several posts on here, many say it’s borderline impossible to sleep during the process, and if there was one thing that would make me say no to this. I’d be very concerned about how getting very little sleep for months on end would affect my health in the long term. If it was that bad, it would be enough to make me forget about LL I think.

People do seem to have mixed opinions on the severity of it, though, so is it mostly dependent on how you sleep plus what sort of procedure you have done?

For me, I do already sleep on my back fine and would like to get LON tibias done. I know no one can say for sure, but with that in mind, what sort of severe sleep problems should I expect? And for how long would I likely have to endure it?

Thanks!

[oldiebuttbaddie]

Sleep is the number one issue for me and many people. I am fine sleeping on my back, but I wake up every half hour from the pain/discomfort. This happens most nights. After about 6 nights or so of this, my body just needs the sleep so bad that I’m able to almost sleep though the night with the help of an ambien. But being sleep deprived for such a long time as well as being in a general state of discomfort during the day makes this process tough. Not an excruciating sprint, but a long slow marathon that you have to slog through. I’m about a month in and am somewhat optimistic that it’ll get easier as I progress, but either way, it’ll eventually be over. This ain’t no thing anyhow. It’s only 2 days.

[lessthanavg8300]

I didnt sleep perfect through lengthening but I didnt sleep bad either.  I was already a back sleeper.  My best sleeps were when I took oxycodone.  Sometimes Id take a hit off a marijuana pen.  Also taking your sheets and tucking them a bit under your legs so they are slightly elevated was helpful.  Works well if you have a fluffy down comforter.  But if you have sharp nerve pain which I rarely had, yeah you're not going to sleep well no matter what.

[oklama]

why do you have to sleep on back? I dont think ive slept on my back ever in my life

[Medium Drink Of Water]

why do you have to sleep on back? I dont think ive slept on my back ever in my life

Ring fixators are horribly uncomfortable in any other sleeping position.

[Medium Drink Of Water]

My two tips:

Don't sleep with your knees straight even though they tell you to.  Put a pillow under them and have a slight bend all night.  Stretch while you're awake, not while you're trying to sleep.

Use powerful sleeping pills.  Melatonin and Lunesta just won't cut it.  Mental illness has its advantages here because the combination of Trazadone and Ketamine is like clicking on sleep mode if you were a computer.  Do not do this without consulting multiple licensed medical professionals first though.

[oklama]

Ring fixators are horribly uncomfortable in any other sleeping position.

but with precise or betz/gnail you can sleep however?

[lessthanavg8300]

but with precise or betz/gnail you can sleep however?

For femurs you cannot sleep on your side especially for the first month.  You have massive swelling and can feel the screw locations.  I guess its possible to sleep on your stomach but that sounds uncomfortable.  I can rest on my side now for short periods but its still uncomfortable. 

Regardless if you sleep on your side its the worst possible position in terms of maintaining flexibility.  Your hip flexors and IT bands are shrunken in that position.  So yeah, learn to sleep on your back.

[LG1816]

Sleep is the number one issue for me and many people. I am fine sleeping on my back, but I wake up every half hour from the pain/discomfort. This happens most nights. After about 6 nights or so of this, my body just needs the sleep so bad that I’m able to almost sleep though the night with the help of an ambien. But being sleep deprived for such a long time as well as being in a general state of discomfort during the day makes this process tough. Not an excruciating sprint, but a long slow marathon that you have to slog through. I’m about a month in and am somewhat optimistic that it’ll get easier as I progress, but either way, it’ll eventually be over. This ain’t no thing anyhow. It’s only 2 days.

Thanks for the reply, sounds tough. What sort of surgery did you get?

[LG1816]

I didnt sleep perfect through lengthening but I didnt sleep bad either.  I was already a back sleeper.  My best sleeps were when I took oxycodone.  Sometimes Id take a hit off a marijuana pen.  Also taking your sheets and tucking them a bit under your legs so they are slightly elevated was helpful.  Works well if you have a fluffy down comforter.  But if you have sharp nerve pain which I rarely had, yeah you're not going to sleep well no matter what.

Thanks for the reply. Is it basically luck of the draw whether you get the sort of nerve pain you describe?

[LG1816]

My two tips:

Don't sleep with your knees straight even though they tell you to.  Put a pillow under them and have a slight bend all night.  Stretch while you're awake, not while you're trying to sleep.

Use powerful sleeping pills.  Melatonin and Lunesta just won't cut it.  Mental illness has its advantages here because the combination of Trazadone and Ketamine is like clicking on sleep mode if you were a computer.  Do not do this without consulting multiple licensed medical professionals first though.

Cheers for the tips. Trazadone and Ketamine are used for relaxation and anxiety relief right? How was your personal experience with sleep?

[Medium Drink Of Water]

I prioritized sleep and got plenty of it.  It may have helped me lengthen so much.  The difficulty didn't increase any when I was lengthening from 5 cm to 7.5 cm.

[uponly]

(can only offer opinion regarding Precice 2.2)

I'm a side/stomach sleeper so sleeping on my back is hard. That said, I did it in the hospital (no choice) and at home I sleep on my stomach just fine with no pain. Sleeping on my side is not possible yet due to pain from my incisions.

Medium Drink of Water is totally right regarding sleep. I got it under control this past week and it's making a huge difference. I take a muscle relaxer 3 hours before bedtime, my prescription sleep meds 30 minutes before bedtime, and I get 6-7 hours uninterrupted when I wake up with muscle pain and soreness. I take a Dilaudid once that happens, and in 20 minutes I'm out again for 4 hours.

I'm also napping during the day if I can, between work breaks. I find that I need the extra sleep since I'm moving around more and doing stretching/PT about 2 hours a day. When I sleep well, my energy is high and my overall pain levels are very low. Chat with your doctor to see if your sleep regimen is right, or needs adjustment.