Still have sleeping problems nearly 18 months after triple bypass

[Pollypuss]

Does anyone else still have problems waking up in the night and unable to get back to sleep for a few hours with racing thoughts . Since my op I have also noticed I get old memories coming to the fore (some I would rather forget!) Its like my brain has opened up a floodgate of all things passed .

[gilreid1]

Sorry I can’t help but I have the same issues my bypass was October 2019. I have tried everything but just accept it but have felt exhausted many times

Good luck

Gil

[cjbroon]

Since my surgery in April 2019 I've never slept well. I've always blamed it on the bisoprolol I've been on since though I've never had anything to confirm that's what's causing it. But it might well be caused by medication.

[Pollypuss in reply to cjbroon]

Thank you but I only take aspirin due to my inability to take anything else. I don’t drink tea or coffee or alcohol . It’s a mystery

[Chappychap]

My wife, who is a counsellor, believes that major illness and surgery constitutes trauma. Some people will be unaffected, but others can suffer PTSD to one degree or another. If you're troubled by your condition, and your GP is unable to resolve matters, then perhaps consider seeking support from a counsellor with specific experience in trauma counselling?

Good luck!

[Pollypuss in reply to Chappychap]

Thank you I may just do that

[Hidden]

Only had my surgery in 2020. Sleep is an interesting phenomenon since I was discharged.

One minute, I can’t sleep with old unwanted thoughts racing round my head, another minute I can barely keep awake.

Even my old friends Zopiclone and Tamazipan are able to overcome those nights of racing thoughts.

Is it the result of the surgery? The medication? Or a legacy from the anaesthetic?

Not quite sure, and no one seems to have any definitive answers - if I find one, I will let you know👍

[Pollypuss]

Yes that’s what I feel like. There must be someone somewhere who has made a study of this phenomenon because there are other procedures that require longer bouts of anaesthetic . I cannot believe we are in the minority. I’m not even on strong drugs - only aspirin. It’s as though memory was suppressed during the op and then returned like a flood afterwards.

[Cliff_G]

I've also had this problem after extensive open surgery, bypass plus a total aortic repair. It came on at about 2 years after my op, possibly about when I stopped the beta blockers - that is a known side effect of stopping them. However, I still struggle now and I've noticed recently that I can't even drop asleep in the afternoon on the sofa - never used to have that problem. What happens is that if I hear the slightest noise when I'm about to drop off my body goes into overdrive on full alert, with presumably adrenaline flooding. I think this is also what tends to keep me awake at night - either getting off to sleep, or back to sleep after a loo visit. The boom Why We Sleep indicates we may have a vestigial ability to be aware even when half asleep. Some animals (birds, dolphins etc) sleep with only half their brain at a time and the thought is we still have a bit of this left from our evolution. It shows most when I (or anybody) knows they have to get up at a certain time in the morning. That knowledge just doesn't allow me to sleep properly. Just a thought

[Pollypuss]

Thank you for your reply. I think it’s worse also if I have to get up early for something. I haven’t had a full nights sleep for ages