night sweats?

[embcrna05]

Hi again,
I have a question...My husband has been having night sweats since his surgery last Monday.  Dr. Su was not concerned, saying the body has been through a trauma, and not to worry.  My husband does not have a fever, just really sweats at night.  He is soaking wet.  Goes through shirts about 2-4 times a night.  The sheets are soaked as well. Is this pretty normal?  He is getting frustrated, being up most of the night.  We just wonder how long this lasts.  Otherwise, every day is a little better, and he is doing great physically.
Thanks to all.
Eileen

[obxpelican]

Eileen,

Night sweats are very normal and we've heard many hippies complain about it.  Some people swear by increasing your fluids that it tends to flush your system out.   The sweats will disapear soon, I would not worry.

Not only did your husband go through some trauma, he also had some drugs injected in him that the body tends to want to reject.

If he's swollen, ice and elevate, if he has pain keep up on the pain meds.

Chuck

[Pat Walter]

Hi Eileen

A lot of people have had the bad night sweats.  It is normal for many people. His body is trying to get rid of the anesthesia and any blood thinner he is taking.  The heprin seemed to keep me awake. Once I stopped my shots, I began to sleep better at night.

It is all part of the post op recovery - not sleeping well, sweats, swelling, stiffness, etc.  Just tell him to be a little patient and he will be getting over it all soon.  It is amazing how quickly you forget all the bad stuff when you start to recover.

Good Luck.

Pat

[sgoulet]

It's pretty amazing the similarities that we all go through.  For one or two nights (probably night 4 or 5 after surgery), I had night sweats where the entire bed was wet (on my side, that is).  Ok, this sounds pretty bad, but I was so wet, I though I wet the bed  :-[.  This only lasted for a day or two and then went away.  I had no fever and everything else was relatively ok.

On day 18 after surgery. I still have trouble sleeping as it is painful sleeping on either side and I constantly rotate back and forth to relieve the discomfort. 

Good luck to your husband.

Steve

[wayne-0]

For me I had night sweats for two nights but it was not bad at all. I work construction and I sweat way more at work than I did after surgery. I guess I am one of the lucky ones.
                                                  Wayne

Chuck said that increasing fluids may reduce the sweats, well I drank alot of water after surgery. I probably drank 100 ozs of water a day for two weeks straight, so there may be some truth to that statement.

[blmjumper]

Yup...had 'em too. I'm five weeks out from surgery and they've gone away for the most part. I think they were drug related in my case.

[MRoberts]

I didn’t have the night sweats, but I definitely had problems at night up to about the two week point.  I am currently 3 weeks minus 1.  I had a rash and itching first around the incision site, but outside of the dressings.  This started my last day in the hospital, day three and continued.  The rash then slowly progressed down my operated leg only.  I would be fine most of the day with only limited itching but as soon as I was prone for more than an hour or so the itching became almost unbearable.  I would then stay up most of the night until I basically passed out from exhaustion.  For the first week the doctors just had me take Benadryl and apply cream to the rash, but that seemed to do almost nothing.   Though the Benadryl did help me sleep, I think just because it made me more tired.

At the my 10 day post op appointment, I was completely off all narcotic medication and was walking around the house with no crutch or cane, but I still couldn’t sleep well because of the itching.  My doc was supprised to see that I had almost no visible bruising.  I guess normally bruising begins in the area of the incision and works it’s way down the leg as that deep blood that was trapped during surgery makes it’s way out of the body.  The theory then became this is was causing the rash and itching, because it showed up in pretty much the same places as the bruising should have.  Who know everyone of us is different.
Anyway he put me on a stronger version of a Benadryl type medicine and two of those pills a night and I have slept like a baby since.  I have now stopped taking that medicine and I seem to be doing just fine.  Now my skin is just dry, and the itching is almost 100 percent gone.

I don’t know if that had any value to this topic, but I thought it worth sharing. 
Mike

[Pat Walter]

Hi Mike

Glad your itching is gone and you are sleeping again.  Eventually, we all start to get back to normal.  Some just take longer than others.

Good Luck with your recovery.

Pat

[JarheadTN]

Hi again,
I have a question...My husband has been having night sweats since his surgery last Monday.  Dr. Su was not concerned, saying the body has been through a trauma, and not to worry.  My husband does not have a fever, just really sweats at night.  He is soaking wet.  Goes through shirts about 2-4 times a night.  The sheets are soaked as well. Is this pretty normal?  He is getting frustrated, being up most of the night.  We just wonder how long this lasts.  Otherwise, every day is a little better, and he is doing great physically.
Thanks to all.
Eile

I realize it has been some time since you posted this - you might not even visit here any more.  I was wondering when your husband's night sweats ended.

I had my hip Resurfacing on 4/26/2010 and am experiencing the night sweats. In the evening my head feels very flushed and I have gone through up to 6 shirts, two beds, 5 pillows in one night.  I tried adjusting the thermostat down but all this did was cause me toshiver more. and made my wife uncomfortable.  I am hoping since they took me off the coumadin today that I will be over it soon.  Of course, it could be the Percocet(tylenol/oxycodeone). 

[B.I.L.L.]

Hi again,
I have a question...My husband has been having night sweats since his surgery last Monday.  Dr. Su was not concerned, saying the body has been through a trauma, and not to worry.  My husband does not have a fever, just really sweats at night.  He is soaking wet.  Goes through shirts about 2-4 times a night.  The sheets are soaked as well. Is this pretty normal?  He is getting frustrated, being up most of the night.  We just wonder how long this lasts.  Otherwise, every day is a little better, and he is doing great physically.
Thanks to all.
Eile

I realize it has been some time since you posted this - you might not even visit here any more.  I was wondering when your husband's night sweats ended.

I had my hip Resurfacing on 4/26/2010 and am experiencing the night sweats. In the evening my head feels very flushed and I have gone through up to 6 shirts, two beds, 5 pillows in one night.  I tried adjusting the thermostat down but all this did was cause me toshiver more. and made my wife uncomfortable.  I am hoping since they took me off the coumadin today that I will be over it soon.  Of course, it could be the Percocet(tylenol/oxycodeone). 

I think your'e right about the coumadin.  Hope it gets better soon  8) 

[fedup]

I had drenching night sweats for 6 weeks with a very swollen leg and I thought it was due to resolution of a hematoma /bruising at the operative site. Narcotics contribute to night sweats and definitely to extreme itching. My ESR and CRP were not elevated and I didn't have a fever. Hydration is important.  I still get episodic night sweats, but then my metal levels are still elevated, (I think that may be contributing as well)

[LOGAN13]

Yup I also have been dealing with the night sweats. It's sure nice to be able to read about people who know exactly where I'm coming from.  :)

I am on day 18, and I am getting up less & less. It seems to me it was after the blood thinner injections were finished (day 14 ) that's when It started to slow down. I now am down to 1 shirt change a night lol.

I look forward to the first time I am able to sleep through the night. Sheesh...I can't remember when I last got a full night's sleep....My bad hip would not allow it for a long time pre-surgery.

There's a good poll question Pat....How long post BHR was it till you slept through the night?

[Jamie N]

week ten I still sweat but probably meds I've been on oxy contin they could be the cause.

[mark_robertson]

I'm not a doctor, but I think it is the blood thinners that cause the night sweats. I soaked the bed many times, but a few days after my last injection of Fragmin (dalteparin), the sweats stopped. Nice to take a drink again too  :)
Mark

[kdono1961]

While I was in the hospital I sweat a little at night I was not to concerned.  I went home from the hospital after a four day stay.  Day 5 through approximately day 20 I had night sweats.  My bed sheets and my t-shirts had to be changed a couple of times each night.  I am now four months post op and I do not experience night sweats.  My only concerns are clicking and soreness in the incision. I lift weights every day and ride my bike.  I have been out of work since my operation.  I go back to work August 30(I am a teacher).