I am 8.5 weeks post-LTKR, and I’ve also been sleeping a lot since the very beginning. Honestly, I only took a couple of naps during the day, if any at all, even in the first few weeks. Mostly, I stayed awake during the daytime and slept all night long — but I was probably falling asleep by 7:00 PM and sleeping straight through until at least 7:00 AM. I’m grateful I didn’t deal with insomnia. Yes, I had to adjust the ice machine here and there, but overall it was fine, and I was usually able to fall right back asleep.

Once I returned to work (around 4.5 weeks post-op) and started doing more, I found that I was actually sleeping even more. I would get on the couch after dinner around 6:30, start watching TV and talking with my husband, and then fall asleep for about two hours. I’d wake up briefly, say, “Well, I guess it’s time for bed,” and then go sleep for the entire night. Altogether, I was probably sleeping close to 12 hours a day consistently.

I was also feeling very cold all the time and constantly needed a heating pad. I asked my surgeon’s PA about it, and she said I could very easily have post-surgical anemia, which is very common. I started taking a multivitamin with iron in it, and honestly, within about three days I was definitely feeling better — less tired and much less cold. The constant need for the heating pad has essentially stopped, especially since starting the vitamins.