Post-Transplant: Difficulty Sleeping

You may have difficulty sleeping when you first return home, especially if your hospital stay was long.  This can be caused by an out-of-balance sleep cycle and medication.  I had to get up to urinate every hour to hour-and-a-half every night for about a month since I was on diuretics to eliminate fluid retention and that played havoc with my sleep cycle.  I slept in a reclining chair so I had easy access to the bathroom since I was up so often and also because I tended to get very dizzy when I stood up from a fully reclining position.  Eventually this interval lengthened and finally I was back to what was for me a fairly normal sleep cycle in my own bed.  If your sleep problems persist, ask your physician for a prescription for a sleep aid and use it when necessary.  Often they will prescribe this upon checking out of the hospital.