Help with sleeping

[britcom61]

Hi, had my AV, MV replacement (On-X mechanical valves) plus a bypass all completed 2 weeks ago today, I had a pacemaker installed the day before yesterday and was discharged yesterday.
I had a miserable night last night and cannot sleep because of the pain. I'm on 10mg oxycodone every 4 hours which seems to keep my pain at least bearable, but cannot find any position comfortable enough to get any shut eye at all. I get nauseous when trying to just lay on my back, and pain is too much when I try laying on side. Part of the problem is that I just started on a CPAP machine a week before surgery and that also causes panic attack and feeling of suffocation. I'm considering renting a Hospital bed that can prop up my head and feet.
Has anyone else had these kind of problems sleeping that could pass on any tips?
Anyone rented the hospital bed and had any luck or improvement in sleeping, not sure how many more nights I can handle like last night!
Thanks in advance for any ideas., all the best, Lee.

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Lee - sorry you are having problems with sleeping. I definitley could not have slept lying down, neither on my back nor on my side after cardiac surgery for several weeks. Once home I slept propped up with cushions on my sofa in the living room, i.e. sleeping in a sitting position but my legs stretched out in front of me on the sofa. I still did not get very much sleep as it's hardly condusive to sleep to be sitting upright, but it was far too painful to lie down in any position. After about four weeks of this I found I was able to lie down on the sofa for an hour or two each night before it got too painful. And so it progressed until at about six weeks I was able to lie down the whole night and get back into a bed ! Some people have a reclining chair - I haven't but my sofa is my friend now, I have very fond memories of 'sleeping' on it. When I couldn't sleep I'd get get on the net and come here Or I'd fix a cup of decaf tea or whatever without disturbing my family as I was in the living room. I tried to have a nap during the day as I didn't get that much sleep at night, even if I took sleeping meds (zopiclone). You will get through this but it's hard at the beginning of discharge. All the best.

 

[honeybunny]

My experience mirrors Anne's except I had purchased a recliner for my recovery which allowed for a little more sleep than she had.

 

[LondonAndy]

Ah yes, sadly that brings back memories for me too. I had an electric reclining sofa, which was easy to adjust in small increments to get just the right position, and then hold it well. It was some time before I could sleep in the bed, and as I normally sleep on my side I knew I couldn't sleep in that position for at least 6 weeks. Might be worth talking to your doc about different pain meds? I am not familiar with Oxycodone - they gave me dihydrocodeine and paracetamol to use in combination here (I am in UK), which worked well for me. Best wishes.

 

[Zoltania]

I think that recliners can be rented as well as purchased. My stepfather slept in a recliner for months after his MVR. I didn't need one, but I didn't have a sternotomy. I just wasn't able to sleep on my right side for several weeks.

 

[Ryanvs]

FWIW im just about to hit 8 weeks post op and I've only just started sleeping back in bed. Up until now I'd slept on the couch as it allowed me to stretch my legs out but also stack cushions and pillows behind my back/head/neck basically at a 45 degree angle. Oh, and Oxycodone is also known as endone. I was on it too. I'm in Australia.

 

[Dodger Fan]

After about 3 weeks in the hospital, I slept for about a month in a leather, electric recliner that we purchased for my recovery. I'm sitting in it as I type. About 7 weeks post-op I had to sleep in the bed. It was uncomfortable at first but it became preferable to sleeping in the chair. The soreness from my sternotomy went away before the soreness from my pacemaker. Up until very recently I almost always sleep on my right side with a body pillow. My pacemaker is on the left side of my chest and sleeping on that side causes discomfort. It's tough at first but soon you'll be feeling better.

 

[AZ Don]

I used a recliner. I also found that metoprolol causes insomnia for me, if I take it too close to bed time. It is hard enough getting used to sleeping in positions you are not accustomed to after surgery, it must be much more difficult to do so while getting used to CPAP.

 

[MrsBray]

I suffered from excruciating back pain that kept me from sleeping. Then I got a visit from a physical therapist. Here:

Make sure you are standing up straight when you're upright. Resist the urge to curl inward! After surgery, we need to re-strengthen our core muscles. The only way to do that is..... use them!

Make sure when you are resting that your head & neck are supported. Use a U-shaped travel pillow or a rolled up towel/t-shirt to support your neck, even when you're sitting down.

Make sure your shoulders & arms are supported when you are resting. I wedged pillows under my arms to take the weight off my shoulders.

Once I got the weight of my head, shoulders, & arms off my torso, I was able to relax and get some good sleep, albeit in short increments at first.

My first two weeks home I was petrified to sleep in bed, and felt like I never really fell all the way asleep. I was scared I would turn the wrong way and pop open. My best rest was in the recliner with all the pillows propped around me. My surgeon told me, "If it feels good, do it." regarding side sleeping. At first I felt sloshy, but I started leaning toward me left side while resting after about 3 weeks.

Can you consider discontinuing narcotics and using Tylenol only for pain relief? That may be a barrier in you getting sleep as well.

Best of luck, ask more questions!
-Meredith