How do you sleep?

[zipper2]

I'm just starting to sleep on my side,2nd surgery was Jan 22
my 1st surgery 16 years ago was alot easier than this one in
many ways.Was younger though and it was easier on my side then.
My hub tried lifting matress up on my side by propping with cushions
but that only led him to slide outta bed
I finally resulted moving to another bedroom did same thing to matress
and millions of pillows were my heaven.I was able to sleep like this for
couple weeks then needed to have matress back to normal and not arise.

It gets better but my sternum is the sore culprit still in all of this.
i was better off moving to sleep away from hub next to me as i was
sooooo grumpy and soooooooo in pain everywhere this time.
Slowly is getting to side sleep,but then i always am a side sleeper
hate sleeping on my back,so it was harder for me.

zipper2 (DEB)

 

[Cooker]

A good massage a recliner and a valium......

 

[khawkk]

Sleeping was really a tough issue...and... a year and 3 weeks later
it still is. I am no longer in pain but ,except for occasionally, I seem to
sleep in 3 hr increments with an hour or so in between.
I once slept for 6 straight hrs and I thought it was a turning point
but no ~~~ just an exception!

Good luck to you. You've got some good advice from some great people.

Jack

 

[Wade B]

We all share the pain. I was a stomach sleeper before AV repair. For about a week after surgery I could only sleep in a recliner for short periods. I found the best sleep on the couch. I laid on my side and let the back of the couch support me as I rotated to about a 45 degree angle. I was between sleeping on my side and on my back. Tylenol PM also played a key role in my sleeping problems. Once I figured out how to be comfortable on the couch, things went pretty well. It was six weeks before I got back to bed and could only get sleep on my side. I am just now able to sleep comfortably on my stomach. My suregery was back on November 3rd. However, I'm back to playing basketball and looking forward to waterskiing this summer. Keep a great attitude and you'll be back to normal in no time.

 

[ctyguy]

Recliner, heating pad, massages (if possible), pain meds.....

Im a stomach sleeper and it was probably 7 weeks before I could sleep in a bed, probably 12 weeks before I could sleep on my stomach.

 

[Hot Rod Harry]

I slept in a Lazy Boy for about 7 weeks, with pillows on both sides, and my little pillow to hold against my chest. My back felt bad after sleeping in the hospital bed. I could have used a daily massage. I hope you figure it out.

 

[mattwisconsin]

From what I can remember, I slept in the fetal position before my surgery. After it I had to sleep on my back on the couch and my mother had to help me up because I couldn't push myself up. It was really hard to sleep because my position was different. Eighteen years later, I now switch between sleeping on my back or on my side hugging a pillow. I am pretty sure that both of these are holdovers from post-op. My chest still feels funny if I am not hugging a pillow. I assume this is psychological at this point. So you will adjust.

 

[JaneBerm]

I'm four weeks post-op today and sleeping has been a challange since I came out of the morphine haze of the first night. Like many of you I've had my biggest problems with my back and have only recently begun to feel the pull of my chest incision. I have mobility problems to begin with as a result of post polio and have had a spinal fusion, so my back wasn't all that great to begin with. Add to this the fact that I don't have much trunk or leg strength, and I actually move to sit and stand by pushing off with my arms, and you've got a picture.

I spent my first night home in a recliner and was very unhappy and mostly sleepless, the second night I tried the bed and was absolutly misserable, by the third night I had developed a nest of a wedge pillow, lumbar support pillow and bed pillow with a neck roll. Adding pillows on either side complete the nest and I was finally able to sleep--much better than the feeling of being a grilled cheese stuck to the bed that I had been up to that point.

After several nights of that I was ready to do anything that would get me off my back and onto my side. My PT suggested a pillow rolled under my back and shoulder in a quarter turn. That's been working for me for the last week and has allowed me to actually get some sleep. Most mornings I wake up feeling like I'm in the middle of Big Bird's nest, but it is working for me.

A heating pad has been invaluable since much of my pain seems to radiate from my shoulder, and my DH has been very helpful in giving me a back massage now and again, but I would do most anything for an actual professional back message at this stage of the game. I'm very envious of those few of you who have indicated that this service was available to you when you were in the hospital! I was able to get a heating pad while in ICU, but there were no messages in sight.

The good news is that it is getting easier to sleep--not every night, but better just the same. I decided that I didn't need to take my Tylenol 3 at night since I was doing OK during the day--that was a mistake and now I'm back on my meds at night. Without night time sleep, I have extreme fatigue during the day. I'm hoping that will ease up as time goes on.

 

[lilteach3234]

Hubby propped me up on loads of pillows last night. It was the best thing he could have done. I finally slept.

 

[abbanabba]

I know I've mentioned this before, but for getting up and down in bed I found my "ski rope" invaluable. It was a length of sturdy dowel tied to the end of the bed with nylon rope. By keeping my elbows tight to my side to keep the pressure off my sternum, I could wind the rope up or down the dowel and therefore lower or raise myself from the bed (I padded out the middle to make rolling the rope easier and quicker).

They had this set-up in hospital and it was SO much easier than trying to roll to the edge of the bed and sit up.

 

[Herburban1]

I slept on my side in the hospital for short periods the trick is to have a pillow between the knees and my heart pillow on my chest to keep my arms from moving my chest. At home I used a wedge pillow that made a big difference. Finally at 2 months I am able to get on my belly again.

 

[Buffy41]

My surgery was on Jan 22 and am only now starting to sleep on my side. When i first came home I slept in the recliner a few nights. Then my husband put pillows under the head of the bed between the mattress and box spring so the mattress would be on an angle like a hospital bed. That made it a lot easier at first for me to get out of. I propped my self up on a few for comfort as well. Extra strength Tylenol was my friend for a long time

 

[debster913]

I was really uncomfortable after my surgery, too. I couldn't sleep on my right side for weeks (normal position) since my surgery was on the right. Lots of pillows helped, as did back massages from my mommy. I was spoiled living with her for a few weeks post-op.

 

[Bridgette]

I think that is one of the things that is not stressed to you enough pre-op in all the handouts (at least it wasn't for me) the fact that being able to get into a position where you can sleep comfortably is damn near impossible for several weeks after surgery...IMHO.

I hate sleeping on my back, absolutely hate it, but that was all I could do for ages and I would wake up five or six times a night, feeling SO uncomfortable.
EVENTUALLY I was able to sleep on my side again - SO much better!

 

[aussigal]

Welcome Home!...

I remember the aching back...I had some sleeping tablets I could take and I also used my hot rice bag a lot. I was sleeping on my side 1 day after surgery so if thats your preferred sleeping position go for it...I also have a lot of extra pillows supporting me. Some Unisom might also be good if your Doc approves of it. I also used that when I had no sleeping pills left and had a bad night. It is a mild muscle relaxant too which helps as most of my back pain was muscle spasms. Running the hot shower on my back was heavenly too.

It will get better soon...although it seems to be taking forever at present in a few months time you will hardly remember any of the bad bits.

 

[Teresa]

Heating pads and back massages-my new favorite things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[abbanabba]

I was sleeping on my side 1 day after surgery so if thats your preferred sleeping position go for it...

I really don't know how you managed that - even with the pillows! I was able to manage about a quarter turn (with lots of stuffing behind me), but as for the full side, that took ages. Funny thing is, it wasn't so much being uncomfortable while in position - it was the changing postion that killed. It's like everything ceased up so moving again was quite uncomfortable.

 

[ponygirlmom]

I slept in a reclined for two months. I either slept on my back or on my right side, with pillows to hold me in place. I still have trouble sleeping on my left side because it make my heart pound.

 

[ctyguy]

For those that want to try gradually moving back to your stomach I would suggest one of the long body pillows. When I first got back in a bed I could NOT sleep on my back, I had the body pillow in front of me and I was 1/2 way between my side and my stomach. Sleeping on my stomach made my chest hurt a bit as my incision took its sweet time (nearly 10 weeks) to completely heal. But a body pillow was a great first transition from the recliner to something more normal.