Recliner chair for sleeping

[AnneCurtin]

I am having aortic valve replacement on January 17, 2011.
I understand a recliner chair is helpful for sleeping when you come home from the hospital.

A couple of questions:
1. Did you find a recliner chair easier to sleep in than a bed?
2. Were you able to manage 'the stick' (causes the recliner to recline) yourself or did you need help?

I appreciate your thoughts greatly!

 

[Greg a]

Anne , a heart felt WELCOME to our OHS family .....there is a wealth of knowledge here for now and the future ............The more you learn the more you will be comfortable and helpful to her

ALSO THE ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS ASK QUESTIONS it is paramount that you get all the answers you seek

I hope these will help you to prepare yourself and your home

Bob/tobagotwo has up dated a list of acronyms and short forms http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8494&d=1276042314

what to ask pre surgery http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...68-Pre-surgery-consultation-list-of-questions

what to take with you to the hospital http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?13283-what-to-take-to-the-hospital-a-checklist

Preparing the house for post surgical patients THIS IS WHERE A RECLINER COMES IN TO PLAY http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...Getting-Comfortable-Around-the-House&p=218802

These are from various forum stickies and there is plenty more to read as well


And Lynw recently added this PDF on what to expect post op
http://www.sts.org/documents/pdf/whattoexpect.pdf

 

[Greg a]

ALSO I have added you to the VR public calendar so we all will be by your side in spirit

1. Did you find a recliner chair easier to sleep in than a bed? YES

2. Were you able to manage 'the stick' (causes the recliner to recline) yourself or did you need help?
I had no problem opening the recliner

 

[Smax]

I used a recliner for sleeping for at least 2 months as lying flat in bed was uncomfortable--not painful, just not comfortable. I couldn't manage "the stick" so my poor husband was on call to free me when needed. There must be some 'easy glide' recliners on the market.

One of my most valuable recovery tools was an IPOD loaded with soothing music suitable for meditating. I started using it while still in ICU and it did make me feel calmer and more relaxed. I used it for months to fall asleep.

I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers and look forward to hearing about your progress in the near future.

 

[Marguerite53]

Hello, Anne. Welcome to our wonderful community.

We went out and bought a recliner just for me and I must say it was a very valuable part of my recovery! I slept in it for weeks. For me, it was just easier to get in and out of. Also, sleeping all through the night is not always possible for the first few weeks, so catching little naps in that recliner was wonderful. I found that I took an extra pillow to place on my lap while sleeping in it. For me, having something cushy to hold up my arms took the pressure off my healing sternum.

I also had extra pillows brought to me in the hospital and that was a very good idea -- again, just to kind of pad everything and make the sleeping area supportive.

Best wishes.

Marguerite

 

[Superbob]

I used a recliner for several weeks after my surgery, and found it to be a big help. I found it difficult to get in and out of bed or into a comfortable sleeping position. I didn't have any problem with the up/down lever on the recliner, but if you're buying one, it might be wise to check that feature and find the friendliest one.

Sending you all best wishes, thoughts, and prayers for the 17th. Please do keep us posted.

 

[Philip B]

Recliner?

Recliner?

While my old recliner is really comfortable, sleeping in it post-op didn't work for me. The angle just wasn't right. I propped myself up at a comfortable angle with pillows on the sofa and slept there for a couple of months.

Some of our members actually report that they were able to sleep comfortably in their beds immediately after returning home from the hospital. Where people can comfortably sleep tends to be an individual thing.

You'll have to see what works best for you.

-Philip

 

[Lily]

Hi Anne. I already had a recliner but I definitely found it very useful and necessary. Mine wasn't the squishy rocking kind but is a firm and upright, fixed-leg leather wing chair where you have to push the arms and lean back -- and it caused me some pain to make it go back by myself and so I needed a little push from my husband to get it going. It gave me excellent support and was just what I needed. Best wishes with your surgery and recovery

 

[Duffey]

Hi and welcome, Ann.

I bought a recliner in preparation for replacement, and it was invaluable. I slept in it for several weeks.
I couldn't manuever the "stick" so had to have help the first week or so. It was no big deal because someone was always around to lend a hand.

 

[normofthenorth]

I replaced a busted recliner about a week before my OHS, just to make sure I'd have one available for sleeping post-op! As it turned out, the new one didn't recline very well, so I played "musical chairs" 'til I had dibs on my wife's version of the one I'd busted. I might have spend ONE night in it. Mostly I added a pillow or two to our bed, and it was pretty good. Moving around and getting comfy is definitely a challenge with a cracked "wishbone", but it gets better very steadily and pretty quickly, at least in my (relatively "bump-free") experience.

I think I took a few naps in the recliner, but it never replaced the bed for me. I ditched the extra pillows on the bed, after a week or two.

Now, at ~5.5 weeks, I can still feel that my sternum and the skin over it have been "worked on", but my mobility and sleeping position have been ~100% back to normal for weeks. YMMV, of course!

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Some (many?) Surgeons will suggest sleeping in a recliner for a few weeks following OHS.

A simple PVC pipe 'extension' of the handle would make it easier to reach and provide some additional mechanical advantage, reducing the force necessary to operate it.

Sleeping on a couch with your body at a 45 degree angle supported by the cushions and back is another often used solution. OR use a Wedge Pillow. OR a 'Body Pillow'.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Mentu]

Anne, as everyone will tell you, experiences vary a lot and depend a great deal upon ones health before surgery, the surgery itself and no doubt other things we never consider. Before my AVR, my younger brother gave me a recliner. On that first day I returned home after surgery, like everyone else, I wondered about whether I could sleep in my own bed, especially, since I sleep on a waterbed. As it happened, I didn't have any difficulty and never spent a night in the recliner.

That said, for the first few days, I found that I needed to sleep after every walk but by the second week home I began taking my day time naps in the recliner and continued doing that as long as I needed. So, even though I never slept in my recliner at night, I did find it very nice to use in the daytime. A few days after I got home, my friend, Susan, brought me a simple lap table that set nicely over my lap in the recliner which made using my computer a lot easier and 16 months later I am still using it. Over all, I would say that it may not be essential but the recliner proved to be very helpful and, I fear, I have now become sort of addicted to it.

Larry

 

[camgough]

I had wanted a nice recliner for a long time, you know my "man chair", but my wife doesn't like the looks of them. She is the decorator. Although hearing that I needed OHS was the worst news of my life, the positive was that I bought my "man chair". Like most of us, prior to surgery I did alot of reading and research and saw the articles how a reclner can help. I talked my wife into going and looking and at them at Sears. There was one that she said she didn't mind. To me that was as good as sold! Now for the funny part. A couple days later I knew I had to buy this thing or it would be sold. For fear of her saying no, I thought it would be better I not let my wife know my intentions. While my wife was outside in the sun I left the house, picked up my brother and went and bought the chair. My brother was able to carry it in the house and set it up all before my wife came inside. You should have seen the look on her face when she came inside, PRICELESS!

In the end it was a good purchase. At first it is hard to work the reclining handle on the side, but every day that gets easier. I never slept a night in the chair, but I did have several naps. Now it seems that my wife likes my "man chair" more than I do for her naps. Definately comfortable and easy on the body for healing!!

 

[epstns]

I guess we must have been thinking ahead. . .

Last winter we remodeled our family room into a "media center" with big-screen Home Theater, big sound system and all. Part of the remodeling included all new furniture, including a large L-shaped sofa with 3 built-in electric recliners! At least I'll be able to get into and out of the seats -- all I need to do now is get through the surgery.

 

[Jkm7]

We have a recliner and I never once used it while recovering from two OHS.
Both times right home from the hospital, I was able to pile pillows on our bed and sleep there. I found having lots of pillows to place behind me made a big difference.

Everyone really is different with this surgery.
At first I thought I was getting a 'brush off' from some of the hospital staff and was told 'everyone is different' but I came to realize they weren't avoiding my question, they were speaking the truth.

 

[Michelle D]

I went to Rooms to Go and bought an electric one because the manual reliciners would be absolutely impossible for me when I needed it. I slept in it for about a month, I was able to take naps in bed but I'm a stomach and side sleeper so I had to sleep in a recliner so I wouldn't roll onto my side or stomach. I think it would have taken longer for my sternum to heal and I'd be a hell of a lot sore-er than I was if I didn't have one but that just me.

 

[pat45750]

I slept in my recliner for over 2 months. I have a lazy-boy and it goes almost flat. I found I pushed it more flat as time went on, but was unable to sleep in bed even with a lot of pillows because it was too hard to breathe. I was able to work the handle or stick.

Good Luck with your upcoming surgery. Pat