Sleeping arrangements/pillows

[MrsBray]

I'm looking in to different wedge pillows for my bed for post-op. We have a Sleep Number bed (love it!), and I'd like your opinion on what size pillow to purchase. There's quite a range out there! I currently use a special pillow for cPAP users, and am usually a left-side sleeper. I do not like to sleep flat on my back, and will "change it up" every once in a while and sleep on my right side. I cal sleep for HOURS in a recliner though!

What worked for you, and what didn't work?

Thanks!

Meredith

 

[Jayhawk]

Meredith, I have a wedge pillow but haven't used it at all. I don't like to sleep on my back either and I think this pillow is good for back sleepers. As a side sleeper I am struggling to get back to my bed. I find I like to lay on my side and turning into the pillow so almost on my stomach. I have a cpap too. This is painful as it mashes my sternum. So... I have been placing a big pillow right up to my chest so when I lay over it doesn't allow me to twist so much. I am almost 7 weeks post op and have only managed 2.5 nights in my bed. Part of the problem is I enjoy when my family goes to bed then I get to stay up with control of the tv and sleep in since I am not working yet. Also, I have noticed I hear my valve when I lay on my left side but not as much as on the right side. I know this is rambling but hopefully it helps.

 

[AZ Don]

I slept in a recliner for about a month, and I slept well. I tend to sleep on my side and even with pillows I couldn't get comfortable in bed. Even at 3 weeks it was quite uncomfortable and then suddenly one day it was fine and I could sleep however I wanted.

 

[Duffey]

I slept in a recliner for about a month, and I slept well. I tend to sleep on my side and even with pillows I couldn't get comfortable in bed. Even at 3 weeks it was quite uncomfortable and then suddenly one day it was fine and I could sleep however I wanted.

My experience was similar to AZ Don's. My time in the recliner was less, but the rest was basically the same.

 

[Jkm7]

After both my OHS, I slept in our bed from first night home. I am used to one king size pillow for my 'regular' sleep but when fresh home from the hospital, I used a pile of pillows. I was comfortable with a number of pillows under my head, neck and shoulders that brought me to a somewhat raised position. I put a few on my side to keep me from rolling onto my side the first days. I found within a week or ten days home, I started removing more pillows until I was down to my usual king pillow in under three weeks.

We have a recliner and I certainly could have used it but it never interested me. I was much happier being in our bed.

 

[Gail in Ca]

I also just used 2 pillows in my own bed. I didn't feel the need to be propped up more than that. Also, I wanted to try to sleep on my side and as the days go by it gets easier to do so.
It's that sternal opening that makes sleeping on our side so hard at first. I also used another pillow to put my arm on when sleeping on my side. Took the pressure off the sternum.

 

[dg_moore]

I slept in a recliner for 10 days or so. I'm not a back sleeper either, but the recliner is comfortable. My recliner is a powered model, so getting up is much easier than getting out of a bed. Just press the button and you're sitting up straight - from there it's a simple matter to stand without straining your sternum.

 

[Debbrn]

I am a side sleeper. I started sleeping on my side while I was still in ICU. I used a body pillow for a couple of weeks after I was discharged. It was great to have.

Debbie

 

[Paleowoman]

I'm sleeping on the sofa (four weeks post op) propped upright with large pillows and cushions. I have just this week started to be able to lie on my side for a couple of hours during the night without pain which is much nicer than sitting up ! I'm hoping to extend the hours lying down gradually and then move back into my own bed. I'm very comfy on the sofa mind ! I don't bother dh during the night when I get up - though I did contact him a couple of times at the start via mobile

 

[neil]

i just got 4 fluffy pillows and made it up as i went, some nights on my back others on my side, and when i got to finally sleep on my front oh the joy lol

 

[mikestorm]

I'm a stomach sleeper. Attempting to sleep on my back or even my side had always been an exercise in futility. Before surgery, this was one of my largest fears (inability to sleep due to being forced to stay on my back) but I was relieved to discover my body granted me a (temporary) reprieve. However, around the 4.5 week post op, my body's tolerance for back sleeping has unfortunately started to ebb, and I've been getting less and less sleep the last few days. It seems as I feel more and more like myself, my body is essentially saying, "OK, I've indulged you long enough; time to go back to what I prefer."

Last night, after staring at the ceiling for an hour, I got up the courage to attempt to flip over from back to side to stomach to see how it feel. Back to side wasn't so bad, but side to stomach was, to put it mildly, a mistake. I immediately went back to my back, resigned that I'll simply have to try to find a way to power though my body's resistance.

 

[Leah]

I slept in my bed from my first day home and I just used a regular pillow & slept on my side. I also hugged my heart pillow when I slept, mainly so that my 2 year old would not kick me in the chest!!

 

[AZ Don]

Mikestorm, Somewhere around the 4 week mark lying on my side was too painful for sleeping. Then a few days later it was fine and I was able to sleep that way from then on. I was surprised that there could be such a sudden change several weeks post op. Keep trying, it will be better soon.

 

[enkaynj]

I was always a back sleeper so there was no issue except when to roll off bed to go to the bathroom. My heart pillow was my best companion for the first month. I slept with it and took it with me wherever I went; mainly to clutch it while sneezing or coughing. Looking back, those days are a distant memory. I am sure it will be the same for you Mikestorm.

 

[MrsBray]

I ended up building myself a nest in bed. We used pillows and blankets to build up a ramp of sorts, and gradually decreased the angle as needed. The first two nights were the worst for me, never sleeping for more than 45 minutes at a time, moving between bed and recliner.

4 weeks post op, I fall asleep on my back and transition to my left side after about 3 hours. The recliner is still my favored napping spot though.

 

[MrsBray]

I ended up building myself a nest in bed. We used pillows and blankets to build up a ramp of sorts, and gradually decreased the angle as needed. The first two nights were the worst for me, never sleeping for more than 45 minutes at a time, moving between bed and recliner.

4 weeks post op, I fall asleep on my back and transition to my left side after about 3 hours. The recliner is still my favored napping spot though.