Sleeping At Night

[guyinva]

I am two weeks post op and still not able to sleep in the bed. When I lay down, I get pressure in my chest and it makes it very hard to breathe. During the day I'm doing very well, walking, not much pain, breathing is good.

How long did it take for you to be able to sleep in bed at night?

Thanks,

 

[Michelle D]

I ook naps on my bed but at night in my recliner for two weeks after getting home. Try naps in the bed to get used to it. Good luck. Finally after three months I wake up only once a night.

 

[Freddie]

I'd call your doctor and hear what they have to say.

 

[Sbullock]

It took me about three weeks before I was able to sleep in my bed. It was just easier to sleep on the sofa or recliner until then. Only now, at post op 4 months, do I get a somewhat normal sleep in bed.

 

[Orangebrittainy]

I am a stomach sleeper, so even when the ICU nurses offered to help me lay on my side, I just wouldn't do it because I knew I would try to roll to my stomach. So as soon as I was alert, I made sure to spend my nights on my back and flat as possible. I had to have help getting up in the morning, but when I got home two weeks later it wasn't so bad. It just been the last week that DH hasn't had to help me get up from the bed.

GL

 

[kpearse]

I slept in my recliner for a few weeks.

 

[Duffey]

It probably took me two week, and even then, it wasn't very comfortable. I think I used extra pillows and didn't risk turning over during the night. I seem to recall throwing pvc's at a pretty steady clip too. The inability to sleep was one of the worst aspects of the replacement, IMHO.

 

[Greg a]

my recliner was my BEST friend

 

[Luana]

I did not have a sternotomy, so sleeping in bed was not a problem; however, not being able to fall and/or stay asleep are very common for quite a long time after VR surgery (separate from what you're going through now). As others suggested, sleeping in a recliner or with several pillows in a more sitting-up type position may help you where you're at now.

 

[Philip B]

Sleeping

Sleeping

I slept on the sofa for over two months. It was easier to prop myself up on the sofa with pillows to reduce pressure on my chest and keep my chest clear of fluid buildup. When I tried to prop myself up in bed with pillows I would always wake up flat on my back and spend many uncomfortable hours coughing afterwards.

-Philip

 

[buncle]

I slept in bed from day one.Thats not to say I slept well because I didnt. I slept on my side with pillows behind me to try and keep on my side.I remember the first morning I woke up flat on my stomach thinking " this is going to hurt when I try and get out of bed!" By the way it did! lol

 

[Marguerite53]

We are obviously all different!!! I spent many weeks in my recliner! When I did nap during the day (and then eventually, left the recliner for night-time in bed) I would prop myself up on the bed with as many soft squishy pillows as possible and sleep sitting up. I found that if I duplicated the feel of the recliner, by having a pillow under each arm (like the armrests) I was able to get to sleep for longer and longer periods. I think I even put a small pillow on my lap to rest my hands on. I'm not sure why all that cushioning did the trick for me, but it did. I did not like that pressure feeling when I lay on my back, either, for the record.

I do think Freddie is right, though. It never hurts to run any pressure related feelings past your doctor. You've paid them a bundle!! Call them anytime!!:wink2:

Marguerite

 

[Andrew]

Hi,

I had similar problems laying in the bed.
When I laid down in the bed, I had a strong pain in my chest, only while breathing air in. Fortunately this pain was always decreasing during the first 2 minutes after laying down, then finally the pain became really low and tolerable, so it didn't disturbed me in sleeping.

Interesting thing that this kind of chest pain has appeared 3 weeks post op and lasted for about 2 weeks. During the first 3 weeks I had no any static chest pain.

 

[Jkm7]

Both my OHS, I slept from first night home in our bed but with lots more pillows than usual. I was reasonably comfortable but sleep comes hard for some folks following this surgery. In time, most of us settle back into our usual sleep patterns.

Hope it improves for you soon.