a recliner question

[Meghan]

Hello all,

I've read a number of times here that after open heart surgery, it can be more comfortable to sleep in a recliner as compared to a bed. So we're looking for a recliner to keep in the bedroom for after Eric's surgery, and after looking a bit today we had a couple of questions for those with experience...

If you slept in a recliner after surgery, how upright did you like to be? Did you need to be as upright as the chair sits after lifting the legs, or could you recline the chair back comfortably? Did pushing the recliner back cause excessive stress on the sternum? Was a particular recliner design easier to push back to reach a more comfortable sleeping position?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and recommendations!

Meghan

 

[davidfortune]

Meghan,

I would think any recliner would be comfortable. I found about a 45 degree angle was very comfortable. I slept in the bed with four pillows building a ramp. I slept like a rock with no pain. I didn't have a recliner and wasn't going to spend the money since our family room and master are already full of other furniture so I had no permanent place to put it.

My dad slept in his recliner for about six weeks after his heart surgery and found it very comfortable (fully reclined).

Good Luck,
David

 

[lynn]

I would try and find one that is easy to flip the feet up, we've got an older one that has a big lever and I had to have the kids pull it for me while I scooted into the seat. It isn't very easy to push the back back either, so look for that. I think the point is to be able to push somewhat back, like David said, so you're not sitting up straight.

 

[Granbonny]

I did not find VR.Com..until about 6 weeks..post -op...what we did the day I came home....Daughter/hubby...went upstairs and came down with a twin bed. to put in Living room. ..Neighbor brought over one of those huge back foam.things..that one uses for reading.....That was all I needed for about a week.and the twin bed was lower to floor...so easy to get out/in.......Hubby slept on sofa.. ...for a few days..Made him go back to our bed....I was fine after a week..and went back to sleeping in our bed. If you have a large sofa..maybe it will help..with the foam pillow that you can buy from Wal Mart...Bonnie

 

[temp69]

Hi there:

I didn't need a recliner to sleep, though I have a big comfy chair and ottoman to sit in during the day while reading, sleeping, watching tv etc. You really don't need to run out and buy a recliner unless you want one anyway.

I'm 55 and getting up and down was not that big of a deal. You won't bounce up, but in a few days it'll be easy. As for sleeping, just lots of pillows is all you need.

And remember, YOU WILL BE FINE.

Good luck, hope this helps!

 

[Ross]

Try to get the easiest thing you can when it comes to manipulating it from reclining to upright. It's difficult to say what position will be comfortable since everyone is different. Some people have fluid issues after surgery which makes it difficult to breath laying flat. Honestly though, it's more of a convenience then a necessity. In bed, with pillows to support the body works too.

 

[Magic8Ball]

I bought a new recliner before surgery but didn't really think things through as i now have nowhere to put the thing now i don't need it.

I slept at my parents for the first week to avoid the kids jumping on me, just propped up with lots of pillows in a soft bed, it was ok due to the fact i had sleeping pills but wasn't great.

I went home after a week and slept in the recliner for about two further weeks. I sleep on my side usually so the recliner allowed me to kinda sleep on an angle as i couldnt really sleep on my side comfortably.

I bought a lazyboy leather recliner with a lever on the side which i found ok to use to put the legs up but i'm a big strong bloke so not sure how others would handle it. I folded a double quilt in half and kinda used it like a sleeping bag.

For those first couple of weeks it was absolutely essential for me and now its a complete waste of space.....stuck it in the activity room for the kids to use when playing xbox so its overkill.

If you have nowhere to use it long term you may be better buying second hand and throwing away...

If i had surgery again i'd still get one as you'd pay a gold nugget for 5 minutes of comfort during the early days....

Regards.

 

[Lynlw]

After reading Magic, post maybe if you don't have a place t use a recliner after you've recoverred maybe you could borrow one from a friend or I would think about getting onee from one of the furniture rental places, IF you don't need it after, it would also save of money.
When Justin had his last surgery we were lucky because our sectional in the family room had a couple recliners, which made it realy easy to get out since he didn't have to put the feet down, "just" slid over. I wanted to add sometimes people put the recliner in the bedroom, but we found it worked well to have it in the family room, since it was close to a bathroom and he could be comfortable when friends came over to visit,Lyn

 

[hensylee]

I didn't know about sleeping in recliners, either. I slept in a bed at my nurse cousin's home and didn't have a problem.

In case y'all don't know this. Laz-y-boy chairs have adjustments. If you push the chair forward there are bolts on either side (under the chair) that you can loosen or tighten -where the two circular springs are. This makes the back go back easier or harder.

Also in all of the Laz-y-boy chairs the back comes away from the seat for easy transport. Right behind the arms between the arms and back there is a metal piece that locks and unlocks (up for lock, down for unlock). Once you slide your hand in and unlock these two locks, you simply lift the back out of the seat portion. Voila, a two piece chair ready for easy transporting.

 

[sue943]

I only spend four nights out of the first three weeks out of a hospital bed, and on those nights I just slept in an ordinary bed having climbed a couple of flights of very steep stairs! After my second discharge I slept in my normal bed, again upstairs.

Had I found this site prior to OHS I might have asked my brother to ship over the electric recliner chair we purchased for my mother but was sadly unused. I have to say the electric hospital beds were a joy to sleep on, great to be able to move until comfortable.

 

[Susan BAV]

I slept on a heavy leather wing-back chair that makes into a recliner and it did hurt to push back on the arms to go back. My husband had to help push me back at first. It has two positions it will go back to and is a nice and firm recliner and more comfortable to me to sleep on than a softer one I have. I slept on it off and on for at least the first three weeks post-op, maybe more. I spent a great deal of the day in it also. I had moved it pre-op to a position in the house that I felt would make everything more convenient for me, in our family room near a powder room and next to the kitchen.

However, I think that a rocking recliner could possibly make you move when you're not ready for/expecting it and that might cause pain too. I also think the lever recliners could cause some pain with the pull.

I liked the leather one too because it stayed clean. After OHS, Eric will likely have some fairly intense night sweats off and on and if you get a fabric recliner you may want to throw a large flannel sheet over it or something. But that will make it more awkward for him to use it too. I tried the flannel sheet idea with the leather recliner early on and that was ridiculous because it slid right off, like a pig on ice!

 

[marciemarine]

I slept in a recliner too for five weeks until I could finally get comfortable in bed. I found that sleeping on my side as I like to do was uncomfortable for me and a recliner was much better for me. Our bedroom is right off the living room, so it wouldn't have been bad either. Marcie

 

[Meghan]

Thank you all for your experiences. We just moved (I finished my masters!) into a new townhouse, and we certainly have some space to fill, so a recliner will be enjoyed well beyond Eric's surgery and should be a good investment. And the Lazy-Boy stores here are closing, so there should be some good deals...

hensylee - thanks for the tip about adjusting the bolts on a lazy-boy to make reclining easier/harder. We should be able to find a good medium between too hard to push back and so sloppy you can't remain reclined at the desired angle.

Susan - Thanks for mentioning unexpected movements and rocking. We had liked the rocking in some of the recliners we've looked at and will have to look again with that in mind. We're probably not looking at the price of a leather recliner but we can keep some sheets handy.

We'll think about where to put it... our master bedroom is upstairs and I would like Eric to have someplace comfortable to sleep upstairs where I'll be; we'll probably figure out as it happens what to do when he's feeling better and I am back at work full time; he should be able to do steps down to the kitchen by then, based on the threads I've read here about recovery.

Thanks!

Meghan