Side and tummy sleeper....how long after surgery will i be on my back??

[Shellbell]

I am never that comfy sleeping on my back, usually I am on my side or stretched out on my tummy with my toes hanging out the bottom of the bed! How long do you guys think it will be after my surgery until I can enjoy that luxury again?? Even now I can feel the pressure it puts on my sternum...... I use a body pillow whan sleeping on my side and hope I will at least be able to sleep thast way again not toooo long after returning home? And it seems that many posting about their post-op experiences sleep in recliners for a bit?? I have one but its in the living room, will it be a bit before I am able to climb the stairs daily to get to my wonderful comfy upstairs bed?? Thanks in advance for any insights guys....

 

[davidh]

Hey Shellbell, I am about 2 wks post op and find over the last few days I am able to turn slightly to one side. Hate sleeping on my back but I just use a bunch of pllows.
Good luck Dave

 

[Debbrn]

I turned on my side with the help of the staff the day after surgery while I was still in ICU. I had the nurse "package" me with lots of pillows. I was an orthopedic nurse at the time so I know where to place all the pillows. After I got out of ICU I just needed a pillow to hold onto. I never used a recliner. I was climbing stairs a week after discharge.

Debbie

 

[dg_moore]

I slept on my back in a recliner for about a week after surgery, and then on my back on a wedge pillow in bed for a few days. I was then able to sleep on my side comfortably - big relief!

 

[gerrychuck]

I was able to climb the stairs on discharge (2 weeks after surgery), although I was still VERY short of breath. I had all night to catch my wind once I made it up there, though, and I wasn't about to forego my own bed! I used pillows to prop myself up for a while, and gradually got myself down flat as my shortness of breath improved. I think it took me about 2-3 weeks to be down flat and able to roll onto my right side. Couldn't tolerate it for very long at first due to discomfort in the sternum, and left side took a while longer. Hang in there; you'll be there before you know it!

 

[Luana]

I slept on my back in the hospital, but not once I got home. I was able to sleep on my left side, the one I favor, as soon as I was home. My chest tube was on the right side, as I did not have a sternotomy, if you are, drainage tubes are usually in the middle section below chest. I could sleep on my right side, too, about a week or so after I got home.

Seems that people who've had sternotomies do favor recliners initially when home for sleeping. It is a bit more difficult, from what I understand, to get out of a regular bed after a sternotomy, and a recliner makes that easier, too.

 

[AZ Don]

It's different for everyone. I slept in a recliner for about 5 weeks. At first lying on my side in bed was out of the question. Then I tried it for naps and it was painful after a while. Then one day it just didn't hurt anymore. Just days after an hour long nap was painful I slept all night on my side, no problems.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Like Debbie, I was packaged by my ICU nurse to lay on my side, but not so much once in CSU. Walking up and down stairs was one on the milestones I had to hit in the hospital before discharge. As a result, I slept in my bed upstairs on the 5th night post- surgery. I could sleep on either side but changing positions was difficult for several weeks. It sometimes involved sitting up at the side of the bed then laying back in a different position. I had a mini-sternotomy. -- Suzanne

 

[tom in MO]

I sleep on my belly as well. It took me about 3 weeks post op before I could sleep on mine for more that a few hours.

 

[kfay]

I slept on my side while still in the hospital once they pulled my chest tubes (about day 7, I had a fluid problem that required me to keep them in longer than usual). When I got home, I still slept on my side and within a couple of days was sleeping on my stomach for at least part of the night, but I will tell you that when I would go to get out of that position, it was a little rough for a while. I would usually have to wake my husband up to help me roll back over!

 

[Leah]

I slept on my side in the hospital too. Within a couple of weeks, I was able to sleep on my stomach. I held on to a big pillow when I slept on my side. That was mainly to keep my 2 year old from kicking me in the chest, but it was also really comfortable.

 

[catwoman]

I slept on both sides while in the hospital. I ordinarily sleep on my right side and prior to my MVR, had not ever slept on my left side because it was uncomfortable. However, I found that sleeping on my left side very comfortable almost automatically after surgery.

 

[Heather Anne]

I'm three weeks post-op today, and I've been sleeping comfortably on both sides pretty much since I got home from the hospital. BUT I did find I was waking up pretty stiff after sleeping on my side, so I've gone back to the hospital trick of putting a pillow under one side of my back, which tilts me to the side without flipping all the way over, and that's fixed that little problem. My biggest issue isn't my sternum, it's the very sore and irritable muscles in my upper back, shoulders and neck. I'm a stomach sleeper too, but I've found that I'm so tired at night that it doesn't really matter what position I'm in!

As for steps, I was able to go up and down the steps in my house as soon as I got home (four days after surgery). Not fast. At all. But successfully. My advice: take it slow, and minimize the trips. Come down once in the morning, and go up once at night. Otherwise, make your spouse or family fetch and carry for you if you need something from up there!

 

[dg_moore]

As for steps, I was able to go up and down the steps in my house as soon as I got home (four days after surgery). Not fast. At all. But successfully. My advice: take it slow, and minimize the trips.

+1. The day after I got home from the hospital I went charging up the stairs like I always do, but when I reached the top I was so short of breath I could barely stand up. It took me several unpleasant minutes to recover, and believe me, that's the first and last time I tried that! I did continue to do the steps several times daily, but slowly with a rest every few steps. Now, 4 weeks post op, I can do steps at my normal pace.

 

[Shellbell]

I cant tell you all enough how happy i am to have found this site!! Just hearing your responses from mere weeks after surgery put so many of my fears and anxiety to rest!! I am gonna try to take it easy but go up those stairs to my bed! I am thrilled to hear that i might be back to my comfort zone sooner than i thought. Thanks so much for your replies and for making this journey alot easier. Kudos to Hank for making a home for us all!! :thumbup:

 

[dg_moore]

I am thrilled to hear that i might be back to my comfort zone sooner than i thought.

Chances are good that you'll be feeling *almost* like yourself within a month. I had a post-op echo yesterday and the tech was saying that valve replacement changes the hemodynamics of your entire body. I am already noticing some subtle, but positive, changes in how I feel overall. I expect more changes as healing progresses.

Good luck to you!

Dave

 

[Heather Anne]

Dave, that makes perfect sense to me. Because underneath the aches and pains of my recuperation, I feel really great. It's hard to explain, because if you saw me walking up my neighborhood hills you wouldn't think I was feeling terribly spiffy, but it's like I have a brand new body waiting to emerge like a butterfly from a chrysalis as soon as the healing is done. My friends who stop by even tell me my skin looks better -- pinker and healthier. I did not consider myself particularly symptomatic before surgery, but I think I was dragging more than I thought I was.

Shellbel, I don't know how you're feeling right now, but even if you think you're feeling okay, my prediction is that you will feel a lot better with a new heart valve!!

 

[big_L]

I'm 6 days post surgery and I really prefer to sleep on my right side. I slept in the hospital on my back mostly or maybe canted a bit to the right side. I was pleasantly surprised last night in the motel (halfway home) to sleep most of the night on my right side. I didn't have any problem getting out of the motel bed, but I'm slender and have fairly strong abs. Kind of a no arm sit-up was required..

 

[Garserin]

I'm 6 days post surgery and I really prefer to sleep on my right side. I slept in the hospital on my back mostly or maybe canted a bit to the right side. I was pleasantly surprised last night in the motel (halfway home) to sleep most of the night on my right side. I didn't have any problem getting out of the motel bed, but I'm slender and have fairly strong abs. Kind of a no arm sit-up was required..

big L, it's good to hear that you are past surgery and on the mend. Since you are on your way home I assume surgery went well and you are on the mend. How was the "Mayo experience"?

 

[aviator67]

I was finally able to sleep on my side in our waterbed the last two evenings. I'm probably a bit late at 24 days post-op but all is well that ends well.