Sleeping on your side, post-surgery?

shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
Valve Replacement Forums

Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
realkarl

realkarl

Radiation survivor
Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
187
Location
Seattle, WA, US
After several weeks of sleeping on a recliner, I tried to sleep in my bed again last night. I didn't sleep as well. What I miss the most is sleeping on my side. I was curious if any of you received advice from your doctors on how soon you could sleep on your side?

Karl.
 
The nurses told me as soon as I was comfortable, it was fine for me to sleep in whatever position I chose.

My first OHS, it was almost two months before I could sleep on my right side, about 4 weeks for my left.

My seconed OHS, I could sleep on either side a lot faster. Probably within three weeks for each.

I slept in our bed right from the start using a lot of pillows but the second surgery was able to shed most pillows within about two and half weeks or so. I never slept in the recliner either surgery.
 
I was told I could sleep on my side when I got home from the hospital. Unfortunately, I'm having a difficult time sleeping no matter what position I'm in. I start out on my back and turn to my sides duing the night. I was told to avoid sleeping on my stomach for a while. I've been told sleeping is difficult for many after surgery and that it will get better as your health improves. I do sleep at night it's just not for a very long period of time. I slept like a baby before surgery, I hope that good night sleep returns soon.
 
I am a side-sleeper, also, and it took me a while. Like you, I tried moving from the recliner to bed after a few weeks, but woke up really sore. So, back to the recliner for while. Tried the bed again periodically until it felt good enough. After a couple of months, it was much better.

I found (even now 4+ months post-op) that having a pillow that I can sort of pull/hug into my sternum area while sleeping on my side seems to help with extra support.
 
Interesting reply from JKM7. Usually people report it takes a long time before they can sleep on the left side (I know it did for me), rather than the right. When you lie on the left, your insides kind of put a little pressure on your heart, which can cause harmless, but annoying PACs and PVCs (palpitations) and other discomfort.

Eventually, you get over it. Interestingly, I think it contributes to a misinterpretation in early post-op echoes of extra palpitations, as they usually make you lie on your left side to perform the echo, as it sort of "pins" your heart in place for them...

Best wishes,
 
At about 6 weeks post op my home nurse suggested that I try lying on my right side for a bit during the day to get used to it again. I put a pillow behind my back and started with a 60 degree angle and led up to a full 90 degree side position. For my actual sleeping, I have gotten so used to sleeping on my back that I still do it. (small pillow under knees).
 
I still find it too uncomfortable to sleep on either side after 2 weeks. The problem with that is that I can only get half way through the night on my back before getting uncomfortable with that. So I am often up sitting in a chair at 2 or 3am. Watching TV if I can't sleep. I'm sure this will improve with time, and as I can catch upon sleep during the day I'm not too concerned yet.
 
Thanks for all the feedback - I see this is a pretty common problem for many. I have been fortunate to sleep really well in the recliner. I will try a couple of extra pillows front and back for my side sleeping. I didn't notice much of a difference right or left, but I think hugging a pillow in front of me will really help.

Karl.
 
tobagotwo said:
Interesting reply from JKM7. Usually people report it takes a long time before they can sleep on the left side (I know it did for me), rather than the right. When you lie on the left, your insides kind of put a little pressure on your heart, which can cause harmless, but annoying PACs and PVCs (palpitations) and other discomfort.
,
Click to expand...


Sorry to be contrary to the 'usual' . I can only report my personal experience. :)

As we say here often, everyone is different.
 
I am a side sleeper too. Yep, hug the pillow, it does help. I know it was a few weeks before I could sleep on my side. I remember when I did, I could not sleep on my side all night. Eventually I was able to.
 
Hugging a big pillow helps a lot at this stage. As for me, I slept on my side (slanted) as of the first night after surgery with several pillows supporting my back. When I got home, my hubby would move the pillows from one side to another during the night.
 
I started trying to sleep on my side even the last couple of days in the hospital since I just can't really sleep on my back. When I got home, I slept on my side right away, even my left side. It took a lot of time to switch from one side to the other, and I think I used muscles in my back that I had never used (to try to not use muscles in my chest)! I did wake up the first week to 10 days at about 4:00 a.m. every morning without being able to fall back to sleep, but it was not because of the soreness. I just couldn't get back to sleep. I think I just figured, though, that it was either sleeping on my side or not sleeping at all!!
 
I think I've pretty much forgotten my timetable (recliner to bed to side....) but I do know that I scavenged every pillow in the house for myself and that was wonderful.

You can get 2 King size pillows at Costco for a sensible price. Brace yourself behind and put one or two in front of you so your arm can rest over the pillow (I actually still sleep like this it is so comfortable for me). I also found that if I kind of made a chair out of the bed I was lying in.... propped myself up in back, gave myself two "armrests" out of pillows and then put a smaller squishy one over my tummy, I could really sleep for a long time.

It gets better!

Best wishes.

Marguerite
 
I was surprised that I could sleep on my left side even in the hospital -- despite the face that it had been uncomfortable to do so pre-op for several years.
I had been a right-side sleeper for years due to the discomfort on my left side.

However, I did have discomfort sleeping for several weeks at least post-op. Didn't have a recliner.
 
jkm7 said:
Sorry to be contrary to the 'usual' . I can only report my personal experience.

As we say here often, everyone is different.
Reply With Quote
Click to expand...
Not at all a complaint: the fact that you broke the mold was what made it interesting. We do all react differently, and your sleeping response is a solid reminder of that.

Best wishes,
 
Thanks to extra pillows front and back I slept through the night, most of it on my side. Compared to the recliner, there is some more upper chest pressure, and I notice my heart thumping louder for a while after lying down, but I got used to it quickly. I had some more sore muscles in the morning as well, but I am mostly glad to be back in my bed again.

Thanks for all the advice.

Karl.
 
i was sleeping on my side right after surgery. ofcourse with alot of pillows. no matter what position i slept in i couldn't sleep all night maybe 3 hours at a time. i would get up for a few minutes and then go back to bed. sleep comes easier as time goes by. after a while i noticed if i didn't allow myself to take a nap in the afternoon that i would sleep all night. i had to figure something out as i had get my sleeping pattern back so i could adjust better when i went back to work.
 
I'm a "side sleeper" and it was, if I remember, it was about four weeks before I could sleep on my side ... I never spent the night in my recliner, started off in bed, propped up a bit and on my back... everyone is different.
 
I slept on my side in my recliner! I guess that's not officially my "side" since it wasn't totally on my side, but that's what I did when I got home, as well as the more classic recliner position.

I am a year post-op and I still can't lay on my left side. Pre-surgery, I couldn't lay on my right side.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top