sleeping post-op on your back
(deactivated member)
on 10/25/10 4:32 am
on 10/25/10 4:32 am
I'm a side sleeper. I'm having a LBL and arm lift Nov. 5th and I will have to sleep on my back during the recuperation period. I just can't see how I will survive. I remember going for my sleep apnea testing and having to sleep on my back for an hour - it was worse than any medieval torture device .
How am I going to do it night, after night after night? How did you deal with it? Any tricks?
I have decided not to rent a lift chair to sleep in because I've always found them to be uncomfortable but I will buy extra pillows and DH is staying home for as long as I need him.
How am I going to do it night, after night after night? How did you deal with it? Any tricks?I have decided not to rent a lift chair to sleep in because I've always found them to be uncomfortable but I will buy extra pillows and DH is staying home for as long as I need him.
You won't be able to lay completely flat on your back. You will have to have a pillow or two for your head and upper body and then a pillow or two under your knees. After about the first week or two, I was sleeping comfortably on my side. And if it gets too bad, you can prop pillows up around your stomach and back to support yourself.
Andrea
SW 228 - lowest weight - 132 - CW 160
Gastric Sleeve - July 2009
BL/BA/TT - August 2010
TT#2/Full circumfrential lift - July 2014
(deactivated member)
on 10/25/10 4:48 am
on 10/25/10 4:48 am
On October 25, 2010 at 11:38 AM Pacific Time, daisymay228 wrote:
You won't be able to lay completely flat on your back. You will have to have a pillow or two for your head and upper body and then a pillow or two under your knees. After about the first week or two, I was sleeping comfortably on my side. And if it gets too bad, you can prop pillows up around your stomach and back to support yourself.I'm thinking of trying to sleep on my back a little bit now to get used to it. Did anyone do that?
I had my lbl 3 weeks ago and was on my sides by day 7 or 8. You just gotta move around slowly. I never used a recliner for sleeping, I went straight to the bed the first night out of the hospital. I really never had much pain at all and never even took the vicodin the Doc prescribed until the second week when I started my period and got cramps, lol.
Laura
Laura
(deactivated member)
on 10/25/10 1:11 pm
on 10/25/10 1:11 pm
On October 25, 2010 at 6:24 PM Pacific Time, laurak712 wrote:
I had my lbl 3 weeks ago and was on my sides by day 7 or 8. You just gotta move around slowly. I never used a recliner for sleeping, I went straight to the bed the first night out of the hospital. I really never had much pain at all and never even took the vicodin the Doc prescribed until the second week when I started my period and got cramps, lol. Laura
I'm glad to see that you didn't use a recliner - I hope I'm as lucky as you and don't need vicodin. I'm post menopause so I'm thankful I won't get my period - you must have been miserable.
You might feel like you can be on your sides after a week or so but you really need to keep your arms elevated as much as you can when you're sleeping. That's going to be hard to do on your side. I slept in a recliner after all of my procedures and used pillows everywhere I could stuff them.
Renee
I
My DS SW/263 CW/136 GW/150
(deactivated member)
on 10/25/10 1:14 pm
on 10/25/10 1:14 pm
On October 25, 2010 at 7:26 PM Pacific Time, Renee2007 wrote:
You might feel like you can be on your sides after a week or so but you really need to keep your arms elevated as much as you can when you're sleeping. That's going to be hard to do on your side. I slept in a recliner after all of my procedures and used pillows everywhere I could stuff them.
I agree with this one. I get TERRIBLE swelling in my arms/hands if I don't sleep with them up on pillows. I kinda look like the Queen of Sheba up there - but it works for me.
Proud Member of the Cambridge Crew! 
HW293/LW147/CW158 Height 5'9" Working on Maintenance!
Fleur de lis TT and Brachioplasty - Oct. 19, 2010 Breast reduction and scar revision August 2, 2011
HW293/LW147/CW158 Height 5'9" Working on Maintenance!
Fleur de lis TT and Brachioplasty - Oct. 19, 2010 Breast reduction and scar revision August 2, 2011
Aloha SO-
There are several reasons why you sleep in the "W" position after a CLBL- reducing tension on the abdominal wall musculature, reducing the risk of clots with the knees slightly bent and improving lymphatic drainage from the lower half of the body during a time when you are moving around and exercising less, reducing pressure sores ( bedsores) and friction, for example.
On recommendation from my PS office, I purchased 3 Tempurpedic pillows from the Relax the Back store- a large offset triangle for reclining, a smaller triangle for under your knees, and a curvy wedge pillow to support your arms or position under your neck. The store clerk demonstrated how to set them up so your body is nestled in the proper position and they don't move around. They are portable so you are not stuck in one room as you might be with a recliner or hospital bed. They have washable covers and are easy to keep clean. The memory foam is wonderful, cradles your body and gives just the right amount of support. I found them absolutely essential, and since then...
My neighbor borrowed them post double mastectomy, my 2 kids used them when they had their wisdom teeth out within a few days of each other, and my other friend just returned then after borrowing them for her CLBL/BL/BA procedure. I was a side sleeper as well, and hated back sleeping after my VSG- but these pillows made it so much easier. I plan on writing off the cost when I write off the surgery on my income taxes since only part of it was covered by insurance, but feel I have gotten terrific value from them. Regular pilows do not have the firm support the Temperpedics do, and there is a variety of ways to configure them to ease your recovery.
Check it out! XOXOLori
There are several reasons why you sleep in the "W" position after a CLBL- reducing tension on the abdominal wall musculature, reducing the risk of clots with the knees slightly bent and improving lymphatic drainage from the lower half of the body during a time when you are moving around and exercising less, reducing pressure sores ( bedsores) and friction, for example.
On recommendation from my PS office, I purchased 3 Tempurpedic pillows from the Relax the Back store- a large offset triangle for reclining, a smaller triangle for under your knees, and a curvy wedge pillow to support your arms or position under your neck. The store clerk demonstrated how to set them up so your body is nestled in the proper position and they don't move around. They are portable so you are not stuck in one room as you might be with a recliner or hospital bed. They have washable covers and are easy to keep clean. The memory foam is wonderful, cradles your body and gives just the right amount of support. I found them absolutely essential, and since then...
My neighbor borrowed them post double mastectomy, my 2 kids used them when they had their wisdom teeth out within a few days of each other, and my other friend just returned then after borrowing them for her CLBL/BL/BA procedure. I was a side sleeper as well, and hated back sleeping after my VSG- but these pillows made it so much easier. I plan on writing off the cost when I write off the surgery on my income taxes since only part of it was covered by insurance, but feel I have gotten terrific value from them. Regular pilows do not have the firm support the Temperpedics do, and there is a variety of ways to configure them to ease your recovery.
Check it out! XOXOLori
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