HELP! Sleeping after surgery

I need some help.  I had my RNY on Monday April 20th.  I came home on Wednesday afternoon.  Both Wednesday and Thursday nights I didn't sleep all night and had some lower back pain and tried to roll over on my side but it was the worse pain I have ever had in my life.  Each night the pain of sleeping on my back is getting worse.  My dear sweet husband wakes up everytime I move my little toe.  He was up most of the night last night trying to rub my back and help me get back to sleep.  We even tried moving me out to my recliner chair in the living room but I think that made it worse.  I really just want to sleep on my side.  Does anyone have any ideas how I can do this or what I need to do?  My doctor did tell me that when he was doing my RNY that he had to remove a lot of scar tissue which is what I think is causing me not to be able to sleep on my side.  Any ideas? Suggestion?  HELP!!!!  My poor hubby has been so great and hasn't said complained or anything.  But I know he needs his sleep.  He goes back to work on Monday and won't be here for a week.  I still have my teenagers that are more than willing to help rub my back or anything I need.

Thanks
Cherryl / dewy3

Cherryl -

If you still have some pain meds... you may want to take them at night... I also took Liquid Tylenol PM at night.... and still do if I have trouble getting to sleep. 

I hope you can get some sleep...

Helen

Even tho I didn't do RNY, I was not able to sleep on either side for a few days, but I was able to sleep half on my back half on my side (hard to describe). 

What Helen said, take pain meds at night.  It helped alot!

Feel better soon!

The only time I need the pain meds is at night.  They get me to sleep but within 2 hours I am back up and in more pain than when I went to bed.  I think after my husband leaves for work (he is a truck driver) I will use his pillows and extra blanket to put under my stomach and then my back so I am only sort of sleeping on my back. 

Thanks for the help.

You might also want to try a small pillow between your legs in addition to the ones along your back. I slept in a chair the first couple of nights.
Good luck!
Debra

I couldn't sleep on my side for several weeks after surgery, just do the best you can and don't be afraid to take a nap during the day.  Personally I lived in my recliner for about the first 10 days.

Thanks to everyone for the ideas.  I managed a couple of extra hours of sleep last night.  My husband took one of the really thin pillows and put in under my stomach on the side I wanted to sleep on.  Then took a couple of pillows and put them behind my back/side.  So I wasn't completely on my side but it did allow me to get some sleep.  I thought about this when I got up this morning.  But has anyone ever used like Ace banages to wrap around their middle section to sort of hold themselves in to help sleep on their sides?

Cherryl / dewy3

I slept on the couch for the first 8 days, then when I moved to the bed, I put a pillow under my stomach. Now I can sleep any way I want. It will get better! Hang in there

I had my DS on the 21st, and got my first night of sleeping on my side last night which went a long way to make my back feel better. Those nights of sleeping up in the hospital bed, my parent's recliner and then my own bed did not help.

Until last night, I had been using my Snoogle Pillow. It's a big C shaped pillow I bought to wrap around me while pregnant (I got it at babies R us). But you can also pretzel it up on itself so that it is sort of like an arm chair. Before I would go to sleep I'd make sure I was supported on both sides since I figured most of my back pain was slumping a little to the side while I slept.

The Snoogle was also invaluable last night resting my whole body on it while laying on my side.

I'm sorry my only answer to the back pain is sleep on your side >.<

Thanks for that idea.  I may have to look into one if I can't seem to get to where I can sleep without something.  I am willing to try just about anything.  I want some good sleep.