Article: Help - How Do I Get out of Bed After Hysterectomy?

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Article: Help - How Do I Get out of Bed After Hysterectomy?
Are there any tricks or hints for getting in and out of bed? I’m having a hard time getting up by myself. Do you have any ideas for me?

There are several ideas we can share with you that might be of help:

Use a recliner as a bed. It can be set to lay back enough to let you sleep and yet easy enough to get out.
Use pillows to prop yourself up and make yourself comfortable in your bed.
Use a pillow wedge to prop yourself in a semi-reclining position in your bed.
Prop up the head of your bed using bricks. Elevating your head can help you to get up from this position.
Sleep on the couch. The reach to get off the couch isn’t as far as a bed.
From bed or couch, roll to your side and push up your arms.
Put a sturdy kitchen chair next to your bed, with the back facing the bed, to use as a rail, giving yourself a grip.
Purchase an “Abnostrain” from the HysterSisters Store. It’s a helpful device created just for this purpose.

Instructions “How to get out of bed?”

First: Turn over to the side you are getting up from. Do not try to sit bolt upright. By turning to your side you are using less front abdominal muscles and using more of the side muscles and your arms.

Second:As you are all the way over on your side, with the elbow on the down side of you, start to push up and at the same time put your other arm in front of you to help push you up to a sitting position. (This is kind of like walking your arms along until you are upright). It helps to have your feet just about hanging over the edge also, but not too much or that stretches in a way that hurts. As you push yourself up you need to drop your feet down.

Reverse: To get back down you should do just the reverse. Do not let yourself flop back down straight. It really hurts and you have no control over how fast you are going and you will tighten up those abdominal muscles in a very jerky way to try to slow yourself down.

Instead, lower yourself onto your elbow, using the opposite arm in front of you to brace yourself going down on your side. Do not turn until you are all the way down and your knees are up on the bed. Once you are totally down and on your side, then turn over. To adjust yourself bring your knees up a bit and dig your heels in and lift your bottom or hips to adjust yourself - use your legs, not your stomach muscles if possible. Prop yourself up with pillows behind you, pillows under your knees to take the strain off your abdominal muscles.

Good body mechanics for any abdominal or back surgery is what is important. Try this some before you have surgery for practice.

This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support.