Getting comfortable

Does anyone have any tips for getting comfortable at home? It hurts to sit up because of the pressure on my repairs but my back and legs are killing me laying down all the time. Can I sleep on my side? I'm really terrified of ripping stitches!

Hello, I am new to this forum and I had my surgery last Wed, no sleeping position is comfortable for me, sitting I have to have pillows propped up behind me for support, try lying on your side with a pillow , a small pillow or if you have a long body pillow try it out, basically you have to try different positions to see what works best for you.

I was told to sleep proped up for the first week and it does help to have your legs proped up too. sleeping is so hard after surgery, talk to your dr . i took my last painpill 40 min befor bed so it was kicked in when i went to sleep. a body pillow was a great help too
hugs
lisa

DH and I were just discussing this last night. Surgery was 12/3 and I found right away I could not lie down flat. When I did I actually had chest pains and could not breath. We believed that was due to gas they pumped me with and when I lied down flat it traveled upwards. I tried a couple of time to lie on my side and that was uncomfortable also. I also need to keep my arms across my chest because it hurts my incision and abdomen when put them on my stomach. So I lie inclined on 2 pillows and take 1 vicoden before bed to knock me out and I have been sleeping well, but I do wake up with back pain some mornings. I am just thinking about trying to lie flat again and roll side to side to see how it feels.

I feel like a vampire right now because I wake up in the exact same position that I fall asleep in and my arms are crossed on my chest.

Try sleeping on your left side ( helps wind go round the right way!) with a pillow between your knees to support your tummy and back. Or try lying at a slight incline on your back with a pillow under your knees so your tummy isn't as stretched. Keep rocking your pelvis back and forth, sometimes a little movement helps as well.

I had problems sleeping flat on my back when I first came home - made me cough which hurt lots. I wished I had the hospital bed that moved at the press of a button!

Started off sleeping propped up on 2 or 3 pillows, still on my back, and then found having a pillow under my knees was better than keeping my legs flat. Tried sleeping on my side, but found it pulled the abdominal incision and hurt. Now 2 weeks later still using 2 pillows and sometimes have the one under my knees.

Worst thing needing to pee every 2 hours at first and having to get out of the bed without hurting myself. I thought the painkillers would knock me out, but I haven't slept through the night yet. Still getting up a couple of times and hope this will pass soon.

Also found it good to use a small pillow on my lower abdomen at the beginning to stop the duvet feeling like it was pushing down on my scar.

Luckily I had a TVH so I don't have an incision to worry about. If I prop myself up too much then I end up putting too much pressure on my posterior repair but if I lay down too much my back hurts! Ugh. I do have two pillows under my knees which helps a lot. I tried rolling on my side with a pillow between my legs and under my belly for support but that felt like it pulled too much on my belly and it hurt my incisions on my groin for my sling. Ugh. I SO wish I has that hospital bed still too!!