Trouble sleeping Post op

[blackcountryboob]

 hi guys

ok I am two days post op and I have a question about sleep positions. My vest is fairly tight so that causes some discomfort at night and the added pressure of trying to sleep on my back means I am developing some lower back pain :-(. It's preventin me sleeping so I was rondering if anyone else has any advice?

[Bman41]

Can you sleep in a recliner?  I had rotator cuff surgery and I can tell you for sure, there is NO way you are lying down for at least 6 weeks after.  I had to sleep in my recliner with my feet on cushions because it was my right arm and if the feet were up, I was stuck....  Not good.... 

Try sitting up in a recliner and have feet up, might help for a few days.  How long till you get the vest off?

[blackcountryboob]

Unfortunately I don't have a recliner to hand but I think having my feet at a raised incline is  a very good suggestion as it's my lower back. I have to wear the vest fir upto 6 weeks at night I am hoping after a couple of weeks I can go back to sleeping on my side.

Thanks for the advice :-)

[Bman41]

Many times lower back discomfort can be helped by laying down and knees bent 90 degree angle.  You can get a foam triangle to rest on if you can't get good sleep holding them there by yourself.

I highly recommend if there is no injury to the back, stretch your hamstrings.  The hammies often in lifting or bending over much, will tighten up and pull the lower back and make it hurt like heck, I mean bad.  Since I figured this out I get lower back pain and get in the bathroom and do some serious stretching and the pain is often gone in very very short time.  No amount of pain meds can do what a good stretch will do.

I don't know how the vest will impede stretching or if it will cause any other problems, might give the dr office a jingle to ask to be safe, don't want to rip and damage anything from your surgery.

If putting knees up at 90 degree angle helps, likely the stretching is what is needed.  It will do a very very mild stretch, but it takes the stress off the lower back. 

Hope it helps and you get some sleep and get better soon!

[kingboob]

This is pretty normal post op in my experience.    Bending the knees does help a fair bit but does not really feel like a natural position to sleep in. 

 Make sure you take some pain killers an hour or so before going to bed. I find that  Ibuprofen generally lasts overnight but  if you do wake up in the middle of the night you can always top it up with some paracetamol or co-codamol. 

[blackcountryboob]

Thanks for the advice guys, need to do something as iwoke this morning to a dull ache in my left foot ontop of the backache. I have a feeling it maybe a trapped nerve due to the position. It has got steadily more achy as the day has gone by, I have nit injured it so I can think of no other explanation. Has any one else got any similar experience with this?

Cheers

[Bman41]

Can't think of anything else.  Melatonin is a natural sleep agent, so if you can find might help the sleep. 

Will pray you get better quick and get some sleep.

[blackcountryboob]

Can't think of anything else.  Melatonin is a natural sleep agent, so if you can find might help the sleep. 

Will pray you get better quick and get some sleep.

Cheers Bman :-) ironically it's the ache in my foot that's causing me the most discomfort now lol

[blackcountryboob]

I phoned Levicks office and he replied promptly and advised me to sleep on my side or preferably my stomach. The only issuewith sleeping on your side is, it loosens the pressure frm the vest. Just curious did anyone else face a similar issue?