sleeping on the operated sight and breaking the rule question

[alst]

Hello,
I am close to 3 weeks after the LBHR. Everything is going fine, my staples were removed at 2 weeks check up and the incision is healing well. I am walking with a cane and still have some swelling in the lower thigh/knee and foot areas, but it is much less than used to be at the peak between days 5 and 12. My question to the board is if it is safe to sleep on the operated side and when i could start breaking the 90 degrees rule as well as put on socks and etc. Thank you. Best. Al

[obxpelican]

Al,

I put a body pillow between my knees and just rolled over into a side sleeping position, you would have to be curled over pretty far to break that 90 degree rule.

Ask your doctor, but a lot of doctors simply tell the patients to turn slowly and go for it.  I got some pain the first time, but man it was like heaven to sleep on my side once the pain went away.  I am a side sleeper, always have been and that was one of the things that worried me most before the surgery.

As far as socks, you would be breaking the rule as you have to bend over pretty far to do that, I used a sock puller, it worked great.

Good luck.


Chuck

[bothdone]

Before my first BHR I was really worried about being able to sleep on my back.  It was something I never did.    I got used to it quite quickly.  For my second BHR I had no problem with it at all.   Now I find it relaxing to lie on my back and quite often do so.

Ed

[Lopsided]

Three days out I was sleeping on my operated side, or at least trying to. I would lie on it for about ten or twenty minutes and then switch to the other side. I have never slept on my back and that was the only way I could sleep. Strange thing was, when I woke up, I found I was on my back.

I kept using a pillow between my legs till eight weeks out, but I found a thin old threadbare pillow was better than a thick fluffy one.

[23109VC]

why not just keep sleeping on your back?

I used to ALWAYS sleep on my stomach.  I could NOT sleep on my back at all... then I started to develop this numbness in my left arm... b/c I had it up under my pillow when I slept on my stomach...  I never saw a dr for the numbness but it ONLY happened in the midddle of the night or AM when I woke up AFTER I had slept on my stomach... my neighbor a PT and internet research suggested it was a pinched nerve or compressed one casued by sleeping with my arms over my head... I forced myself to sleep on my back.. which for a fwe nights was HARD..but when I slept on my back my arms were fine..no falling asleep..so I forced myself to do it... and now I fall asleep on my back fine...  i woudl still prefer to sleep on my stomach, but the back sleeping isf ine..  having a comfy bed and nice sheets/pillows helps too...  id' fricking buy an ew bed if I had too.. bed dealers are like used car sealeman and will wheel n deal like crazy..

we got them to knowck of a LOT from the "sticker price" and ahve a VERY VERY VERY nice / $$ bed... and wow does it makes leping better..  we also got a big one.. our three small kids routinely "sneaK' into our bed late at night and I wake up with a 3 year olds feet in my face a lot ... 

anyway..force yourself to sleep on your back for aw hile and it will be easy in time... 

not to go off topic tgoo much..but in college I took a sleep and dreaming class....  the teacher talked about techniques to make yourself fall asleep better...  this will help you get to sleep on your back...  you need to day dream.   the brainwaves created during day dreaming are similar to the brainwaves that occur when you first fall alspee...  you have to have a daydream that is someting pleaseant, not sexual, and something that you keep the same very night...  for example, you coudl have a daydream that you taking your child to the zoo.. you woudl day dream about pdrivn to the zoo, parking, waiting in line, getting in, walking to the various exhibits.. eating lucnh.etc.  keep the dream the same every night and each night you just 'start" the daydream and slowly go through it in hoyour head... do it over and over each night.. preety son your brain is trained taht this "dream" precedes sleeping, and the brainwaves you cfreate mimic the waves before sleep and helps your brain fall aslseep. i've been doing this for years and fall asleep in 10 min or so or less evvvery night... if you dream aobut naked men/women it won't work..sorry.   you can dream about being superman and flying around saving people, about the zoon, about whatever you want.. as long as it's the same very nightand it's something pleasant for you to think about...  good luck.

[littleb]

The answer for the 90 degree rule is when your doctor says so. Sleeping on your side with a pillow is pretty much when you can tolerate it as long as long as you don't cross the midpoint of your body. The pillow keeps you from doing that.