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[Guest guest]

Hi and Lois! Just adding more to the sleep story

Yes, some of my nest pillows were big, " floor " pillows. I had them

propped on my sides, too - so I COULDN'T roll over.....I could not

stand that blasted wedge, and ditched it the minute I got home. I

slept with a pillowcase stuffed with a quilt between my legs. It

also let me bend my knees to sleep on my side. I'm not advocating

that everyone do this - I'm a very light sleeper, and was aware of

where my legs were as I slept, if that makes sense.

My PT had mentioned that it was a good idea to lay on the operated

side for a few minutes each day - sort of forced any pooled fluids

to move out of the way. I was sleeping on my operated side by week

3; and didn't have much problem with swelling, either.

Best wishes!

Deb

> > I am NOT a back

> >sleeper and have to be soooo exhausted in order to sleep that

> >way. Normally I am a side sleeper. I know I'll be needed my

> >rest after surgery, so have any of you resurfs slept on your side

as

> >soon as you were released from the hospital? I know I'd be OK

on

> >my side with a pillow between the knees to prevent leg

> >slipping...that I can do.

> Lois,

>

> I am not a back sleeper either, and I was shocked that I had NO

trouble

> with it in the hospital. I was on very little in the way of pain

> medication, so I can't even really credit that ;-). I did get

> uncomfortable every once in awhile, and the nurses offered to turn

me on to

> my side (armed with loads of pillows to prevent the leg dropping

in front

> of the other knee. I was embarrassed because after all that work

they went

> to, I could only stay like that for about ten minutes. I finally

learned

> that when I felt like that, I just needed to get out of bed and

take a

> short walk in the halls--I was fine after that.

>

> When I got home, it was a whole 'nuther story. My mom and I ended

up

> buying a couple of very large (not as big as body pillow) size

pillows. I

> would tuck one under my knees (I later found out was not such a

good idea),

> and another at my side, with yet another regular pillow stuffed

anywhere I

> felt it needed to be. Even then, I was only good for about three

hours

> before pillows needed to be adjusted or I needed to move or

> something. Fortunately that is short-lived. I was sleeping on

the

> unoperated hip approx. 3 weeks post -op. I enjoyed that for about

a week,

> then had the second one done. Surprisingly, as slow as it was for

me to

> get off crutches and the cane and things like that, some things

were much

> quicker on that side. I slept on my stomach about 2 weeks post-op

and

> could sleep on the first op side soon after that.

>

> Like a lot of things in this whole hippy adventure, you will know

when you

> can do something (following doc restrictions of course) when you

can. One

> day you will be totally unable to do something (like sleeping on

your side)

> and the next day it will be quite comfortable.

>

>

> Conserve Plus 5/25/01 and 6/28/01