I'm still a couple months away from surgery but thinking about recovering already.

One question I had is concerning ways to enhance comfort once returning home from the hospital.

Is it advisable to not lay fully flat but slightly elevated on both ends ?

I also wondered about simply buying a recliner now since our downstairs chairs are rigid wing backs.

It may be easier if I recover a couple days in the recliner vs having to go upstairs to the bedroom.

It is definitely easier to sleep with your head elevated. I fortunately have an adjustable bed and a recliner.

It was a few weeks before laying flat on my back or side was possible.

Also when you wake up from surgery they actually have your head very elevated.

Thanks for the insight.

I may be having an umbilical hernia repaired at the same time. The two prior times I had this done (hernia repair) were open incisions.....both outpatient at a surgicenter close to home.....two miles.

I didn't know about being elevated on either procedure. Sure would have been better to recover two days in a hospital bed.

Edited August 25, 201510 yr by Dub

I slept fine in a bed. The pain for me was manageable with Tylenol, which was great because my doctor will not prescribe pain meds unless you stay in the hospital. I just used pillows. Good luck

I slept in the bed. Propped up on pillows. But a few times I ended up laying flat on the bed. Miserably difficult to get up. My husband had to help me the first few days. If you're going to be home alone, I recommend a recliner.

@@Dub you always ask such great question that I hadn't even thought about yet.

@@Dub you always ask such great question that I hadn't even thought about yet.

Thanks.

I wished I'd have asked before the first hernia repair. Sure would have been much, much easier to get out of the bed.

Dub, I don't have a recliner either, so I asked on FB if anyone had one they could let go of for 2-4 weeks. Got several offers! Yay- don't have to spend that money or change my decor!

I slept flat the first day. I thought it was harder to get out of a recliner than a regular chair.

My wife had to rescue me a couple times from the recliner...I couldn't get back straight and the foot stool down by myself for a couple days.

I didn't sleep in my bed for almost a week (guess I am a wimp). It hurt me to get in and out of our recliner too. So I slept in one of our chairs that is very comfy and has an ottoman and I was able to rest well in that. However, a few friends that had it done swore by the recliner.

I'm still a couple months away from surgery but thinking about recovering already.

One question I had is concerning ways to enhance comfort once returning home from the hospital.

Is it advisable to not lay fully flat but slightly elevated on both ends ?

I also wondered about simply buying a recliner now since our downstairs chairs are rigid wing backs.

It may be easier if I recover a couple days in the recliner vs having to go upstairs to the bedroom.

@@Dub, I slept in my bed when I came home from the hospital and I used a pillow to my side so I didn't roll to the center or any other part of the bed. The only real issue I had was getting myself in the sitting stage in the morning and hurt very bad using my stomach. My advice would be to have someone help you be able to sit up in bed in the morning. I did also like to use an extra pillow under my head so I was not flat out of my back. I'm now two weeks post op and feeling much better about sleeping but still use an extra pillow that I hold on my stomach and like hug the pillow and he makes me feel better until I am totally healed. I hope this helps some. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask ????????

Thanks everyone !!!

Great ideas.

I slept one night in my recliner, but then slept fine in the bed. I propped some pillows around myself. I was lucky that my incisions did not cause me any pain.

I have a recliner, I tried it out when I first got home-couldn't move well enough to even make it recline-too much pain and not enough strength, then I had to have help getting out of it. So, lots of pillows on my bed-the one thing I was glad I bought was a body pillow-that was very helpful! Slept in my bed every night, glad I did!

Be careful with the recliner. We were all advised NOT to use them. It's even written in our informational binder. The reason we were given is that it is attributed to blood clots in your legs because of the way your legs rest on the lower portion of the recliner. Just something to keep in mind...