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Sleeping on Stomach



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I've been a tummy sleeper all my life. It has always been the only position I can fall asleep. After surgery, how long will it be before I can return to tummy sleeping? 3 weeks away from surgery and my mind is racing.

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Hi, I had my surgery on 12-14, so 12 days ago, and I woke up a few nights ago on my tummy after not being able to sleep on it since the surgery. I am able to go to sleep on it as well.

Good luck!

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I am the same way, tummy sleeper all the way. I was scared I won't be able to sleep on my back after surgery so I asked my surgeon and he said I can sleep on it right after surgery no problem. I slept one day on my side just because I felt safer doing that for at least one day. But after day 2 on I was sleeping on my stomach no problem. I took my time slowly turning on to my stomach to get ready for bed but I was just fine when I woke up etc.

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Day 5, back to sleeping on my stomach!

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Each person is a bit different. I started sleeping on my stomach again the second day after surgery. It just depends. Good luck.

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At day 5 I woke up on my belly, your body will always try to do it but the pain will prevent you. When it doesn't hurt anymore, your body will adjust. Took me 5 days however, I was using a small pillow the hospital gave me "support" my belly like I was pregnant, that was a huge help!

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I was able to sleep on my stomach without pain about 4 weeks after surgery.

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Dedicated tummy sleeper, but after surgery I got used to sleeping on my back to avoid the pain. It's easier if you make a U-shaped pillow border around you. I probably won't go back to sleeping on my stomach till the pain from my incisions subsides since I just got operated on less than three days ago!

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maybe 8-9 days out...it doesn't hurt anymore but its not the most comfortable either

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Tummy sleeper for 50 years. Following my surgery, I slept on my back initially because I had a drain in. After a week or so I could lean more and more onto my side to sleep. Using pillows to support my stomach I slept that way for quite awhile. I can now sleep totally comfortably on my stomach as normal. That started around month 4 post op for me.

Don't worry about this, you will get through it.

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4-5 days. Just make sure the first 3-4 days you use ice packs on your incision areas to reduce the swelling.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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