How can I keep myself upright while sleeping?

@naoshapiro1 Sorry for the two typos, I dont know how the word sh*t got in, I didn't mean it to be there at all, it makes no sense, and throat coat tea with slippery elm is a good tea for the burning of reflux, also I take two tums per day sometimes for burping which helps at about 10am. I work with a nutritionist doctor and have made my food 99% vegan with banana, hemp hearts, hemp powder, oatmeal, kiwi, dried mulberry, sourdough bread pecan butter, pumpkin seed butter walnut butter and some I make on my own with a food grinder I even grind my hemp seeds and I puree my einkorn, carrots, bok choy and fennel all cooked and weighed by the grams or ounces, I eat very little at a time, no more than 8 ounces, though my breakfast and lunch are more in weight, I eat very slowly. I hope this helps.

@cjj2 I use a wedge pillow and sometimes even a pillow under my knees. I still slide down through the night but not too far. I used to sleep all curled up in a fetal fasion until the need to sleep on my back became important. The wedge helps a lot, but I also stay up later so I'll sleep quicker and when I finally lay down on my back I do meditation and concentrate on feeling the whole of my back including shoulders touching the pillow. I ordered this: "Bedluxe Wedge Pillow Headboard, 3PCS Orthopedic Bed Wedge Pillows Set for After Surgery, Adjustable Pillow Wedge for Acid Reflux&Back Pain Relief, Sleeping, Back Pillow for Bed Sitting Up" from Amazon.

Hi, Naomi,
Yes, I figured sh*t wasn’t the word you were looking for but it sure made me laugh. Autocorrect is goofy sometimes! The slippery elm throat coat tea sounds good. I’ll check with my pharmacist first. It sounds like you have found a routine and some foods that work pretty well for you. I think it’s very interesting & really appreciate that you’ve shared what you’ve learned from your healthcare providers and from your own experience.
Thanks, again,
Connie J.

@omaest
Hi, Omaest,
Thanks for your message about the wedge pillows, etc. Before the esophagectomy, I was most comfortable sleeping on my side or stomach because of postnasal drip. My goal is to sleep on my back at a 30 degree angle - one of the doctors was very specific about this. It seems like it would be a fairly easy thing to do but it’s been frustrating & very challenging. Thanks very much for the specific name of the product you found on Amazon! That helps immensely.
Connie J.

Buy a couple landscape bricks at home improvement store put bed frame legs at headboard on top of bricks

Thanks very much.
Connie J.

@cjj2 I'm on Medicare, so they paid for a hospital-style bed for me. The "bare-bones" beds are not that expensive, if your insurance won't cover it. Used ones frequently come on the market. I have a small inclinometer, which attaches to the bed frame magnetically. Each night, I turn it on and punch the decline button on the control and lower the head until the instrument reads 34 degrees. (I read in bed at a higher angle.) That's it. I've tried all the other methods, even a slanted mattress. Nothing has worked until this...

For the first 3 years after my esophajectomy I couldn’t sleep through the night. I had always slept on my side or stomach. I purchase an adjustable bed, which only allowed me to sleep on my back. (My wife also didn’t care to sleep on her back)
I tried a couple of shot bed wedges, but I constantly found myself slipping/sliding down the wedge. When I tried sleeping on my side with the short wedges, my thighs would cramp up during the night. Two years ago I was on Amazon and found…. Avana super slant full length bed wedge $189.00. It’s been a life changer for me! It’s very comfortable and allows me to sleep on my side! Its about 7“ thick at the headboard, I place a pillow under it at headboard. During the night I have the option to slide one leg over side of the wedge (towards my wife).
I noticed today that Amazon now sells an additional 4” thick full bed wedge $124? Not really thick enough but maybe an additional option for some people.

Hi, brianpj12,
Thanks for posting your message. This looks like an option that might work.
Thanks, again!

Hi, Omaest,
Thanks for posting your message. This is good information, even about the inclinometer.
Thanks, again!
Connie J.