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Trust your gut instinct Pillow advice for sleep after shoulder surgery
I had shoulder surgery to repair 3 torn tendons and the bicep muscle. I have posted in here several times about the pain that I was still feeling and have gotten some good advice, but the doctor insisted that I was fine. My surgery was in Oct. 2018. In December 2019, I finally got the doctor to send me for an MRI on my shoulder. They found that one of the tendons had torn again. I was told I needed surgery again and that the bicep muscle was fully healed and had nothing to do with the issue. I realized that I had lost all faith in this doctor, so I went to another surgeon, for a second opinion, one that had an excellent reputation and specialized in the issues I was having. He was wonderful. He very carefully went over all my MRI's, worked with the shoulder to see where the pain was. I told him that my bicep mucle was still hurting and he looked at it and pressed on a spot that was extremely painful, He then told me that it was the bicep muscle that was hurting alnog with the re-torn rotator cuff. I just want to encourage some of you who find yourself in a position where the doctor is not listening to you and you know something is not right, it is time to get a second opinion. I am so glad I did!! While this doctor agrees that I need to have it repaired again and soon, he addressed all my issues and concerns that I had. He told me that My bicep muscle needed to be lowered because it had been stretched too far and that is why I had been is so much pain. So, I will be scheduling surgery on Monday. I am not looking forward to it because I know it will be painful and a slow healing process, but I feel that I can trust this doctor and that he will listen to any concerns I have. I do have one questionabout sleeping after the surgery. I know may people recommend sleeping in a recliner, however, I was not comfortable I was wondering if there was a body pillow or something you had used to help you sleep at night. Any tips wold be appreciated And trust your instincts, you know your body better than anyone.
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Hi @cattanzer, You will notice that I moved your comment along with @katrina123 and @itsally 's comments to a discussion regarding sleeping after shoulder surgery.
I have read that it is recommended to sleep in a recliner for the first couple of weeks. Did your physician suggest that?
What type of shoulder surgery are you having?
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1 ReactionYes on the catheter!! Thank you.
You won't regret it. 🙂
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1 ReactionReplacement
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1 ReactionHi - I had rotator cuff and biceps tenodesis surgery on both shoulders last year, 6 months apart. I was in a sling for about 7 weeks on each one. My surgeon told me to sleep wherever I could be comfortable and I personally found it way more comfortable to sleep in my recliner for the entire time I was in the sling. I could support my arm on a pillow and could even sleep on my side in my recliner. It was where I could get the most comfortable and the best sleep possible. I think you will find what works for you and every one of us are different- some can learn how to support your arm in bed and others in a recliner. Just try each and see where you can get most comfortable and the best sleep. Advice I was given by a friend was that if I did find my recliner more comfortable, spread a flat bed sheet on your recliner at night. That made it feel more like sleeping in my bed and was really a smart idea! Good luck!
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1 ReactionThank you. Not on FB anymore alas.
Sleeping after shoulder surgery: I had surgeries on both of my shoulders, separately, several years ago. Bone spurs, torn rotator cuff, frayed biceps tendon. We bought a recliner since that was supposedly the best/only way to sleep after shoulder surgery. Not!!! I found it to be much more comfortable to sleep in my bed, with lots and lots of little pillows strategically placed to elevate/stabilize the shoulder. With chronic back problems, this was a much better solution all around. The one drawback was that I had to re-arrange my pillow fort after turning over and reaching for the Oxycodone and water every 4 hours.
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2 ReactionsThanks for great feedback! I'm in my 4th week now, and got my best sleep yet (6 hours with 1 hour restless according to fitbit) in bed last night. Previously I was moving to recliner after about 3 hours and I did use a sheet and small pillow as you suggested. I really look forward to getting this sling off next week when I see ortho doc again.
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2 ReactionsPillow fort is right!! Have one going already. Rearranging with one hand will be a challenge. Pain pills near the bed. Got it!! Thank you.
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2 ReactionsNot trying to impede your recovery, but my physical rehab guy told me that when I’m comfortably seated in a chair, or on a couch, it is quite ok to put a pillow in your lap, ditch the sling, rest your arm there for just a little while. Of course I did not quite listen well enough = at 4 weeks I was gingerly picking blueberries in my garden, and at 4 months + 1 day ( I counted), I played my first tennis match with full overhead serve motion. And that was the worse shoulder. But, I was a young 60 then. VERY lousy serve! But, a serve. But to be realistic: 6 months will get you a long way, if you have been in shape before, and 9 months is about where I was 100% back to normal, even though I had full range of motion very early - the shoulder still had hitches, weaknesses, etc. Last surgery was about 9 years ago, 5 years before that. No trouble at all since then, and I do a lot of intense garden work, and try to swim 1/2 mile a few times a week. So that should maybe help currently hurting post-surgical patients to look ahead to a better tomorrow.