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Back sleeping after breast Cancer surgery

dizzymoo
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Hi

This is my first post, I was diagnosed with grade 2 er+ Pr+ Breast Cancer on 2nd March. I had a wide local excision and sentinel node biopsy on Tuesday. All went well apart from being very nauseous and sick after the operation. I am now home and recovering well with minimal pain. 
 

the one problem I'm having is sleep. I was advised to sleep on my back for 4-6 weeks. I'm finding this hard, I'm a side sleeper and this morning I've wakened with a really sore neck as my head lolled to the side and it feels like I've pulled a ligament or something. 
 

Does anyone have any tips for sleeping comfortably on your back. I was propped up on a lot of pillows last night as I'd read a tip to try and stay as upright as possible. I can't help feeling that a good nights sleep in my side will do more for my recovery than the uncomfortable nights I am having. Any tips or experience needed. 
 

 

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    Hello Dizzymoo

    I'm in the same position - so to speak! I had a simple right mastectomy, sentinel node removal, implant reconstruction on the 28 March. I ALWAYS sleep on my front but after surgery I made sure I surrounded myself with big pillows and made a kind of furrow to keep me central in my double bed. Perhaps you need a softer/harder mattress too? Thankfully plenty of online stores are still doing delivery. Sure I have some lower back aches in the morning that I didn't get when I slept on my front, but the peace of mind from knowing I'm not rolling around and tugging at my drain in my sleep is compensation for these minor aches. You could also take codeine before you sleep and keep painkillers by your bed to re-dose if/when you wake in the middle of the night.

    I hope this helps

    Good luck!

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    Hi ladies

    I've undergone 2 lots of surgeries ( you can see details on bio), I found a V pillow really useful and it stops the head lolling and you moving around.

    Also beware of those codiene tablets as they will cause the dreaded constipation (got this all throughout chemo), paracetamol won't affect in this way.

    Good luck and hope you're snoozing soon.

    Sam

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    Hi,

    I am a side sleeper and found no problem sleeping on my side after my mastectomy in October, even with my drain still attached to me. I did cuddle a long cushion to protect my surgery site and slept on the opposite side.  I can only sleep on my back with my head raised, as in a lounger.  I do have this facility on my bed but my dog, who sleeps on the bed didn't like it being raised, so I kept it flat. :?

    Best wishes for a swift recovery. 

    Christine xx

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    I had the exact same on Tuesday. Sleeping is also my problem as I have a bad back and sciatica. I also snore like a walrus so sleeping on my back is never ideal (for the rest of the house, not just me!). I have ordered a long v shaped support pillow and I'm hoping I can get through a good night when it arrives. Fed up of watching junk TV from the early hours. I find getting up and walking around helps or even doing the exercises in the middle of the night. Hope you're feeling better soon. We can do this x

  • Offline in reply to Choolie73

     

    Hi All,

    I agree with Yourshire-defector. I have had a lumpectomy and a double mastectomy. In both cases, I used a small heart shaped cushion, which I could pop under my arm to enable me to sleep on my side.  I managed to sleep on my side from day 1 after surgery with the aid of this cushion. The problem may be in sourcing something like this in the current climate. You could always try using internet shopping.

    I did have a full length body pillow, but found the small heart shaped one more helpful.

    Kind regards,
    Jolamine xx

     

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