Sleeping after hip replacement surgery - special pillows?

Pickles531

Hello all.

[color=#400080[/color]My husband is having surgery in early March. He doesn’t usually sleep on his back. Are there any special pillows which people could recommend to help him stay on his back while he’s asleep? Or any other ideas? We’ve seen a lot of stuff on online stores but not sure if it’s worth investing in it.

Would be grateful for any advice as this is uncharted territory for us.

dreamdaisy

I haven't had hip replacements but there have been times when I have had to sleep on my back after other kinds of surgeries and after breaking my upper left humerus. As far as I am aware there are no special pillows, you are advised to sleep in an almost sitting position. I suspect he will find sleeping difficult after surgery anyway, no matter how he's trying to do it - I always found it the worst part.

I wish him well and hope his new hip makes all the difference. DD

[Deleted User]

Hi, Welcome to the forum Pickles531. I don't have personal experience of hip replacement surgery, but I've heard that an ordinary pillow between the legs (but not under them) can be helpful after hip replacement operations. I certainly found this helpful when I was having hip problems after pregnancy - having the pillow there seems to make you less inclined to roll over in your sleep.
Hopefully people with direct experience may be along soon to give their thoughts though.

Good luck to your husband for his surgery and recovery,

best wishes,

Ann

Pickles531

Thanks Ann and @dreamdaisy for your thoughts and good wishes. He has been using a pillow between his legs on the advice of his physiotherapist. Usually he sleeps very deeply (I’m the insomniac :roll: ) so I suspect this is going to be tricky. How do you stop yourself rolling into the wrong position when you’re asleep? :?:

He is very hopeful that it will be worth it as we do know other people who have really benefited from surgery.

dreamdaisy

I stopped myself turning over by having other operations I think all you can do is prop him as best you can with pillows and depart to another bed as there won't be room for you. I have just bought a new memory V pillow for sitting up and replaced my old Tempur sleeping pillow with a Tempur shaped one. Don't forget this is only a temporary thing and twelve weeks is not that long in the grand scheme of things. I feel for him though, I would never have an operation in the depths of winter as everything seems to take so much longer.

Should he be restless in the night make sure he has reading material to hand, puzzle books, maybe a TV, anything to stop him lying there dwelling on the fact he is awake. I have a Kindle whereas my husband (on the odd occasions he cannot sleep) reads with a headtorch which is freaky. DD

Pickles531

Thanks @dreamdaisy. Some great tips, much appreciated. We have already thought we would need to sleep separately for a while. I’ve never tried memory foam pillows or mattress toppers but they’re certainly worth a look.

Interesting your comment about having surgery in the winter. This has all happened rather faster than we expected when first referral to consultant came through but I think he’ll be happier to get through the process sooner. Also in the winter you tend to be outside less so maybe having to spend more time at home will be less frustrating.