OUCH! YOU’RE HAVING ROTATOR CUFF SURGERY - BLOG #6

Prepare For Sleeping. 

Yes, you need to think about how you’re going to sleep. There’s no rolling over on your side or stomach, lying flat is not very comfortable, and sleep is a necessity. Above all, that sling remains in place, and moving the arm to sleep on is off limits.

I received many suggestions about sleeping in a recliner. However, I ran into several important facts when I was searching for the perfect chair to sleep in. First and foremost, I was having surgery on my right shoulder, and all of the controls for the recliners were on the right side. With short arms, I could not reach across my body to grab the lever to pull the legs up on the recliner.

Additionally, I felt like getting into the recliner and pushing it back with my back might put stress on my shoulder, and I wasn’t looking forward to making that hurt. And pulling the legs out and then trying to climb in and scoot up without using that shoulder didn’t seem like it was going to be a great plan. So, if the shoulder surgery is on your left shoulder, or you have very long arms, you might have options with a recliner that didn’t work for me.

So, what are the other options? Divide and conquer. I took our bed, and my husband took the couch. According to him, he was quite positive that sleeping on my back was going to result in lots of snoring that he did not want to listen to. I, of course, declared that I don’t snore. (He was smart enough not to mention snoring again.) However, this allowed me to make a pile of pillows at the top of the bed to snuggle into at night. It allowed me to recline slightly yet have the full width of our bed for covers, pillows, or any other support I needed. This worked for me, but it may not work for everybody.

I even explored those longer pieces of sectional couches, which are like having a chair and an ottoman, but all in one piece. As I explored these, I did find there were a lot of differences from hard to soft, to crinkly, and more. In addition to that, I was gonna have to find a place in the house to put it, and then decide what to do with it after my recovery.

So, test drive your options before surgery and determine which one you think will work for you. You might need to round up extra pillows or blankets to make your cocoon a relaxing nest for sleeping, and the most comfortable it can be with your extra padding.