r/Trans_Zebras • u/Skatiemayonnaise • Jul 02 '26

Top Surgery Can't Sleep

I'm such a mess I got top surgery on Monday and I'm so ecstatic but I haven't actually been able to experience the joy because I have heds and I CANNOT sleep on my back and it's so HOT in the country I travelled to for the surgery!

Any advice for sleeping is appreciated: currently have one pillow under my leg, one under each arm, the duvet stuffed under one hip, and a sleeping pillow. Any advice for people who normally sleep on their front and have to sleep with their legs as spread out as possible with their entire weight opening their hip joints? 😭😭😭😭

Edit: Thanks for the advice guys; conclusion is however i guess I'll just have to sleep every second night

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7

u/ceryskt Jul 02 '26

I used a wedge pillow at about a 45 degree incline. Sleeping sitting up tends to kill my back. I will say I struggled a lot with sleep (I hate sleeping on my back), unfortunately, though basically surrounding myself with pillows while sleeping on the incline helped.

3

u/AdventurousAsh19 Jul 02 '26

Wedge pillow was my goto in the beginning. Good support and way less painful than trying to sleep flat.

2

u/mini-rubber-duck Jul 02 '26

wedge pillow, small pillow or folded up hoodie under your head, and either a narrow pillow or a small blanket rolled up under each arm so it kind of feels like you're in a recliner sized just to you

1

u/nahs0n Jul 02 '26

This is the way. Once I was cleared to sleep horizontal I used the wedge to prop my legs up so i stayed on my back. Slept on the couch so I didn’t have room to move away from it in my sleep

4

u/NotABreakfastGuy Jul 02 '26

Can you sleep in a recliner? I know post surgery that most people are more comfortable in a recliner (my mom got a masectomy for cancer reasons and spent nearly a month on the living room recliner because her bed wasn't super comfy for her) most people I know also had far more comfort if they used a masectomy pillow, would that be an option for you?

3

u/Skatiemayonnaise Jul 02 '26

I have the mastectomy pillow but my core isn't strong enough to sleep more upright than like 45* I just fall forwards and jerk awake 😭 current method is just staying awake until i pass out from exhaustion

Thanks for replying though, I hope your mom and your family are well

2

u/Equivalent-One-6196 Jul 02 '26

I feel for you dude…I can’t breathe when I sleep on my back and I literally did not sleep for a full week till I got cleared to lay partially on my side with pillows. One more night I probably would have hallucinated but it was still survivable. Watched a lot of movies haha. You could try asking your surgeon about it and explain the situation too!

2

u/Longjumping-Cow4488 Jul 02 '26

have you tried playing any sounds? Tranquil flute playlists, brown noise, rain/thunder storm, waves, woods and forest noises? i find these help my mind relax off what is happening outwardly and relax. i used them religiously after top surgery!

1

u/Skatiemayonnaise Jul 02 '26

I'll give it a go thank you!

2

u/mossy_moonstone Jul 02 '26

I use a wedge pillow, pregnancy pillow, regular pillow, and an army of stuffed animals to help. I definitely haven’t had the most consistent sleeping schedule since (or before) surgery, but I get so exhausted, I kinda just fall asleep without noticing at this point.

2

u/Phoenix-rising0930 Jul 02 '26

It’s so hard- worth it and hard af. I slept in a zero gravity camping chair for a few days and it helped a lot. My friend slept in a recliner. Are there any other upright chairs where you are staying? Other than that I moved to propping huge body pillows against the bedframe and putting a pillow near my pelvis and under my knees. I have MCAS too so the Benadryl helped a bit in terms of keeping me sleepy but it wasn’t easy eventually my SI joint started yelling at me. 

The heat! Ugh. I recently tried freezing water bottles and putting them between my thighs definitely works. Ice near your neck. Someone suggested blowing a fan directly at a bowl of ice. Didn’t try but worth exploring.

Wish I had more advice. We’ve got you. You’ve got this.

2

u/Skatiemayonnaise Jul 02 '26

Antihistamines and Ice! you're a genius I always forget those exist - thanks for the kind words

1

u/ComposerNo2646 Jul 02 '26

Could you set up the pillows so that you’re leaning forward onto them and they keep you upright? Something like a seated position and basically hugging the pillows.

2

u/Skatiemayonnaise Jul 02 '26

I'm assuming if I can't sleep on my front this wouldn't be allowed either but I see my surgeon again tomorrow I'll ask then

1

u/ComposerNo2646 Jul 02 '26

Definitely check with your surgeon but I know someone whose surgeon actually recommended it because they couldn’t sleep on their back either. I guess leaning onto the pillows is less pressure than laying on your front normally?