I need to help my mom.

My mom is 66 yrs old and she is in congestive heart failure. She is having a defibrillator implanted on 6/22. She is a stomach sleeper and have been told that she won't be able to sleep on her stomach anymore. Are there any pillows or anything that help you from sleeping on your stomach? What will happen if she accidently rolls over? Is it for the just the recovery period or from here on out? Any info you can provide me will be greatly appreciated.

6 Comments

Yes just recovery

by pete - 2009-06-12 02:06:18

I always go to sleep on my stomach . No problem but not advisable for a week after implantation. Trouble is most people not only toss and turn but also roll over and over and dont realise it. I am a restless sleeper and although I get to sleep or back to sleep on my stomach I often wake up on my side or back.

stomach

by franko1966 - 2009-06-12 03:06:53

i"ve been sleeping on my stomach,no problem

Hi Jlm

by Hot Heart - 2009-06-12 03:06:59

Perhaps one of those v shaped pillows would be comfortable for her, the ones that come down the side of your body as well on each side so that she is well supported on her back. My mum always used to sleep on her tummy but got used to going on her back after a while. Hope things work out!

HH

Helping My Mom

by jlm1308 - 2009-06-12 07:06:11

Thank you for all of your suggestions. At first I thought the answers were more for her but with your answers came some relief and I realized they were for me as well. Thank you.

I sleep on my stomach

by denise61 - 2009-06-12 11:06:06

I had my PM put in 3 years ago and I started sleeping on my stomach after about a month.

To keep me from rolling in the night I used one of those body pillows and it worked just great.

Good luck to your mom and tell her welcome to the PM/ICD club there are alot of smart people here to help with any questions she may have.

Denise

stomach sleeping

by mrag - 2009-06-12 11:06:07

I'm 63 and have had ICD for 3 years now and sleep on my stomach most always. If I am not careful with the CHF(heart failure) though and take in too much water/salt, I get "orthopnea" (a breathing problem when laying down). The solution to this is to sleep on my back propped up under several pillows (some people love recliners here). In short, my ICD doesn't seem a big factor in sleeping (once installed and healed) although the CHF can be. Different situations will have different solutions.

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I just want to share about the quality of life after my pacemaker, and hopefully increase awareness that lifestyles do not have to be drastically modified just because we are pacemaker recipients.