Adjusting to Back Sleeping Post-Surgery - Tips Needed

I've always slept on my belly. I have never been able to sleep on my back. I'm 2 weeks post-op and am now trying to learn to become a back sleeper. The main problem that I'm having is that I apparently breathe through my mouth now, which dries my throat to the point of me waking up every 30 minutes or so, gagging because my throat is so dry. I have to drink water, then repeat the same process. Not sure how to alleviate this.

Hello Nuctech95.
In your post you say that you breathe through your mouth 'now'. This implies that you were a nose breather before.
This is a common problem with people who use nasal pillows with CPAP machines. They need to breathe through their noses, but their mouths tend to drop open when asleep. One effective solution to this is to wear a chinstrap (supplied by the sleep apnoea department of the specialist hospital).
Alternatively,  I made a chinstrap to suit my needs by using a strip of towelling with velcro fasteners ( a bit like a mini stoma belt). 
I also bought some samples of Neoprene from the internet, which are much softer on the skin and protect it from the towelling at the main pressure points.
The problem of my throat drying out is alleviated by having a water container attached to the CPAP machine to moisturise the airflow before it hits the back of the throat.
Don't you just love DIY?
I believe that CPAP machines are only available on prescription. However, if you explain the problems to your GP, they might view this as a plausible solution. After all, the problem is causing you to lose sleep in much the same way that sleep apnoea might.
Just a thought! 

Best wishes

Bill

Bill, thank you for your response. You are correct that I "just assumed" that I was a nose breather while sleeping on my belly since I never had problems with my throat drying out when sleeping on my belly, so I just kind of jumped to that conclusion. I know a lot of people sleep on their backs with ostomies or not without this problem. I had an NG tube for about a week prior to and then after surgery and wonder if that could have injured my throat a bit and could be causing this issue. I don't really know if that has anything to do with it or not. Just looking for sleep! Thanks!

I am a side sleeper; on my back, I snore 💤

Hi Nuc, welcome to the site. I'm with xnine for sleeping on my side opposite my ostomy, and if I roll onto my back, I tend to snore and get a dry throat, needing a sip of water. That usually happens once a night.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

G-Day Nuctech, I agree with everyone, sleep on your side, which is what I do, and I tend to swap from left to right in the night, but no dry mouth. Give it a go. Regards, IGGIE

As a former belly sleeper, I am now a side sleeper. I have an ileostomy, so most of my sleeping is done on my left side, opposite the bag. I can't sleep on my back for several reasons. The two main ones are sinus drainage and pancaking. The first makes it difficult to breathe. The second can be painful when the seal begins to leak. Back sleeping can be problematic for an ostomate. You don't indicate what type of ostomy you have. If it is an ileostomy, back sleeping is more problematic than a colostomy. However, both can be an issue. Even sleeping on your side can be problematic if you do not have a good seal. It is the only reason I seldom try to go beyond 7 days between changes. Invariably, there will be some seepage towards the side on which I sleep.

In regards to the dry mouth, the probable reason you didn't have that issue when belly sleeping was down to gravity. Even sleeping on my side, I sometimes wake up with dry mouth. It depends on how stuffed up I get during the day and whether or not I used my neti pot before bed. :-)

Daniel

Daniel

I start out as a side sleeper but most mornings wake up on my back. I have dry mouth and have to drink water regardless of how I sleep.

As Daniel has said, sleeping on your back can be problematic for colostomates. If your output is loose, sleeping on your back can allow it to pool around the stoma and potentially start to erode the seal and cause a leak. If it's firmer in nature, there is the pancaking issue. Depending on where your stoma is placed, side sleeping is usually safer.

Terry

Hello - ileostomy-stomach and side sleeper here. Old habits are hard to break and this is one the ole' stoma did not win.

For several months now, I have suffered, on and off, going through bouts of extreme dry mouth at night. Waking several times, as you described, my mouth seemingly glued shut. Now, my husband would say this is a blessing, but I feel otherwise.

I think I have narrowed it down to one usual suspect which plagues me and many ostomates - namely - DEHYDRATION.

You see, water and I have NEVER gotten along well. After all, who in their right mind would order water when there is Captain Morgan and Diet Coke to be had? Ah, those were the good old days.

Soooo, per my doc's recommendation, I began drinking goo-gobs of water. This led to flushing too much sodium from my system.

The recommended fix was hydration drinks or solutions added to water. If I pay close attention (and I seem to have an attention deficit disorder as well as this dealer add-on hanging from my belly), I found I can alleviate the dry mouth problem by partaking of hydrating drinks - so far there is not one I like, but I keep searching.

I am fond of the number one hydration drink - according to Dr. Google - a giant glass of whole milk. I savor every swallow, however, the downside is very quiet but deadly inflation beyond all reason, and I'm not talking economy here.

It's summer now - watermelon and cucumbers have jumped back into my life - they are great hydrators. These two food choices and my love for a glass of whole milk are almost as good as my former happy hours, well, ok, maybe I exaggerate a little. Just contributing my dry mouth discoveries.

I purchased some Hydration testing strips to monitor, from time to time, my hydration level…not as much fun as checking pool chemicals, but it's a reminder I need hydrating. jb

Can you sleep on your side? That is what I do. I was a belly sleeper too until I got my ostomy. I can't sleep on my back; it just doesn't feel right, and I get interrupted sleep that way. I discovered that if I slept on my side, it was much better. I just have to make sure my bag is not under my side. Once I pull it out away from my side, it is okay. The other option would be to sleep on the side your bag is not on.

I sleep on my side, bag on the opposite side.

I've given up a bed for a couch. This prevents me from rolling onto my stomach or rolling onto my back. Works really well. On my back, I get apnea.

Still have a bed too, but don't sleep in it 😇

I like Gatorade Fit and Body Armor.

Shortly after being gifted with a colostomy, I became dehydrated at work and passed out, resulting in a fun ride with paramedics back to the "Big House" and confinement for a couple of days. Released early for good behavior, I was warned: Drink more than just water; must have electrolytes.

Gatorade 🤮 but I will try the Body Armor…thanks!

Same situation for me - one of my biggest struggles has been going from a side/stomach sleeper to a back sleeper. I haven't been able to sleep on my right side for years because my arm and hand go numb (a neurologist determined I have carpal tunnel and assumes that's what it's from, but I didn't want surgery), so I always slept on my left side/stomach. Then I got my surprise colostomy and couldn't sleep on my left side - just too much pain from surgery, and of course the bag - I had no choice but to become a back sleeper.

I sometimes wake up with my mouth wide open and so dry I can't swallow - as someone mentioned, likely gravity that stopped this from happening before. I just keep water by the bed now. I have to sleep semi-propped up, with two pillows (had to give up my cherished Sobakawa pillow and move to a large memory foam pillow, with a thin squishy pillow on top of that one, and also keep a smaller pillow at my left side for my arm to rest on). If I'm not somewhat propped up, I feel like I'm suffocating.

Now that I've had my reversal, I can roll a little bit to the left, but I have a major hernia so that has stopped me from stomach sleeping. Although I have basically gotten used to it since it's been over a year, I was just thinking how much I miss being able to sleep how I want - the struggle is real. I hope you can get more comfortable. :)

I'm just five weeks with my colostomy and your post could have been mine while I was still in the hospital. Sleeping on my back just didn't work unless I stuffed a pillow up under my chin to keep my mouth from falling open. And even if I managed to roll partially to one side, hospital beds are not conducive to comfortable sleep in any position.

Now that I'm home, I can sleep happily on my non-stoma side by using a squishy pillow gently pressed against my front (much better since the incision is healing), but the lifesaver for me is a “knee pillow”. This little molded pillow goes between your knees and makes your hips stay in line while on your side. No twisting spine or stretching abdominal muscles. Reasonably priced on Amazon.

If I feel any anxiety about falling asleep, one mg of Lorazepam guarantees me a lovely restful night.

I once spent 30 days with an external fixation on my badly broken left leg. It prevented me from sleeping in any position other than flat on my back. I learned to turn my head to the side, prop a pillow under my chin, and finally worked out how to find sleep by concentrating on relaxing my jaw and maintaining a completely neutral expression on my face. Surprisingly, this exercise has never failed to bring sleep.

Hi, I'm Ryan and I think you might want Sudafed; it helps with allergies.

I like to sleep on my right side with stoma. My left shoulder is damaged.

I like to sleep on my right side with stoma. My left shoulder is damaged.

Hi there! When I found out I was going to have an ileostomy, I went into a state of panic! I couldn't imagine having to sleep on my back, as I always slept on my belly, and didn't know how I was going to manage this. Before I even got out of the hospital, I had two body pillows sent to my house, convinced that I would have one on each side of me, so that I dared not roll over onto my tummy! My poor husband, there was barely enough room for him in our bed! As time went by, one body pillow remained and the other became just a huge decoration on our bed! I found that if I hugged the pillow, my stoma was safe, as long as I slept on my left side, so that the stoma was protected on the right. If I ever turn in the other direction, I simply can't sleep, because I am so aware that I might lie on it and cause it to leak. Happy to admit, my pillow has saved the day, and my marriage! One pillow takes up a lot less room than two!

I was a belly sleeper too. For the first month home from the hospital, I couldn't lay in bed; I slept propped up in the recliner with pillows tucked all around. When I did start going to bed, I used a body pillow and threw my leg over it and cuddled it to my body. Last year for Christmas, we bought ourselves an adjustable bed. It has helped a lot; when lying on my back, my head is raised instead of being flat on my back. I still roll onto my side, but I got conditioned enough with the body pillow to roll onto the correct side.

Gagging? You might be aspirating or have sleep apnea. Try sleeping on your left side. It keeps your tongue and airway open, plus allows better digestion. Nuke Med Tech? Retired Super Tech with 41 years.

I had a similar problem but solved it by taping my mouth shut with a little bit of very soft medical tape. I tape it vertically - so from under my nose to under my bottom lip. It forces me to breathe through my nose and calms my nervous system. Better sleep and no waking with a dry mouth. The technique is discussed in the book Breath by James Nestor. If you google mouth tape and James Nestor, plenty of information will come up.

I empathize. I had to sleep on my back post-ostomy surgery until I got well, and then a year later, I had gallbladder surgery. So I couldn't sleep on either side for a while. I use mouth tape when I have to sleep on my back. It helps me a lot. Good luck to you.

I have a colostomy and sleep on my back. I was once a side sleeper, but after three months in the hospital, followed by 20 days in rehab, I learned to sleep on my back. No other position was "comfortable 😩" in the hospital bed. In order to prevent pancaking, I sleep with my head and back elevated with an orthopedic bed wedge pillow set. No problem with dry mouth. I typically have two bowel movements per day, one around 6:00 PM +/- 1 hour and another around 11:00 PM +/- 1 hour. No bowel movements occur later during the night. When I first got home from rehab, I would have an early morning bowel movement after I ate or started to move around — I don't know what precipitated the change other than the two I have now are pretty heavy.