Sleeping upright and waking up flat

Well good afternoon “Fellow Stage III EC survivor” 

 My husband is now in his 14^th year of surviving EC Stage III (T3N1M0), so all of us are thankful that we all were blessed to have “woken up this morning”, are we not?

 Now as to your bed problem, I had to chuckle when I read your note.  My husband and I first bought “bed risers”, you know the kind that some people purchase to raise the bed to a level so other things can be “stuffed—stored—thrown-hidden)  underneath.  Well that may be fine for “stuff” but not for “people!” 

 We put two risers, one on either side at the head of the bed.  We both woke up each morning “sleeping at the foot” of the bed, all the while the bed was still at an angle.  So it seems that your bed is still elevated but you are not.  Now we know this is not conducive to good sleep, as the stomach acids can often work its way back to the throat, and create an awful sour taste in your throat that takes a long time to get rid of.  It’s a bile acid reflux, but similar to “heartburn!”  So sleeping elevated is a prerequisite to having a good night’s sleep. 

 After the bed-riser failure, we bought a 7-in foam bed wedge.  That didn’t work either.  It pressed flat when my husband laid his upper torso on it.  Now we have a 12-inch foam wedge, and still put some pillows on top of that. 

 Now the only problem is one of “midnight snacking”—that can’t be fixed by sleeping at a high elevation. I don’t know how much you paid for the bed, but sounds like it’s not working for you.  I know that my friend “Paul61” has an adjustable bed and is completely satisfied with it.  He checks in here on a regular basis and may give you some tips.  Our “wedge” works well now.

 So I hope you can reach a solution, because none of the post-op instructions advise “sleeping in a flat position at the foot of the bed!” 

 But glad to talk to another survivor.  We’re celebrating “Independence Day” every day of the year by being a survivors.    

 Loretta Marshall (Wife of William Marshall, EC Stage III (T3N1M0) who had the Ivor Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (MIE) surgery on May 17, 2003 performed by Dr. James D. Luketich @ the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. (UPMC)

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 P.S.  This is just for Country music lovers who remember “Little Jimmy Dickens”.  It has nothing to do with Esophageal Cancer, but “when I hear the words “sleeping at the foot of the bed, this song comes to mind.” 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tkEotkyjHU

 http://www.songlyrics.com/little-jimmy-dickens/a-sleeping-at-the-foot-of-the-bed-lyrics/