Recliner

 My grandparents had a yellow leather recliner.

I think my grandfather used to nap in it.

I always thought it was an amazing chair, unlike anything in our house. And it seemed over-the-top comfortable.

I remember I once convinced my parents to let me sleep in it, rather than in the bed.

It might have been great for relaxing, but I remember not finding it so great for sleeping in.

Gramps' chair looked a little like this one from the Internet

Having spent a week in a hospital bed, lying on my back, being able to elevate my legs, or recline certainly made life more comfortable. In fact, sleeping flat would have been verbotten due to the trach and everything happening in my throat.

But I really wanted to "sleep in my own bed" again. I tried it a couple of nights. I think it worked initially because I was so tired, totally zonked out. But it really was awkward, especially being connected by a hose to a humidifier that was supposed to keep my new stoma from drying out.

So once my trach and feeding tube came out, and after a couple of pretty uncomfortable nights trying to make the bed work, I decided to try the recliner.

B rented this huge brown recliner which I have been using a lot during the day. It's not our typical kind of chair, and I'm not sure what prompted her to rent it, but it's been really great. It's easy to adjust, unlike pillows on a bed. You can "chair" in it, or you can really recline in it and then...zzzzz. And unlike my bed, the little table next to it is very easy to reach. I especially like how the chair sort of lifts up at the end of the cycle, almost dumping you out. Super handy.

So I decided to give sleeping in it a shot. And despite my fears from that one night in Gramps' chair, it went pretty well. Blankets on, water handy, Kindle and phone at hand. All of life's basic necessities.

I thought the walk to the bathroom, which is a bit longer and a bit colder than in our bedroom, might be a bother, but it wasn't. And because I'm just sleeping in all of my clothes, getting up at night isn't quite such a frigid experience. Waking up every two hours or so is a bit of a bummer, but I think that that is more normal (pre-surgery) than I care to admit. Plus, if you're not really doing anything all day (I know, I know, I'm letting my body heal...) then you can't really expect to be "tired" at the end of the day.

So I'm sure I'll get back to my regular bed at some point, but for right now, the big ugly brown recliner is earning its keep!