Recovery and superstitions

Like with other pain episodes, my day of hell did pass. Before the surgery, the pain would not go away for days or weeks, so I'm very thankful that the pain does go away. I tried (unsuccessfully) to sleep the pain away. But it wasn't until around 6:30 PM did the pain finally abate.

However, I'm convinced that the angle of my neck on my pillow is the biggest source of the pain. After all, the fifth cranial nerve runs between the first and second vertebrae in the neck. And it seems that the pain flares up when I sleep on my side.
Yesterday I slept using a special cervical support pillow (a firm pillow with a space in the center for your head with firm support for your neck).

When I went back to bed last night, I was planning on sleeping on the support pillow. But Adira discovered that the pillow makes a wonderful cat bed for her little fluffy body. So last night, I managed to find a comfortable pillow arrangement to support my neck while sleeping on my back. Normally I don't fall asleep unless I'm on my side, but I was so scared that I'd bring back the pain that I didn't bother to sleep on my side all night. Not that it does anything wonderful for my lower back, but it's a small price to pay for waking up with minimal pain which got better as I got up.

I usually wake up with pain because it seems that no matter what I do, sleeping triggers my pain. I've tried to sleep almost sitting straight up, special pillows, and regular pillows. If I had a Lazy Boy, I'd try sleeping on it, but don't have the space or money just to try that for a pain-free night. I'll entertain any other suggestions....