The pillow thing works sometimes, but the trouble was that after a couple of days a hip abduction exercise brought on an excruciating case of bursitis in that hip, and the painkillers for the surgery did squat for it. I stopped that exercise and asked about it and do a mix of ice on the hip and heat on the thigh muscle or behind my hip in back and under the thigh, so when those muscles relax the bursa settles down. But if I lie on my side it pushes the muscle down onto the bursa and it starts hurting again. It's too close to the surgery to get a steroid shot in it. Ice, heat, and a couple of specific exercises have helped and I can sleep with the pillow a little bit now. Motrin isn't allowed now, and it is those anti-inflammatory meds that make a big difference.