8 month old sleep help?

My son is 8 months old and has a pain condition. We are not able to let him cry it out or anything even close to that. I used to have to hold him while he slept so that he would be more comfortable. Fluid leaks from his kidney especially at night and it really hurts him. We obviously see doctors about this and he is in specialized care. I am now able to let him sleep without me holding him but I still have to make sure he is comfortable and help him to get through the night with minimal tears (we have to respond to him right away). He sleeps right now in a sidecar crib beside my bed. He also has to sleep on a pillow. Tilting his crib doesn't work so we go with a pillow which scares me. We use a baby pillow which is safer. I often have to sleep with half my body in his crib with my face touching him and my arms around him for him to sleep. He is a pretty big boy so I stopped having him in my bed as he likes to sleep in my arms when we do that. I always seem to end up in very uncomfortable positions through the night and wake up with my body aching a lot. He also is swaddled and we use sleep positioners to try and keep him in one place but it doesn't often work. I am just wondering if anyone has any advise on how to get through the night a little better and a little more comfortable. He gets up about every hour sometimes I get about three hours at a time and he always needs my help to get back to sleep which I don't mind too much as he does have pain and needs the comfort of knowing I am there. I am just looking for a bit of advice not judgement. Thank you for your help.