Breast Cancer Pillows
Has anyone seen the Breast pillow on Pintrest (http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/elprojects/Projects.a...) I am wondering if it is worth making before my surgery. Although I am currently just having a lumpectomy with lymph node removal, maybe this pillow is more for someone who has gone through a mastectomy?
Seen another pillow for Chemo Ports http://www.abbieandeveline.com/2014/09/12/my-recip.... If these are helpful I am thinking it's something I could make and donate.
Thoughts on these pillows ladies....
Comments
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I had a lumpectomy and SNB and definitely needed my ouch pillow. My friend made me a small rectangular one with a long enoug strap that I could carry it with me. She used an envelope opening in the back so I could adjust the stuffing to meet my needs. Turns out I liked it lightly stuffed so it was squishy. I used it constantly the first week.
For the port cover, I used one of my granddaughters old shoulder strap covers. It has a smiling monkey face on it and reminds me why I'm pushing through this new treatment.
FYI, the port hurt worse than the node biopsy or anything else so far. I don't remember anyone telling me that in advance, so thought I'd pass it on to you. I was told it doesn't hurt women with fat in that area nearly so much, but even now, it hurts if I rub it or my grandkids bump it and I've had mine for several weeks
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Thank you Brightness456 for your reply. I will definitely be making my ouch pillow before my surgery date!
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I made my own in varying sizes. I don't need one anymore but it is my security blanket of sorts and possibly secondary protection in case of accidents since I am flat.
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Vampeyes, check the cancer center or infusion center at your hospital or wherever you get treatment before you buy one. Many groups make these types pillows and donate them to the centers. Ours has an overabundance of these pillows. I have one in each car and a few in the house. I still use the one in the car to keep the seatbelt strap off my breast as I'm having skin issues with radiation.
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Thanks ladies! I am actually thinking of making myself one, lots of extra material lying around.
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Legomaster, my local BCA gave me a heart shaped one like that, but it was stuffed pretty full and just wasn't as comfortable as the one my friend made for me. Still, I think the V in the heart might be helpful to some.
Incidentally, my friend just picked up both the pillows yesterday to pass on to another friend that has just been diagnosed with BC. Why oh why does this happen to so many women
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Vampeyes, I did not have a pillow, but I do think it's a good idea because I am guessing it will feel good to you to have something familiar that you made. During chemo, I used a huge floppy stuffed elephant that belonged to my daughter, and Elephant wasn't perfect so much because of her shape or size, but because she was Elephant. If that makes sense.
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I had a lumpectomy that went wrong. Hemorrhaged. Boob blew up like a beach ball and all the internal stitches the surgeon had placed ripped out. When the surgeon saw the monster boob (she checked me in the recovery room) she immediately sent me back into the operating room, opened me up again, cauterized the bleeders, placed more clips, stitched up the mangled mess in my breast again. Overall, it was a crappy day. I was black and blue to my pubic bone and in extreme pain!
Now to the pillow part of this morbid story. I slept with a breast pillow. My boobs are very large and heavy and when I rolled over at night to lay, ever so gingerly, on my side, I needed that breast pillow plumped against my boob to give it a bit of support. Not under my breast, but up against it, to stop it from spreading out, like a puddle. That pillow helped a LOT! You don't want a hard one, squishy is good. It just needs to stabilize your breast to help with the pain.
Now, after radiation, I find new and surprising breast pains (ugh) and still I find sometimes sleeping with my arms around a pillow (on my side) stops my breasts from flopping the way gravity would normally effect them (god, this is so NOT sexy!), but having that bit of front support is the difference between pain and no sleep, or no pain and happy sleep. Pillows are good. They do not need to be fancy. I had a small heart shaped one. You won't be sorry.
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This is the pillow I made for after my surgery. What do you think? The pattern had a strap, but I thought it would be too much of a pain to try and do it up.
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I have used my pillow many times- after MX, exchange and fat grafting. I keep it in my trunk in case I need it on long car rides.
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Love these specialty pillows. I was given one by Kaiser (made and donated by volunteers) and it was a total lifesaver! It was rectangular, about 9" x 5" and tightly stuffed. I used it behind my neck, under my arm and under the seat belt. My underarm remains the part I have had the most pain with since this whole thing started and I have had DIEP reconstruction surgery so that saying a lot. I called it my "baby pillow."
I had no pain from my port, but I can definitely see how the port pillow would come in hand if you do have pain.
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I have been using a body pillow since surgery. I sleep on my side (non-affected side), and because my lumpectomy scar is on the opposite far side, gravity on the scar area was really hurting. So I snuggle up to the body pillow and put it between my breasts to keep the scar tissue level. It works well, but sure takes up a lot of room in bed. I haven't been able to find a smaller pillow that's at the right height for what I need.
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My nurse navigator gave me one today. I guess a local charity makes them and gives them to the Einstein Women's Center
she said it will be a godsend.0 -
On the day of my biopsy, the imaging center gave me a small rectangular shaped pillow (about 7" x9") It was a pillow that a women's group at a local church had made and donated to the center.
The week before my surgery I had pre-op and my BS's nurse gave me two small heart shaped pillows. She said they would be good to put under each arm to use for awhile to keep me from rubbing the incisions with my arms (both incisions go under my arm pit). These were donated from a different women's group at another local church.
I didn't know I was going to be given any of these pillows so I ordered a mastectomy pillow from the "pink pepper company" - same place I got my mastectomy shirts.
I have used each pillow for different things. During the early days of my mastectomy (when I still had drains) I used the pillow from pink pepper. But the pillow I use the most is the small rectangular pillow. For me seatbelts irritated my chest even after the drains came out. Then when I got the port I then needed a fresh reason to use a pillow to keep the seatbelt off me. So overall the small rectangular pillow has been my go-to pillow. In hindsight I really didn't need to buy a pillow (because I had all of these given to me) but unfortunately nobody mentioned to me I would be getting pillows and I didn't think to even ask. But you will need some kind of pillow to help you with the seatbelts for sure.
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I ordered this seat belt pillow from Ebay. (It's called a child's seat belt pillow). I liked this one because you can change the stuffing to something less puffy. I bought it primarily for my port, but it really came in handy after my UMX because it was puffy enough to keep the belt from touching the UMX area. I got it for less than $5 shipped. (It came from China so it took a couple of weeks to arrive.)
No one gave me any pillows. Bummer (j/k)
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