Pillow Wedge

Hello All,

I have read several places that EC patients should always stay at a 30 degree angle, even when they sleep. Is there a pillow wedge that anyone could recommend that could be used to keep Daddy elevated? I've done a few searches but I thought it would be much more helpful to know what actual EC patients use.

Thanks!

I had my surgery on Nov. 23rd and was released Nov 30th.  Once I returned home I opted to sleep on the couch with my head on the arm of the couch with 2 pillows behind it.  I had one pillow a bit lower than the other to support my back otherwise I would wake up in terrible pain from being in the same position throughout the night.  I had my feeding through my feeding tube in my abdomen during the nights and never had a problem with nausea, vomiting, or aspiration.  I hope this helps.

 

Jeremy 

Husband spent several months sleeping in recliner.  We got it day after he came out of hospital and had him sit in them to determine what was really comfortable (even head is cushioned by his chair-very big recliner).  Our bed is elevated under the headboard so the whole mattress is on a slant.  Tried a wedge pillow at first, but he hated it and I'm noy sure it was enough elevation.  We get up really early to give him Cream of Wheat so he doesn't go too long without food and wake up nauseous, and he falls asleep in his chair reclining slightly since going back to bed would be too flat after eating.  Seems he was back in bed before they totally stopped using J tube for feeding because I remember being awakened by the hideous alarm in the nights when he would roll onto the tube, or there would be some kind of pump malfunction, but that stayed in much longer than the month we were told pre-surgically.  He was never overweight, so maintaining weight was more necessary for him than it would be if someone was overweight to begin with. 

 

On 1/13/2008 jbmx4life wrote:

I had my surgery on Nov. 23rd and was released Nov 30th.  Once I returned home I opted to sleep on the couch with my head on the arm of the couch with 2 pillows behind it.  I had one pillow a bit lower than the other to support my back otherwise I would wake up in terrible pain from being in the same position throughout the night.  I had my feeding through my feeding tube in my abdomen during the nights and never had a problem with nausea, vomiting, or aspiration.  I hope this helps.

 

Jeremy 

Thank you for your response. Daddy usually sleeps in a chair reclines some and his feet on an ottoman. Pre-EC he ALWAYS slept on his right side and sometimes wants to roll over onto to his side. Your response led me to another question. Did you do continuous feedings with a machine or did you/caregiver administer the food?

 

 

On 1/14/2008 tongrenhealer wrote:

Husband spent several months sleeping in recliner.  We got it day after he came out of hospital and had him sit in them to determine what was really comfortable (even head is cushioned by his chair-very big recliner).  Our bed is elevated under the headboard so the whole mattress is on a slant.  Tried a wedge pillow at first, but he hated it and I'm noy sure it was enough elevation.  We get up really early to give him Cream of Wheat so he doesn't go too long without food and wake up nauseous, and he falls asleep in his chair reclining slightly since going back to bed would be too flat after eating.  Seems he was back in bed before they totally stopped using J tube for feeding because I remember being awakened by the hideous alarm in the nights when he would roll onto the tube, or there would be some kind of pump malfunction, but that stayed in much longer than the month we were told pre-surgically.  He was never overweight, so maintaining weight was more necessary for him than it would be if someone was overweight to begin with. 

Thank you for your response. I think raising the mattress would be a good idea. Pre-EC daddy always slept on his right side and sometimes wants to lie on his side. This way he wouldd be elevated and could lie on his side if he wanted to.

We did bolus feeding at first.  Totally stupid.  It all poured in at once, and he would promptly throw it up which defeated the purpose.  Went to a pump which was an improvement.  Ran it at night because that was enough to get in the required number of cans of food, and he was able to eat some once the tumor began shrinking.  We used a g-tube presurgically, then removed it a week before surgery because he was eating and gaining weight.  We went to a j-tube which they placed during surgery, and which he kept for several months after the surgery.  The j-tube made it much easier for him to tolerate the food since it never went into his stomach.  He threw up for so many weeks in the 1st round of chemo/radiation that the g-tube was almost irrelevant (although I understand the purpose behind using them-it just wasn't possible for him to hold it down).  If they have you doing bolus feeding, ask them about a pump.

The other thing I forgot, but which is encouraging.  Pat can still sleep on his right side (the left is impossible now-makes him reflux).  We used to spoon and roll back and forth all night.  Now I always spoon his back since I sleep on the left side of the bed.  Having my back curled around occasionally is one of the small irreplaceable things I miss-but I'm not complaining-only observing.  I'll take things the way they are now over being without him anyday.

I've had the surgery. I don't have the reflux problem, except a little.

This will sound off the wall, but here goes: I eat a small bowl of air-popped popcorn before I go to bed. It helps me.

Steve

 

On 1/14/2008 GeorgesGirl wrote:

 

On 1/13/2008 jbmx4life wrote:

I had my surgery on Nov. 23rd and was released Nov 30th.  Once I returned home I opted to sleep on the couch with my head on the arm of the couch with 2 pillows behind it.  I had one pillow a bit lower than the other to support my back otherwise I would wake up in terrible pain from being in the same position throughout the night.  I had my feeding through my feeding tube in my abdomen during the nights and never had a problem with nausea, vomiting, or aspiration.  I hope this helps.

 

Jeremy 

Thank you for your response. Daddy usually sleeps in a chair reclines some and his feet on an ottoman. Pre-EC he ALWAYS slept on his right side and sometimes wants to roll over onto to his side. Your response led me to another question. Did you do continuous feedings with a machine or did you/caregiver administer the food?

 

 All of my night-time feedings were done with a pump through a j-tube.  I was told to slowly progress my eating during the day-time so that I could slowly decrease the amount that I was taking in at night.  I had alot of problems wanting to roll over on my side also as I used to roll circles in bed and loved to sleep on my stomach.  I had my j-tube pulled out last Wednesday and can now sleep on my left side and back but sleeping on my right side and stomach is painful.  I have been sleeping back in bed now that the j-tube was pulled.

I bought a wedge pillow from Bed Bath and Beyond.  We opted not to raise the mattress for a couple of reasons. Raising the king size mattress would have required more material and I still sleep with my husband.  It seems to have helped him to sleep a bit more comfortably.