Sleeping upright after neck dissection

Good evening Nicky, my husband slept upright for about 4wks afterwards,we got him a V shaped pillow for support, we just got an average sized one which made sleeping a little easier. With him suffering with thick mucus and constantly caughing this up, a spitbowl was always close by. Fellow wife Mel x

I was advised by oncology to source a V shaped pillow to aid upright sleeping , used it throughout my treatment and recovery, helped greatly when feeding via pump to PEG tube during nights and for minimising acid reflux. I still use my V shaped pillow, find it very comforting.

Bought from Argos.

I used a wedge pillow (plenty on Amazon).  I found this have more control than a V pillow for.

It may also be useful to get a small support to go under his knee so that it does not get too strained from the flatness of the bed for the lower body when in an upright position. You will often see them used in MRI machines for the same reason. 

Like Peter I bought a foam wedge and placed a couple of pillows on top. It was firmer and kept me more upright than a V shaped pillow. I stopped using the foam wedge after a few months and now use a V pillow to replace it.

Lyn

My lovely partner made me a sloping wooden support to lean against in bed, that worked brilliantly, with pillows. If you know anyone who can do basic woodwork...

I too got a wedge pillow from amazon....just to add I also placed a thick old memory pillow under (above back knees) this stopped me slipping down.  I actually already had a v style but didnt work somehow

Doesn't sound comfy but I did manage to get some sleep.

Just to add while I didn't have the flap - but partial tongue and some lymph nodes from neck.

Sending my best wishes and stay on hear as there is so much advice and help.

Hi Nicky.

I bought my fella a backrest, with a support cushion for the lower back attached.  It's really meant for sitting up in bed when reading or using a laptop, but that, and a memory foam large pillow, is doing the job.  The backrest was £19.99 from Homebase.

Gill xxx