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Post-op question 3: Best pillow for both back sleeping and side sleeping?

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  • Post-op question 3: Best pillow for both back sleeping and side sleeping?

    Before my surgery, I had been using a WAL-PIL-O, which solved some nasty neck pain I had been having prior to switching to that brand several years ago.

    While I was in the hospital after the surgery, the physical therapist I saw there recommended that I use two pillows, because one pillow by itself wouldn't be high enough. When I first came home, I was only able to sleep on my right side, because due to the dressing, it was just too uncomfortable to lie on my back. In that position, having a second standard pillow under my WAL-PIL-O was very useful. While I had some discomfort in my right arm and right hip from constantly sleeping on my right side, I had no pain in my neck at all.

    But once the dressing was removed, I was then able to sleep on my back, and was generally more comfortable on my back than on my side. However, I still had the two layers of pillows -- a standard pillow underneath, with the WAL-PIL-O on top. Fast forward to now, almost 2 two months later, and I have now developed neck pain as a result of sleeping on my back with a two-layer pillow, which pushes my head too far forward. At least that's my guess as to the origin of my current neck pain.

    So then I tried removing the standard pillow and leaving just the WAL-PIL-O. That helps my neck, but it seems to lead to more discomfort in my lower back. It also isn't as good as the two layers for those times that I do try to sleep on one side or the other.

    I identified one pillow that I thought would solve the problem, because it is designed for both back sleepers and side sleepers -- the PILLO1 (see http://www.pillo1.com/ for more info). I ordered one, but when it arrived, I realized it wasn't quite what I thought it was. At first I thought it was twice as high on the sides as it was in the middle, but that's not really true. Also, it isn't as high as the two-layer pillow solution I had already used, and wasn't nearly as supportive as the WAL-PIL-O is. So this pillow doesn't really seem to be the best option either.

    What I'm looking for is a pillow that:

    -- is high enough for comfortable side sleeping (akin to my two-layer solution) on both outer edges
    -- is low enough for comfortable back sleeping (akin to the WAL-PIL-O alone) in the middle
    -- does not increase low back discomfort when sleeping on one's back

    Any suggestions?

    -- Thanks,
    Mary
    -- Mary D. Taffet
    Lumbar curve 27 degrees in 07/2007 > 34 degrees in 03/2009 > 38 degrees in 02/2011 > 42 degrees in 09/2011
    Laminectomy L2-L5, Fusion T9-S1 (sacrum) with pelvic fixation 01/23/2012 w/ Dr. Richard Tallarico, Upstate Orthopedics, Syracuse, NY
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