Mastectomy pillows protect your incisions by keeping pressure off your chest.
It can also be a comfort aid while recovering from breast cancer treatment.
This article will go over 10 different kinds of mastectomy pillows for breast cancer treatment and recovery from surgery.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
A small square or rectangular pillow can be placed between you and the upper-body seat belt.
To secure it in place, put a velcro loop on one side of the pillow.
Yourlymph node statusis an important part of diagnosing andstagingbreast cancer.
Two common procedures to check your lymph nodes are asentinel node biopsyor an axillary lymph node dissection.
Your surgeon may remove some lymph nodes in your armpit (axillarylymph nodes).
The breast and the armpit areas have many nerves, and the skin on these areas often rubs together.
You may have drainage tubes after surgery, which can also be a source of discomfort.
Using a shoulder strap can help keep the mastectomy pillow in place.
you’ve got the option to use this throw in of mastectomy pillow in a few different ways.
An armrest mastectomy pillow is also useful when lying down because it can support your arm over your chest.
Elevating your arm while resting can help with symptoms because of fluid buildup in soft tissue (lymphedema).
Using a bar-shaped mastectomy pillow under your neck while resting or traveling can ease muscle strain.
Having breast surgery changes the balance of weight on your chest muscles.
This kind of mastectomy pillow can also ease discomfort from underarm incisions.
For some people, the expanders are the uncomfortable part of breast reconstruction.
You may find that breast support mastectomy pillows help provide relief as your skin stretches.
Putting any pillow between your knees when you sleep on your side can ease lowerback pain.
If your back is comfortable, you will toss and turn less, and you mayfall asleep faster.
Try using a square or rectangular mastectomy pillow as a knee pillow.
Having some space between your knees might even make sleeping a little cooler if you gethot flashes.
Depending on how you sleep, you might compress the veins in your leg.
Using a knee pillow may take pressure off your blood vessels and allow for better blood flow.
Neck Pillow
Neck mastectomy pillows are available in many shapes.
you’re free to get bolsters, wraparounds, contoured, and even U-shaped pillows.
Mastectomy pillows for your neck help keep your head, neck, and shoulders properly lined up.
A good neck pillow should make sitting and sleeping more comfortable for your neck and shoulders.
Often, providers prescribe paclitaxel because it reduces the chance of an allergic reaction.
Place the mastectomy pillow between the curve of your low back and the chair.
The extra support in your low back (lumbar region) helps prevent back tension and muscle strain.
Try different shapes and sizes of support pillows to see what works best for your body shape.
A donut pillow is a hollowed-out round pillow that is shaped like a donut.
For some people, donut pillows can also be used to relievehip painoranal pain.
Wedge Mastectomy Pillow
Another mastectomy pillow option to consider is a wedge pillow.
This triangle-shaped pillow can be used in different positions.After surgery, you might have to sleep on your back.
That’s where a wedge pillow can be very useful.
This flattens your spine to a more neutral, comfortable position.
A good wedge pillow can also be useful to people withasthma,acid reflux, andsnoring.
Cancer rehabilitation specialists are trained to improve your movement and function after breast surgery.
Summary
Mastectomy pillows come in all shapes and sizes.
Your healthcare team can show you how to use each kind of mastectomy pillow.
Every breast cancer surgery and patient is different.
Your breast cancer surgeon will give you instructions to follow during your recovery.
Some surgeons recommend sleeping on your back with your head and shoulders elevated.
If you need a wedge pillow after your mastectomy, your healthcare team will likely recommend one.
While not always necessary, a wedge pillow can help after surgery.
Wedge pillows are good for supporting and positioning your body.
2016;188(14):E352-E361.
doi:10.1503/cmaj.151276
Harvard Medical School Harvard Health Publishing.Lymphedema.
Durning MV.Coping with pain after breast cancer surgery.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
American Cancer Society.Breast reconstruction using implants.
US Food and Drug Administration.TAXOL (paclitaxel) injection.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Spinal cord compression.
2018;7(2):BMT08.
Updated December 20, 2019.
