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Wedge pillow for GERD

by lcjackso, Mar 14, 2009 10:14AM
I've been suffering with acid reflux for a while and have been propping myself up at night with 3 pillows (1 under chest and 2 under head) to raise my head, however I'm now have back/neck pain and am thinking that I should probably buy a proper wedge pillow.

Any suggestions/recommendations about buying one of these? I'm in the UK so we don't have all the brands in the US. In particular I've noticed that there are some with quite a high wedge and some with only a low wedge. What are people's experiences of these? Is the low one high enough? Is the high one going to be bad for my back?

Thanks
Member Comments (3)

by selmaS, Mar 14, 2009 06:55PM
To: Icjackso
HI and welcome to the forum.

U can save urself some money and just elevate the bed aprox 6"....my father had some wood blocks that he placed under the 2 legs of the head board...and it has worked well for him.

If that does not work u may want to try an elevate a bit higher or lower what ever works best for u.This may be a better idea for u since all the pillows is a "pain in ur neck"...the increase is too stark....raising the entire bed will feel less drastic and u should not have issues with ur neck or back.

I hope this is helpful and please update us on ur progress.

"selma"

by maruw, Mar 24, 2009 02:31PM
To: lcjackso
Hi. If you're still in the market for a wedge pillow, I can vouch for the one sold by Bedge. I don't know if they ship to the UK.

My gastroenterologist recommended this brand to me specifically because of the dimensions: 9 H x 42 L x 30 W. The height and length are the important part since you're upper body is supposed to be elevated a certain amount gradually to avoid bending at the gut which can just exacerbate your GERD.

I've used this for about 5 years and it definitely helps keep me more comfortable than if I didn't use it which I am reminded of whenever I go on a trip and don't have the wedge with me. It did take a little getting used to...if I recall, there was an artificial odor to the wedge that was annoying at first but eventually went away.

If this company doesn't ship to where you live, I would try to find a wedge that is of similar dimensions.

Good luck.

by AHC, Apr 13, 2009 06:52PM
To: icjackso
As a long time reflux sufferer and patient researcher I know that sleeping elevated helps provided you are elevated through the torso - after lots of research I've learned that you need to be on a wedge long enough (30") to support your entire torso and should be elevated 6-8".  Elevating on blocks as someone suggested may help but usually it is not high enough and you tend to slide down when your entire bed is elevated.  I use a wedge by MedSlant - don't know if it is available in the UK but they say they ship internationally - and it works!  Plus, it folds for travel and is a lot less expensive than the bedge someone recommended.  Also look into identifying your trigger foods so you can avoid them - Hope you find some help.
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