Wedge pillow for GERD

[lcjackso]

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

[selmaS]

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"

[maruw]

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.

[AHC]

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.