Looking for a pillow...with a difference!

jenniewb

I need help finding a pillow, as so many here seem to have health issues of one type or another I hoped here would be a good place to ask.

I currently have two pillows, very fluffy and are good as pillows go. But I need something else- I have problems when I lie my head flat; I can't breathe (don't have a clue and have asked GP who said my throat was fine and didn't seem to feel it was a health concern.)

I find this stops when I have my head propped up but when I use my pillows to do this its either sit up bolt upright against a wall (can't sleep like this) or have the pillow as far down as my back which is not comfortable to sleep on and so I don't sleep, I already struggle to sleep so this is not good! I also find my head isn't at enough of an angle to help as my neck isn't supported at the moment its taking me hours to settle as I keep finding I can't breathe and it wakes me up when I choke.

I need something which props my neck and head up at an angle, is there a pillow or some sort of board like this?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

have a look here, might find something, or get an idea.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

So you wake up choking if you lie flat?


I'd be insisting on a sleep clinic - not a mere ENT department - referral to eliminate obstructive sleep apnoea.

Potentially fatal - in terms of falling asleep when driving - plus doesn't do any good for the body to be basically half choked every few minutes of nodding off.

Usually people snore very loudly and are very tired during the day as a result of this, but not always.


And don't take no for an answer.

Hermia

Get your GP to refer you to a consultant - that is not normal!

I use a V shaped pillow when my asthma is bad. It does help and is comfortable.

dogcat_2

Maybe try a memory pillow...plus a v- support pillow with it.

jenniewb

Thanks for the links, will take a look!

Hadn't considered it could be something serious- any tips on what to say to my GP? They seem to think nothing is an issue and I end up feeling like a hyperchondriac whilst seeking my own treatment- is there anything I can bring to the GP to have them take things a bit more seriously?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

jenniewb wrote: »

Thanks for the links, will take a look!

Hadn't considered it could be something serious- any tips on what to say to my GP? They seem to think nothing is an issue and I end up feeling like a hyperchondriac whilst seeking my own treatment- is there anything I can bring to the GP to have them take things a bit more seriously?

Google obstructive sleep apnoea.

There's the Epworth sleepiness score, which shows how likely you believe you are to nod off in different situations - sitting quietly after lunch, for example.

Plus the choking sensation itself.

Frequent waking.

A partner saying you snore loudly, stop breathing, then make a spluttering sound and start breathing again. That's the one they tend to believe most, even though they should take your word for it in any case.

Telling them you want the possibility of osa excluded as a priority, as until it is, you aren't legal to drive. (yes, REALLY, you aren't - it's a condition where you have to declare it to keep your licence. And if you were in an accident that wasn't your fault and had to spend any time in hospital, whether sleeping normally or needing breathing support, it would be obvious your airway is collapsing to anyone treating you - so it would be found out, and has implications for any future surgery)

Changing doctors if necessary until you get one that is prepared to refer you.


Not saying you do have it, but to ignore the possibility, which the GP is doing, isn't right.


http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sleep-apnoea/Pages/Introduction.aspx

devildog

Last year I was in Dunhelm and they had some sort of foam pillow(not sure it if was memory foam though) and it
was wedge shaped-same width across as ordinary pillow but the lower edge of it was very narrow and the back was deeper(like on a slope) The chap that was buying was saying to the assistant that the ordinary memory foam pillows left him in pain and so this was rec to him(which makes me think it was not memory foam/or maybe it was a mix)

Nile

devildog wrote: »

Last year I was in Dunhelm and they had some sort of foam pillow(not sure it if was memory foam though) and it
was wedge shaped-same width across as ordinary pillow but the lower edge of it was very narrow and the back was deeper(like on a slope) The chap that was buying was saying to the assistant that the ordinary memory foam pillows left him in pain and so this was rec to him(which makes me think it was not memory foam/or maybe it was a mix)

That sounds like the Ikea 365+ pillow:

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30131603/

jenniewb

OMG- That falling asleep in random places isn't just fatigue? (I can easily fall asleep on buses and trains if I'm not careful- had thought it was just lack of sleep as its not abnormal for me to just not be able to sleep a few nights each week due to insomnia- and the not being able to fall asleep because of my throat feeling like its closing in!).

Now I have more to mention I'll go back to the GP asap and ask specificly for a referal. I hope they don't think I'm making it up or something, surely they must know this exists- it can't be that rare that they've never seen it before-surely! If I've mentioned the throat thing, -GP looed down my throat with that odd microscope thing they use for ears and said everything is fine- am just concerned they'd think I was making it all up as I've already had so many referals to specialists for different health problems already (sports injuries, gyno, back pain). Fingers crossed.

devildog

Hi Nile,

Have taken a look at your link and it is not similar (barr the width)
The one I saw was a distinctive 'wedge' shape, the front side literally being down to less than 10mm(guestimate) and the rear of the pillowbeing about 6"(again a guess) but you get the idea of the depth difference.
The Ikea appears to be 'wave' shaped-same depth front/back with a hollow in the middle.