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What are Comfort Cushions ?
Comfort cushions are used to ease post surgery discomfort.
Comfort cushions can be used after :
Breast cancer surgery
Heart surgery
Abdominal surgery
Anxiety
Comfort cushions are a helpful and practical aid to recovery and a caring gift to a loved one in need of physical support after surgery. Very huggable, they are very comforting to breast cancer patients as they go through stressful times, making them great hug pillows or comforters for people suffering from anxiety also.
My comfort cushions come in two types:
Soft, for breast cancer surgery (see Comfort cushions for breast cancer patients : how do they work ?) and as hug pillows for anxiety.
Firm, for heart patients or people recovery from abdominal surgery such as a hysterectomy or C-section for instance. (see Comfort cushions for heart patients : how do they work)
Whether you wish you order from my Etsy shop or my shop on The British Craft House, you will be able to click on the type of cushion you need.
I wish you or your loved one an excellent recovery.
Feel free to contact me if you need further information.
Comfort Cushions for Breast Cancer Patients: how do they work ?
Comfort cushions are often called Mastectomy pillows but they are not strictly for mastectomy patients. They are useful to anyone recovering from breast surgery (lumpectomy, mastectomy, reconstruction, even reduction or augmentation).
Comfort cushions are heart-shaped to fit comfortably under the arm. The cushion acts as a shield, for your armpit and your chest.
How does it feel after surgery ?
Having lymph nodes removed can leave the armpit to feel sensitive and sore.
You may have more than one incision. Sometimes the skin around incisions is itchy or even painful.
The drainage tube itself can feel uncomfortable as it moves.
At night, as you lie down or on your side, the skin may pull on your stitches. This is sometimes painful and prevents some people from having a good night’s sleep.
Understandably, you may feel very protective of the surgical areas, especially if you have young children and pets whizzing around.
You may experience soreness months after a mastectomy (PMPS).
For all this discomfort, a comfort cushion can help.
Comfort cushions are designed to :
- Ease discomfort and protect surgical areas, keeping the arm away, preventing running on tender areas.
- Hold the drain in place, preventing discomfort from movement.
- Prevent the skin from pulling at night, giving you a better night’s sleep.
Emotionally, comfort cushions are very helpful too. From diagnosis to the end of treatment, the journey can be long, traumatic, stressful and worrying. Comfort cushions become hug cushions, a constant companion during those stressful weeks or months ahead. This is why I make them using fun, cheerful or simply beautiful fabrics.
Cough Cushions after heart or abdominal surgery: how do they work ?
After heart surgery, your chest is delicate, your sternum is fragile. Coughing is painful but necessary to prevent lung complications.
After abdominal surgery, coughing or sneezing can also be painful also. Cough cushions help in the same way, by protecting the area of surgery.
Patients are sometimes advised to use a rolled towel or their hands to counteract the strain caused by coughing or sneezing. A cough cushion is more practical than a rolled towel, more efficient than hands, cleaner, firmer and less bulky than a scatter cushion.
How should you use a cough cushion ?
When you need to cough or sneeze, hug the cough cushion to your chest or your abdomen, over the surgical area and gently apply pressure. It can lessen the pain.
Seatbelt cushions : who needs one ?
Seatbelt cushions make car journeys more comfortable after surgery to the chest and the abdomen, so anyone who has had:
heart surgery
breast surgery
hysterectomy
C-Section
bowel surgery
stomach surgery
Can benefit from using a seatbelt cushion, as well as people feeling sensitive in the chest or abdomen because of
Pacemaker
IVF treatment
keloid scarring
The seatbelt cushion lifts the seatbelt to prevent it from digging and rubbing into sensitive surgical areas.