Heart pillow

[Harpoon]

A regular bed pillow has a greater surface area and allows you to apply a little more pressure to your chest when you cough and don't want all the sutures flying across the room....


Ooooowwwwww!!!!!


Eeeeewwwwww....


Anyways, that's my guess. I've never really seen a heart pillow in person but I suspect it's fairly small compared to a regular pillow and it might not be as helpful when coughing.


Plus the pillowcases would make it easier to clean of course.


I will say, it would have been nice to have a heart pillow for autographs. I sit now trying to remember all of the docs and nurses and specialists that helped me out. Granted, I never really knew any of the folks in the PICU, I was quite out of it at the time, but it still would be nice to have all their names.


In March I'm planning on sending a few cards towards Cleveland, kind ofa one year anniversary thing. I may inclose a photo from the wedding and maybe a few shots I took for the paper since getting back to work.

Dr. Mee might get a kick out of some of the shots I took of a college rugby match.


Just wish I hadn't missed the women's team CHANGING in the parking lot during the mens game... My wife told me about that one, she was sitting in the car reading a book while I was shooting the game and saw the women's team change out of their muddy uniforms and into regular street clothes.


And I thought the men's team was hard core......

 

[Kim]

I have a blue heart shaped pillow made by the hospital's ladies auxillary. I keep it on my bed with my other throw pillows. It does not match my bedspread or decor, but every morning when I make my bed, it is a reminder to stop and be thankful that I am alive and up and moving!!! I plan to always keep it on my bed.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I have one as well with several autographs. My two favorites -"Takes a licking and keeps on ticking." - from my brother-in-law - and "You've finally joined the bleeding hearts!" - from my very liberal friend. My pillow is very large and has real looking heart graphics, although I never used it. With the horizontal incision and vertical sternum cut, I'm not sure that it would have benefitted me. Luckily, I never had pain from coughing, sneezing, etc. Other than the first several hours after I woke up, when I had no pain medicine, I wasn't really in that much pain. I took pain medicine at night, but that was more for the bone soreness - shoulders, etc.

Now, when I had pericarditis, I was in major pain, but that's another story.

I look at my pillow fondly. I have nothing but warm memories of the surgery that saved my life.

 

[Creed3]

I never received a pillow either. I had my surgery at Cleveland Clinic in 2002. They must have stopped giving them out.

Take Care!
Gail

 

[nefarious_muse]

Hello All: My husband didn't get a pillow but did get a cute, huggable teddy-bear! He had a little red heart on his front....and yes, we still have it

He had his surgery 2yrs ago at Mount Sinai in Miami FL

Nef

 

[catwoman]

Harpoon:

I used a bed pillow couple of times after my OHS. Even doubled-up, it wasn't as good as my Baylor heart pillow.

 

[weekycat]

Mine was great!

Mine was great!

I got the traditional red heart pillow with a diagram of a heart on one side, and the hospital's logo on the other. It is made by "Shumsky Therapeutic Services" and comes with an autograph pen.

I found the pillow to be great for holding to my chest while coughing or sneezing, but mostly I used it to hug while I slept on my side. It kept my sternum from feeling like it was sqeezing together and hurting, if you know what I mean. I think I used it for almost a year for that.

I keep my pillow on a chair near my bed, I will treasure it always because of the autographs on it. My surgeon's asst. wrote the date and "mitral valve repair" on it and the next to sign it was my husband, Ray. He wrote right over the heart diagram, "your heart belongs to me, Love Ray". My mom was out of town when I had my surgery, so when she got there she wrote. "Finally got here". My daughter, Molly drew a few pics on it for me, and a lot of the rest of my family signed it to, including my sister Patty, whom I lost to breast cancer less than a year later.

Here is the link to "Shumsky's" in case someone would like info on how to order them.

http://www.therapeuticpillows.com/enter.htm

maybe we could order some with the VR.com logo on the back for those that don't get them provided by their hospitals??

 

[Missy]

I also slept on my side with the heart pillow to my chest. Or if for some reason I could change positons for a few min my pillow went also.
I don't know what is in it but it sure was comfortable and it is not real big but just the right size to hug.
I heard about these pillows before surgery and didn't really understand. I didn't take me long after I was got my pillow to find out what a comfort it was.

 

[terry40]

I still have my heart pillow too!

I still have my heart pillow too!

I plan to bring it out every valentines days as part of my decorations. It's a red pasley print.

Terry

 

[MarkU]

Still have mine. Will never get rid of it. It was my best friend for several weeks.
I regret that I didn't have my ICU nurse autograph it - she was killed in a motorcycle accident a few months after my surgery.

Mark

 

[bvdr]

My heart pillow from Duke was not heart shaped but oval. bright red, and very very firm. It did have a diagram of the heart on it and an attached pen. I never thought to have anyone sign it while in the hospital. My 3 year old grandson asked me once what the pen was for and I told him. A little later he brought me the pillow all "autographed" and told me he had "fixed" it for me. Because of that I always smile when I run across it.....now in a closet.

 

[SHerrin Hutt]

Heart Pillow

Heart Pillow

Hi Ross
I didn't get a pillow in Cleveland either when I got my repair 5/99. They said they had stopped giving them away by then. But when I had my replacement 3/02 in Louisville they gave me a red heart shaped witha pen attached to have their staff and Dr. signed my pillow. I still have it. I carry it in the care and on trips. I guess it is like my 20yr. old daughter blanket .




SHerrin Hutt
Valve repair 5/99
Valve replacement3/02

 

[Ross]

Ya know, getting one of those or any pillow for that matter, wasn't even on my mind when leaving that place. All I wanted to do was get in the car and go home. Do not stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200, just get me outta here!

 

[Jennie]

The hospital didn't give me a heart pillow, but I got one from a friend, two shades of pink! Then, when I had my sternal wires removed, she got me another one, all RED! That one is on my bed as we speak. I also got a teddy bear whom I named Corky, as I was having major pain every time I breathed, like someone was jabbing a corkscrew up my side. He also is on my bed. Ah, memories...!!

-J

 

[LDS4EVER]

missy

missy

Hi missy Im chris and i too remember my heart pillow the nurse who did most of the caregiving sign his named to mine i still have it,3 yrs its been.I was 45 and i remember my mom being there through the whole thing when i talk about it i still cry what a bonding experense it was

 

[Lorraine]

I received mine from The Ameritech-Pioneers Illinois Chapter Central Area Life Member Club. It's bright red heart shaped pillow and has a picture on one side of a heart with all the valves showing. On the other side in big letters it has: "MY HEART WAS MENDED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HOSPITALS". It also had a pen attached.

I had everyone sign it from nurses, to cardio to friends and family. One friend wrote: "I always knew you had a big heart!"
So my pillow was totally signed. For about a month it was my best friend.

About 10 days after surgery( I was home two days by this time) I decided I would join my sister and her husband going out for dinner on a Friday night. Big mistake! THe restaurant was packed and we had to wait 45 minutes to get a table.

Luckily I had my RED Heart Shaped PILLOW with me. I held onto that thing like a shield! I was so afraid all these people waiting to get a table at this restaurant were going to bump into me or push me down and hurt me. After about 10 minutes my brother-in-law decided we'd leave and go somewhere not as crowded. He could see that I was petrified of all the people bumping into me. So my pillow became my shield. I have fond memories of it. Needless to say, after that trip out, I didin't try going out to dinner for a couple of weeks when I was more stable!

 

[Blanche]

What an interesting thread! Al got a small rectangle pillow after his surgery in 1990. He still has it and uses it to this day. For years we have referred to it as the "Linus pillow." Gives all new meaning to finding comfort in small things.

Regards,
Blanche