Last night I finished reading another story from B.O.O.B.S. I really felt for this woman. Robin was diagnosed with breast cancer within just days of her 50th birthday. What a birthday present! She also had several other chronic health issues that created challenges for her treatment. It made me realize yet again, just how lucky I am.
One thing I learned from reading her story that I wish I had known before - had to do with finding a comfortable position to sleep in after my two lumpectomies. I generally sleep on my side - my left side - THE SIDE. So after the surgeries getting in a comfortable position for sleep was a challenge. I was too sore to sleep on my left side and sleeping on my right side felt odd. Now that I've healed, it's not an issue for me, but Robin's tip can be helpful to someone else.
She discovered that holding a pillow between her breasts and lying on her "good side" made her more comfortable. She discovered this trick in Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book. You can find out more about the book on Amazon. Or you can check back later for my review.
What do you wish you had known?
My mom was given a small heart-shaped pillow made by a survivor and donated to the American Cancer Society. She used hers to support her arm and separate it a bit from her side. Apparently this is an even bigger problem for women who have lymph node involvement or who develop lymph edema following their surgery. Women dealing with any of this should definitely follow your suggestion and experiment with different sizes of pillows and different sleeping positions. A good nights' sleep is a major key to coping with anything and everything, but even moreso when the body needs to focus on healing itself. Big hugs to you, my sister! (Big gentle hugs, that is!)
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