I have a pillow top mattress, and I hate it. It's about 8 years old now. Within a year after we bought it, a divet formed where my wife and I sleep on the bed. The mattress maker this was natural. If you try to lay somewhere else on the bed, it feels like you are next to a crate and you are fallling into the crater. FInally, the thing kills my back. Expecially now since I had hip surgery and I ca only sleep on my back.
As for pillows, I recommend a chiropractor pillow, I've been using one like this one for over 20 years. Anytime I sleep on a regular pillow, it hurts my neck.
Ugh, I know this pain too well. What works for me (although it's still a work in progress) is putting a King size pillow longways down my back. That lets me do a little roll back where I can still get the satisfaction of sleeping on my side but there's a lot less weight bearing down on the mattress-side shoulder. Most morning this works and I wake up with little or less pain than otherwise.
Occasionally, I do sleep on my back and what I did there was get a neck contour pillow and that helps take some pressure off my shoulders and back when it's been a particularly bad day/week.
I bought this pillow in 2014 and have used it every day since, I was having a different issue. My head is so heavy I was going through pillows so often from the padding getting flat. Can't comment on their current build quality, but the one I bought is still like new.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029LHHRC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Sit on a memory foam pillow. It's like a cloud, but for your ass. I use something like this for lumbar support and it makes a night and day difference.
Sleep Innovations - $16
Sleep Innovations w/ Gel - $25
I've had the first one for 9 years now. Still kicking. I paid $140 back then though.
Also, if you have a Costco near you, they sell pillows that have pieces of memory foam (like diced up) in a 2-pack for $10. They don't retain shape well, so you can't really prop them up or anything, but they're awesome for sleeping.