abbas child
Very helpful member
- Joined
- Feb 29, 2008
- Messages
- 2,168
- Reason
- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 07/2007
- Country
- US
- State
- Maryland
- City
- Eastern Shore
I have been asked about this. As I decided early on that Phil, who isn't a good sleeper, needs to continue getting up and going to work, I would have to find a way to sleep without assistance for as long as possible.
It required first a hospital bed, allowing me to adjust the head and the foot until I found my own "best angles". I also found that for some unknown reason, I needed to pull myself, using the rails, up toward the headboard a small amount. Actually, one reason is that I need to be really straight in bed, without my hips being out of alignment with my shoulders or my knees. I have a foam filled pillow under my head which keeps my head in a very comfortable angle. And I am lying only on my back. I could not stay on one side all night without either back or hip pain or both.
Just as my bed came from the ALSA loan closet, so did a rack for over my feet, as well as an alternating air overlay. I have a standard bed pillow stuffed into that blanket rack, and my feet are placed so that my foot drop doesn't happen. My feet are against the pillow.
I bought an inexpensive waterproof mattress pad, just in case I ever needed the waterproofing. That goes over the alternating air overlay and doesn't stop the pressure points from changing but does soften them some (a good thing--they can become painfully like 'knobs' under the bones). Then, I bought a machine washable and dryable sheepfleece mattress pad which I lie directly upon, which it is made for.
I also use a pillow under my knees. You will need to try various pillows, but I liked the "boudoir size" feather pillow--firm but not big.
So, for the training part... If I awoke, which I did every night for the first week, but in the following weeks less frequently, I would first play with the electric controls; raising my feet often helps, for instance. If my back hurts, I very occasionally pull my knees up to my chest--but this is very hard now. A friend (IrisMarie) gave me a tip: tie a long scarf to each ankle, and pull on the scarf. (I haven't sent anyone looking for scarves, yet.) Also, if I raise the foot of the bed all the way, it's easier to pull my knees up. Many times if I simply refused to turn over, I'd drift back into sleep until morning. Now it is impossible for me to turn over in bed.
What I do in case of real back pain, after pulling myself toward the "head of the bed" to make sure I'm positioned correctly, is to pull the knees up. I have my feet then on that knee pillow and let my knees fall to either side (possibly the only way I'm still 'flexible') and often go back to sleep in that position. This is very rare.
It helps me to spend time in the early evening with my feet to chest, then knees dropped to the side as described above. The soles of my feet are against each other. This stretches out my back, making it more likely that the back will be comfortable all night. If anyone whose legs are still working well reads this, a tip: Begin now stretching your legs, sitting with feet together on the floor, dropping knees. The more flexible we are beforehand, the easier it is to stay flexible.
As an aside, please know that I was never a "back sleeper" until this time. Even now, in order for my head to be comfortable, I have a small pillow jammed into my face and neck area so that my head neither falls all the way over nor has to be straight up. It remains at a comfortable angle.
It required first a hospital bed, allowing me to adjust the head and the foot until I found my own "best angles". I also found that for some unknown reason, I needed to pull myself, using the rails, up toward the headboard a small amount. Actually, one reason is that I need to be really straight in bed, without my hips being out of alignment with my shoulders or my knees. I have a foam filled pillow under my head which keeps my head in a very comfortable angle. And I am lying only on my back. I could not stay on one side all night without either back or hip pain or both.
Just as my bed came from the ALSA loan closet, so did a rack for over my feet, as well as an alternating air overlay. I have a standard bed pillow stuffed into that blanket rack, and my feet are placed so that my foot drop doesn't happen. My feet are against the pillow.
I bought an inexpensive waterproof mattress pad, just in case I ever needed the waterproofing. That goes over the alternating air overlay and doesn't stop the pressure points from changing but does soften them some (a good thing--they can become painfully like 'knobs' under the bones). Then, I bought a machine washable and dryable sheepfleece mattress pad which I lie directly upon, which it is made for.
I also use a pillow under my knees. You will need to try various pillows, but I liked the "boudoir size" feather pillow--firm but not big.
So, for the training part... If I awoke, which I did every night for the first week, but in the following weeks less frequently, I would first play with the electric controls; raising my feet often helps, for instance. If my back hurts, I very occasionally pull my knees up to my chest--but this is very hard now. A friend (IrisMarie) gave me a tip: tie a long scarf to each ankle, and pull on the scarf. (I haven't sent anyone looking for scarves, yet.) Also, if I raise the foot of the bed all the way, it's easier to pull my knees up. Many times if I simply refused to turn over, I'd drift back into sleep until morning. Now it is impossible for me to turn over in bed.
What I do in case of real back pain, after pulling myself toward the "head of the bed" to make sure I'm positioned correctly, is to pull the knees up. I have my feet then on that knee pillow and let my knees fall to either side (possibly the only way I'm still 'flexible') and often go back to sleep in that position. This is very rare.
It helps me to spend time in the early evening with my feet to chest, then knees dropped to the side as described above. The soles of my feet are against each other. This stretches out my back, making it more likely that the back will be comfortable all night. If anyone whose legs are still working well reads this, a tip: Begin now stretching your legs, sitting with feet together on the floor, dropping knees. The more flexible we are beforehand, the easier it is to stay flexible.
As an aside, please know that I was never a "back sleeper" until this time. Even now, in order for my head to be comfortable, I have a small pillow jammed into my face and neck area so that my head neither falls all the way over nor has to be straight up. It remains at a comfortable angle.
Last edited by a moderator: