Any Helpful sleeping tips

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Mahealani

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Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
56
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
09/2008
Country
US
State
HI
City
Hilo
Aloha again:

You are all so knowledgeable - I look forward to all of your advice so here's another question. I have most of my pain in my shoulders, legs and upper arms at night when I lay down. I can still "inch worm" around my bed with my legs - my arms don't have a lot of strength. I am mostly on my back at night and a little on my sides but my shoulders and arms are always sore. Any advice is greatly appreciated! What type of matresses are you using?

Mahea
 
Hi Mahea,
We were very fortunate to have a friend give us a mckroskey bed that you can adjust the head and feet. We bought a new mckroskey mattress for the bed and it has been wonderful. My husband has siginificant weakness in his arms and hands. This bed is lower to the ground and with all the controls he is much more comfortable. It is also easier for him to get out of bed.

I know if we would have bought both the mattress and bed new it would have been quite expensive. The new mattresses alone cost us 3,000. However,I am sure if you check out other manufacturers they might be more reasonably priced.

I hope this helps. Bev
 
Sleeping hints

Hello Mahae:

You might need to use some pillows to support your back, legs and arms. They can be positioned so that your arms are not just kind of hanging when you lie on your side. Use different sizes for different areas, Large body pillow works well for back support.
If you can get a pair of some slider sheets ( regular polyester satin ones work well too) it will help you to move in your bed and also caregivers will be able to position you easier.
Alternating pressure air mattress work very well, but these ideas might help you, hope so!
Take Care
Jane
 
Waterbed helps me, just hard to get out of it in the mornings.
 
I have an electric bed, which we bought many many years ago, before the beast arrived..it is coming into its own now, I find I need to change the position all through the night. Whilst on a recent in hospital stay, they gave me an electric bed with an air mattress, which I found to be the most comfortable I have ever slept on. I am in a similar position to you, can only inch around my bed, and have terrific pains in my upper arms and shoulders...trying medication for that.
 
oh my, sleep what is that. I get about 3-4 hours a night. With me not able to move my legs, it is getting harder to move. I have to wake my husband up to push my hip up a bit so I can relieve pressure. It is more difficult to roll by myself now. I get stuck...lol and trying to sit up sometimes i can sometimes i can't. I am on a sleep aide it definatily helps going to sleep, but still hard to stay asleep. We still have our king size bed, it's easier for me to roll and dress. What am i gonna do when the hospital bed come, what am i gonna do with my hubby :(
 
Micheline,

I don't know how much upper body strength that you have. But I think it is "bgrown" he has pictures of these pulley type things that
help him to get up in bed.
 
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Hi Micheline& Mahea....I am in the same spot...legs shot, arms going fast. I fought the dreaded hospital bed for the same reason...Joan and I are big time snugglers. Finally relented and so glad I did! The sides of the bed allow me to get sitting up after a fight and help with rolling to my side. The power lift on the head of the bed and the leg lift help with comfort and I now can sleep thru the night. The bed going up and down also helps make transfers to my chair much easier. We have a 'trapeze bar' sticking out the top that I can grab to help reposition myself too. We have solved the snuggling problem too;) Not as nice as our king bed was but we can make it work!
Jane is right...slippery sheets or pyjamas make a big difference too
Good luck!
Rick
 
I am currently using a tempura mattress. I find that this mattress is firm enough to provide good support, yet molds to my body, allowing me to lay in full contact with the mattress. The downside of the tempura mattress is that it is expensive and not covered by health insurance. There is also electric spring system which provides full control as if in a hospital bed.
 
Rick, when it came time to change beds. Did you have to purchase the second one for your wife. I think steve doesn't want to give up that closeness. I can't imagine getting dressed in a small bed. I'm used to rolling (with help) all ove the king, quite funny to watch...lol
 
Hey Micheline...sorry for the delay in getting back to you...had our Als Walk on Friday and took a day to recover:)
I doubt that you will get another bed covered by anyone.....however the hospital beds do have a lot of up and down adjustment so when you put a second bed alongside they will match up not bad.
Joan and I still snuggle in the hospital bed...although it is tough on her:(
We know what you mean about the closeness.....that is probably the hardest thing for us with this whole sitaution...but you do what you have to...not always what you want to!
You will find the rolling gets easier with the sides on the hospital bed....not to mention the trapeze bar:)
Good luck!
Rick & Joan
 
Air Mattress

Tim has an air mattress and loves it. Medicare pays for it as a rental.

Lorie
 
My wife bought one of those "memory foam" pads for my bed. It's really nice.

But here I am, up late again because I feel best at the end of the day. I stretch, cramp, and grit my teeth all night, and only sleep a few hours at a time. Even if you don't have nightmares, you wake up to one. I takes me at least two hours to feel human again after getting out of bed in the morning.
 
I actually slept 9 hours in one position last night. We bought a memory foam topper at Sam's. Really helps. And I take two Tylenol PM. And use a bi-pap. Before I was waking my husband two to three times a night.
Sharonca
 
Thanks Rick, my upper body I feel is 60%. I finally had to ask home care to help dress me the other day. I tried for about 1/2 hour, gave up! My cooking days are coming to an end. I'm finding it hard to lift above my shoulder on my left side. So during the day i have the toaster, and microwave. My OT keeps suggesting the bed. But I am stuborn, ask steve...lol

I started on zopiclone, i get a good 3-4 hour block of sleep before I have steve adjust me, but find it hard to fall back to sleep. I do try to lie down in the after noon, 1) to help the swelling in the legs 2) i may sleep for about 1 hour. I loved sleeping in, I loved the 8 hrs plus if i wanted it...lol
 
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