A few general questions

[kristaradau]

The man I sit with has started experiencing a few new issues and I was just wanting to know if anyone knows what might be going on and what me may be able to do to help ease the pain. Please note that he has had ALS for over 5 years now and is pretty much not able to get out of his recliner. His legs have began aching pretty bad. We do bend his legs and I rub his feet down to get blood flowing. His left heel sometimes hurts pretty bad and feels like it is burning. Also on another note he seems to feel okay (as well as can be expected of course) during the day and by the late afternoon his pain level goes up and his anxiety levels go up. His thoughts are that maybe he feels fine most of the day is because his muscles have more oxygen from his respirator the night before and by the afternoon they lack oxygen. Any advice or thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Erika]

My mom's shoulder and legs hurts if the air conditioning blows directly on her, so we either cover her legs and shoulder or move her away so the cold air isn't directly on her. Another type of pain seems to start at her feet and go up her shins and to her thigh. I'm not sure how to describe it, but she says it's like bone pain and muscle stretching at the same time even is there is no mule left on her legs. Massaging, rubbing or moving those areas seem to help. Tylenol as a last resort helps to. (She doesn't like taking meds) Not sure if your PAL is experiencing this, but I hope it helps.
-Erika

 

[lgelb]

Make sure you massage from the foot upward in long strokes. Even with range of motion exercises during the day, the longer he's in the recliner, even with feet elevated (and I would try to vary the position from time to time), the more likely fluid is to pool in his feet/ankles and if so you need to move it up, not just around.

The night-before BiPAP oxygen theory is unlikely. But if he is becoming anxious late in the day, breathing could play a role and so you could try using the BiPAP then.

Best,
Laurie

 

[KimT]

I have a lot of pain. Can you massage his legs and feet with coconut oil and magnesium oil? Can he take Advil? If he feels better on BiPap, maybe he should use it during the day and see if it helps. If Advil bothers his stomach, try Tylenol. Valium is the only thing that helps the cramps, for me.

I wish I had the money to get a massage every day, especially my legs and feet.

 

[Atsugi]

An automatic sequential leg compression sleeve eased a lot of that pain.

https://www.alsforums.com/forum/members/13577-albums970-picture7154.jpg