Handling dead weight---crap!

[Nuts]

We've given up on standing transfers and as of this weekend are now either sliding or using the lift. Tonight it struck me just how bloody difficult it will be once he's truely dead weight. OMG! Just rolling him over to get the sling off was a struggle (he weighs over 200lbs). At his last PCP appt the nurse wanted to know if I was turning him in the bed at night. He still turns with help (I lift his legs for him), but I just dread trying to do it on my own. I guess it's time for the alternating air mattress. I asked about the Probed, but was told they get approved here (VA) after bed sores develop. ARGH. He's actually moving less at night and getting used to it, so perhaps the mattress will do the trick.

All of these devices to help me and it's still a nightmare.

ok, that's my rant for the night. I've tried not to look to far ahead, but ahead just kicked me in the behind. Crap. No....don't....that requires the lift....

 

[scaredwifetx]

I am so sorry. This disease hits so hard and fast. To think we have to wait until symptoms such as bed sores appear before something can be approved. What about approving equipment that will actually keep them from happening? My thoughts are with you and I hope you can figure out a way to make it easier on yourself. I really dread the ahead part and hope I can be half as strong as the rest of you here.

 

[Atsugi]

Approved AFTER bed sores? No way. That's simply a local technician trying to save some budget money. Get your PCP or Palliative Care Team leader involved.

 

[lgelb]

I'm sorry, Becky. Larry at 250# could not be rolled at all because of his subluxed shoulders, herniated C-spine discs, etc.,. To get the sling off, we lifted the sling legs from under his legs and raised the head of the bed so he was more sitting, then pulled out the top part. We always had the head and legs raised to a good angle before the lift transfer so he could be placed precisely and comfortably on the bed.

We never had an air or alternating pressure mattress but he did not turn nor was he turned for ~4y. If the ProBed is going to take a while, I would add a good foam overlay (no cheap yellow egg crate) meanwhile. IMHO no one should be without one, if you are on a regular medical grade or standard mattress. There is just too much shear.

 

[Nuts]

Laurie, I knew someone would have some advice! With all of the things we figure out as we go, sometimes we just get stuck! I've read your discriptions of Larry's condition and I just can't imagine...

I was reading about medical grade wool for the bed. What do you think about that? He sweats a lot and it sounds like that might help. Also, do go under the sheet or over it? Feeling pretty ignorant here...

Mike and Scaredwife, they have offered the alternating air mattress, and will try to get the probed through if we push (just warning us about prior histories). I'm kind of torn on the bed. The pro bed looks quite large and I don't think we'll be able to push my bed next to it. Right now we have an adjustable split king. I wonder if I can put the alternating air mattress on the split king and continue to sleep next to my sweetie. Sigh. time to chose a direction...

 

[gooseberry]

Nuts before our remodel started steve was all for a hospital bed. A few weeks before we moved back he told me we needed to get the new bed. Showed him so.e twin beds that i could set up by his hospital bed. But no he changed his mind. So now we have a serta ridgemont mattress with a 3 inch memory foam topper. Its like sleeping on air. Steve says his hip and shoulder pain are gone.

 

[Nuts]

Steph, the sleep number has a one inch memory foam pad inside the zipper cover. There's also a thin egg crate layer. I may be able to swap them out with a thicker memory foam layer. thanks for the idea!

 

[lgelb]

Becky, I should have also said that we held his back forward before removing the top of the sling, but you prob figured that out

Larry had at one point a pad that was wool-stuffed. Tended to clump up. Some report sweating. But we did use sheepskin for padding under his elbows in bed/wheelchair, and his thighs in the wheelchair against the supports. We went back to high-quality (furniture-grade) foam for the bed overlay. These go under bottom sheet (to keep smooth, low shear surface against skin) but you may want to have mattress protector (pref cooling material like tencel) between pad and sheet. We had the slip sheet just under bottom sheet so our padding was under the mattress protector, which was smooth so the slip sheet could rotate for our transfers.

If you have an adjusting split king, assuming you mean feet/head adjust independently?, what you'll miss from a hospital bed, assuming your lift works at the height it's at now, is raising/lowering him for care. And keeping your beds together, of course, means you're always leaning over to do anything with the side you can't get to -- eye, arm, scratching, even getting him up/transferring -- don't know your setup, but things to think about. Also, can you still stand at the head of the bed for care?

So what we had was my bed a couple of inches away but parallel to his hospital bed. I could reach out and touch him, but enough room to stand between beds and to give care on that side -- e.g. adjusting arm and padding, positioning, and, in our case, executing the dead lift of his upper body each day [once we had done the pivot turn].

 

[Nuts]

Laurie, our aid practiced on me today, so we did figure out about leaning him forward. I also learned what it feels like when the sling straps get bunched up under his thighs. Ugh.

I'm having trouble visualizing the slip sheet. Mattress, pad, protector, then a sheet between the protector and the bottom sheet? How does it fit and how do you use it? I'm feeling like I should understand this already...

I'm sure the day will come when I will have to split our beds, for all of the reasons you've mentioned. I'm just holding off as long as I can. On top of everything else, he's become VERY attached to Heidi, and she's gotten really good at snuggleing with him, then moving to my side of the bed when he goes to sleep (she knows he needs to move when he can). LOL...at the rate we are going, he's going to need a bed for the dog next to him (and he's expecting me to move down the hall to another room...got news for him It is amazing how calming it is for him to reach out and pet her at night.

 

[cheerleader]

Nuts, thanks for the chuckle! Yep! Those pets are so important in their mental health! Joe made me promise I wouldn't sell our big house as long as his Sweetie Cat was alive! Not sure if I can keep that promise but.....at least I didn't have to move to another room to make space for the dog! Lol

 

[Loverly]

Laurie, our aid practiced on me today, so we did figure out about leaning him forward. I also learned what it feels like when the sling straps get bunched up under his thighs. Ugh.

I'm having trouble visualizing the slip sheet. Mattress, pad, protector, then a sheet between the protector and the bottom sheet? How does it fit and how do you use it? I'm feeling like I should understand this already...

.

we use the protector as a slip sheet sometimes. if there is no one to help me move K up the bed, I bend her knees and hold her feet and she can wiggle up. If she is too tired, i will just push her up by her bum, one hand on each cheek, while holding her knees with my chest. This is all predicated on using a satin sheet. The satin sheet and the mattress pad/chuck are slippery enough together to enable this.

I know what you mean, though. K only weighs 125 lbs and sometimes it's all I can do to keep us both from collapsing onto the floor.

if she was as big as I am, we'd be sunk.

 

[lgelb]

Becky, we only used the slip sheet for pivot turns before transfers. We did not try repositioning. We justs placed Larry correctly on the bed the first time and he stayed the night as he was, apart from bed and padding adjustments.

Others like Loverly use it for repositioning (though sounds like she is repurposing the mattress protector -- prob not possible w/ 200# Matt).

So if you want to use one, it goes mattress/mattress protector/slipsheet/bottom sheet. So when you want to use the slipsheet for turning, you pop corners of the bottom sheet. (Get a bottom sheet that is deeper than you think you need, for ease of popping back on, if that is your plan.) OR you can have the slip sheet on top (maximum ease in using it) but we had to have one that is heavy duty nylon w/ handles for the pivot turn and it would not have been safe/comfy for Larry's bare skin to come into contact with it. But there are many versions w/ different material, handles and not. We even tried some of the fancier two-part versions but when someone is dead weight, wrinkles and mispositioning require starting over. Just no point for us.

 

[Nuts]

OK, I think I've got it now! Thanks, ladies!

So, here are Today's Tips for Toliet Transfers:

1. If you have a medical appointment, wake PALS an hour earlier than you think you need to and start administering coffee (yep, just as we were about to leave the house).
2. Unbuckle the seatbelt before putting on the sling.
3. If wearing open seat pants, be sure to tuck the flap up out of the way before lowering onto the toliet.
4. If PALS says the bidet is shooting the sling and not him, check for #3
5. Stay Calm and Pet the Dog.

Disclaimer: I tried several times to get him to practice this BEFORE we had to do it for real. Putting me in the sling just didn't disclose all of these potential complications...

Confession: I got pretty worked up until he changed the mood by suggesting I take a picture of him hanging in the sling over the commode. No, I think not--at least not yet :twisted:

 

[scaredwifetx]

Wish you could see me reading this and laughing out loud. I am so happy that your hubby and you both have a great sense of humor. We need to hang out with you all for a while and learn to take this all better. I hope you were spared and did not get as much rain there as South Carolina. The flooding is so bad!

 

[gooseberry]

Nuts I will confess, Steve can barely make it to the commode and get up but......we have a remote control for the bidet. So I got him settled and went outside the door and tried all the functions on him. It was so much fun. We were both laughing really hard. He had no idea it came with a remote.