heating pad? ...what I do.

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4mymom

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Hi all,

A while back I was looking for a heating pad for Mom to use around her neck or to put on her feet/ankles when she got cold. I'm not going to lie, I'm fairly particular when it comes to purchasing almost anything...so of course I didn't see anything I thought would be sufficient. I decided I'd take my own route. Necessity is the mother of invention, right?

I took a tube sock and filled it about 3/4 full with just regular rice (do not use the quick cook/minute rice) and then sewed up the open end. From there you're good to go. I put hers in the microwave for 2 minutes and it's done. (It will hold heat for about an hour!) There is little to smell from the heated rice if you're worried about it, but you can easily put a little bit of your favorite herbs in with the rice also. Once heated, the aromatics from it are a great therapy alone. Mom likes the smell of lavender, so we use a little bit of it in there.

Hope someone else finds this as useful as it has been for us!
 
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What a great Idea!
 
Yes, and you can use dried beans, too! Pinto beans are good.

Thanks for reminding me!
 
Just make sure you use a clean sock! :wink::wink:
 
iused chick peas and believe me after a while they STINK§ But it is still a grea&t idea. THink about putting the sock or bag into another sock or bag so you can ntake the outer layer off to wash............;
 
Thinking ahead here... Chris, if your Mom were to need her feet kept from "dropping" (as in "drop foot") when she's in bed, the weight of the rice or beans would probably work in keeping her feet in position as well as warming them. Phil has to wrap mine together to keep them upright, as one leg will otherwise turn out, making both knee and ankle sore. He uses a cold heating pad--a long one--just for that wrap during these warm months, and also a velour jacket alongside my outer leg to keep it from rolling over (packing my leg into place).

So save those worn socks, right? And as IrisMarie says, having an outer one to wash, sounds like a great idea.
 
Barry, all our socks are clean! Us Appalachian mountain folk don't take ta liking much'a dem shoes ya'll folks wear. I had to go out and buy a special pair for the occasion...joking!

I thought about the pinto beans too CJ, but wondered if it would have the same "cushion" effect of the smaller rice grains. It's still definitely a good back up though.

IrisMarie, I could only imagine using the chick peas...shew! One inside the other is a great idea though. I'll definitely do that.

Ann...first off, love the new photo BTW. Regarding the footdrop in bed, it's been a pain in the backside trying to "manage" it. I had purchased a couple of braces (hard plastic and soft) a while back, but they're not comfortable to sleep in. She hasn't slept with anything on them for quite a while now...and I've been a loss in trying to "McGyver" something that wouldn't keep her up at night. I'm currently using a thick/soft pillow under her feet and swiss rolling a fleece blanket and putting it under her knees. I'll fold the ends of the blanket back underneath and it creates a wedge on the outside so her knees don't lay to the side...of course having the feet elevated in the hospital bed helps also.
 
Chris, I do sleep with a pillow under my knees. Mine is a featherpillow, smaller than a bed pillow but same shape, called a "boudoir" pillow. I have a real bed pillow stuffed into the blanket rack (the thing that keeps blankets off my feet), and my feet are lined up against that pillow. Until recently that's all it took; I don't turn over. But then, that leg started sliding, starting with the foot, straining the ankle. And then the whole leg wanted to turn out. So now I get the long heating pad loosely wrapped around my feet, making sure they still remain straight up. I'll ask Phil to read what you're doing with the fleece blanket, although I think I "get it". Oh, Chris, one other thing... I sleep on a sheepfleece mattress pad (no skin--fleece is held into a knitted backing) which Medicare is supposed to cover if your mom gets medicare. Anyway, the fleece keeps pressure points from being a problem. They make pillow covers the same way... and sell wheelchair covers (see my photo--and thanks, Chris--nice comment.)

You are right about the footdrop being a pain, but this whole arrangement is constantly needing tweaking, isn't it? On every level, there's just no lasting solution.

Boots that have fleece lining are great during "up times" for keeping feet from dropping, say in a wheelchair with elevated leg mode. And the lining sort of keeps the feet from freezing. I can say truthfully my feet stay warm much longer in my boots. They do still end up cold by this time of day.
 
what a great idea. my sister bought me one with jel but it doesn't work very well ,but my problem is my shoulder esp. my left . I have been blaming arth. but it has become very painful lately, my daughter feels it the als . My left side has been from the beginning of this. I have trouble reaching up or behind without pain. I usually don't take pain pills they make me nauseaous,but iI have resorted to that sevral times. well I will try sock therapy I am sure it will help.
 
regarding the shoulder pain. Try to find a doctor of chinese medicine and get a "scrape". Instant relief - after the pain of the scrape - that lasts. It really works
 
Thanks for mentioning the sheep fleece mattress, Ann. I've been trying to decide which would be the best route to go...something along those lines or one of the memory foam toppers. Have you tried them also or have you always been a sheep fleece gal?

Flower, if your progression started in your left side it may very well be atrophy in the muscles around your shoulder. The weight of your arm could be pulling on that shoulder causing some of that pain. Not sure if you'd agree with that or not.

IrisMarie...you would think they would give a "scrape" a name that was a little more appealing. Ouch! It sounds like a simple procedure, but is there something more to it? You have me curious.
 
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Chris, I know there are pals using memory foam and loving it, but when I had to make a choice (and could still turn, but with trouble), I read that the memory foam could be hard to move "in". I also had used fake fleece wraps successfully on my heels, so I knew it worked--my heels were red from pressure early on. Then I read of a fellow ALS friend who had bad pressure sores on his head, tailbone, and other places... a sad story. This was under his wife's care. He went to a nursing home and was placed naked onto a sheepfleece pad while they worked on his wounds. That convinced me. The ALSA folks lent me a hospital bed and alternating air mattress overlay, which I covered with the sheepfleece pad. I will post the address on a separate thread after a moderator approves it, because it is also what covers my wheelchair; arms, back and seat. Remember Medicare will do their bit if you have a prescription and receipt, or so they say--I can't get Medicare.


Flower--I have the shoulder pain also. Not frozen shoulder, but I think the tendons/ligaments are trying to handle what muscle used to do.

Ann (Now the address and name is found under "Catalogue of Helpful Items", top thread (sticky) in this section.)
 
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As always, I appreciate all the help Ann!
 
You're very welcome, Chris!
 
Re the shoulder pain. My husband ended up with a torn rotator cuff, which we thought he did when he was still working, but have since learned that it was torn because of the muscles weakening from ALS. It wasn't severe enough for surgery, and he had a couple of steroid injections that really helped ease the pain. Erica also had a torn cuff, I believe.
 
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