Sleeping in Wheelchair

[KarstBoy]

How many of you PALS sleep in your wheelchair?

I ask this because it has become very difficult for my wife to sleep in bed because of saliva and mucus buildup causing serious breathing problems. She very seldom has a major problem while in the wheelchair though. Thinking if it gets too bad, she could just sleep in the wheelchair.


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[KimT]

Does she have a hospital bed. That would be the ideal solution since it can adjust in many ways and it's possible to put very comfortable mattresses and toppers on.

 

[KarstBoy]

Does she have a hospital bed. That would be the ideal solution since it can adjust in many ways and it's possible to put very comfortable mattresses and toppers on.

Yes, she's got a good hospital bed but in order to keep from choking, she has to sleep sitting up (60 degrees from horizontal). Even with the bed like that, she can still on occasion become overwhelmed by saliva &/or mucus (but not near as much as laying horizontal). In her wheelchair though, this seldom happens.

Also, pressure sores were never a problem when she used to sleep horizontally but the minute we started her sleeping sitting up in the hospital bed, bed sores became a problem. If she could sleep in her wheelchair, I think the bedsore problem would go away. I was curious if anyone else slept in their chair and what their experience was.

 

[Jimi]

I've been sleeping in my recliner for five years. Never any sores. Once my recliner broke and I slept in my PWC. It was doable. I could have used a little egg crate foam for my heels and elbows. At the angle you are describing my butt would be hurting for that length of time in the recliner. I would have to recline for pressure relief. With a roho air cushion on the PWC I think I could sit more upright for longer. Why not try ? Everyone is different.. I prefer a recliner for many reasons over a bed.

 

[Firefighter58]

I usually sleep in a hospital bed, but I have fallen asleep in my wheelchair and my wife will leave me there and I sleep very well. She lays a bib on me to ketch any saliva.
Al

 

[Dot Nichols]

Yes and yes! coughing/chocking at night is a major problem for my husband. Of course, he wants to start out in his bed, but it has been extremely hard to move him to his chair during a middle of the night coughing spasm. His doctor suggested breath stacking, which helps to power up the lungs as well as manage the saliva. We just got a hospital bed and sitting up is easier.. It also helps that he sleeps on his side with pillows wedged tight against his back. I will watch out for the bed sores. We also schedule all the tube feeds before 5 p.m. so he isn't burping up acid. My heart aches for what this disease does to us.