tips thread

[olly]

i thought it would be good to start this thread.
please feel free to add any tips on things to do with daily life,exercise ect ect to make life a bit easier.


my first tips are............alot of us have hip pain,i have found a few things that can help.

1 sitting on a too soft seat does not give the hip girdle the support it needs as it scrunches up that area,a firm seat is better.
if your sofa or chair is too soft try a piece of hard board under the seat cushion.

2 i found a trick to relax the hip girdle area...........lay on your bed in a reclining position with pillows having one to support your lower back.
you can either bring both legs up bending at the knees or just one with the foot tooked under the other leg.
now you should be able to relax the hips gently against the bed..........if your doing it right you will instantly feel the hips relax.

3 regards to night foot spasms and cramps...........my feet are ofton cold and i found if i wear socks for a bit before bed then go to bed in them it greatly reduces spasms and cramps.

if you try these let me know how you get on

caroline

 

[4mymom]

I love the idea of this thread Caroline!

I may have an idea to help with the foot cramps. We had quite a time initially with Mom's foot drop while she was in bed. I tried several different things to help ease the pain but nothing worked, or was comfortable for her. After a lengthy stay in the hospital last month, we purchased a lot of different medical items for when we got home as Mom spends all of her time in bed now. One of those items was a foam wedge to prevent bed sores. Mom found it too uncomfortable to use under her back side, but I've found that I can place it against the foot board of her hospital bed, and it offers just the right angle for the bottoms of her feet to rest on comfortably. I'll also place a pillow under her lower legs and fold the bottom third of it underneath itself so that her feet are slightly elevated to keep her heels off the bed to prevent any pressure sores. It's made a world of difference for her!

 

[Zaphoon]

Good idea for a thread, Caroline!

I have one of those vibrating massage pads on my recliner. There are 4 vibrating discs in the thing; 1 for the upper back, 1 for the lower back (hip area) and 2 for the thighs (right and left). When my hip girdle muscles are bugging me, I put that booger on high for about 20 minutes. Does it do any good? As long as I sit in the chair!

 

[kelly]

I know this one is going to sound crazy..but Andrew and I use weight lifting straps to help with his grip when showering. It helps keeps his hands on the bar and helps him balance. He is still able to weight bear...thank goodness.

 

[kelly]

I put mouth wash in the bottom of my hubby's suction canister...helps reduce the gross out factor. Also smells nice!

 

[LizT]

this may seem like a no-brainer, but for those of you that are losing your neck muscles and getting the infamous "ALS bobble-head", you can strap your head to your W/C when going for car rides or on rough terrain. We use shelf liner ( the non-slip kind ) and cut that into strips. Then sew some regular fabric onto each end, and apply some velcro onto the fabric. Place the strap across your forehead and wrap it around your head rest and velcro. This allows for your chair to be in any position without your head falling.
obviously you'll need someone to strap it for you... and oh, we use shelf liner because its almost like a thin foam, so its more comfortable.

 

[johnnyliverpool]

well ollie..i got a u shaped pillowwhich i drape around my neck..eases neck and shoulder pain.....whilst in bed..........................of course i awake a hundred times a night to replace it......in the morning it ends up on the floor or somewhere other than me neck..but never mind......my other tip is three pints of lager before bed....you sleep like a baby, .........of course u cant do that every night or u become an alcaholic and fat!.....my third tip for relief of stiffnes and pain is....to throw your head back as far as you can..open your legs as far as you can, like doing the splits..arch your back at the same time, tuck your stomach in and chest out..point toes in southerly direction and bingo!....after three minutes shout for your helper to unravel yourself...arwell!..nothings perfect......loves johnny..

 

[olly]

thankyou johnny:roll:.......................just nearly choked and spluttered my morning coffee everywhere from laughing so hard:lol:
your a treasure:wink:

 

[Tokahfang]

For winter:

People with spinal problems aren't supposed to use electric blankets, and rightly so! Even those of us with full sensation don't necessarily have the muscle strength to move our limbs away from a painfully warm spot in our sleep. Still, we lack circulation often and the winter is colder for us than most.

So what I do is take my electric blanket (a small "throw" sized) and turn it on the lowest setting, and put it on top of my normal blanket. The electric blanket heats the normal blanket, but never gets very warm in any particular location because it's defused, and it gives me a nice cave of heat. After a while, you can even turn the electric blanket off, and the normal blanket will maintain that temperature for a goodly length of time.

 

[lgelb]

There is a low voltage electric mattress pad (what we have) and also a blanket version. Both have an auto shutoff after 10 hrs. If you use a low setting, there should be no danger of burns. This can help w/ cramps as well as warmth. The queen and king sizes have dual controls.

--Laurie

 

[olly]

johnny,i could smother you in wet sloppy kisses.............what the heck,mwaah mwaah mwahh:lol:

i took your tip advice and got one of those triangle pillows,got it from argos and was on offer for £5.49.
its big and soft and is fantastic support to sleep with for my shoulders...........i'm over the moon with it

for anyone like pz you should get one of these pillows if you have shoulder problems.
there great to use sitting in a chair but if your like me and found it difficult and painfull getting comfortable to sleep there fantastic.
i put my head on the tip of the triangle and my shoulders rest on the long bits of pillow on either side,it cradles and comforts the shoulders.

i can't rate it enough..............fantastic

 

[olly]

i took a pic of the pillow to show you all which type it is.
also some pic's of what it looks like outside this morning............my son managed to get to work but called to say he's on his way back.
its snowing heavy here and very very cold.

 

[Zaphoon]

Caroline,

Thanks for posting the pics! The pillow looks like it would really do the job!

I love the snow picture!

Stay warm!

 

[johnnyliverpool]

see oll..am not just a good lookin so and so....the pillow does good dunnit?....send the sloppy xxxxx"s as soon as poss..............pursed and ready.......the pooler..xxx