67 replies to this topic

[Ches]

Wow that does suck. Just can't win sometimes. Do you sleep with your feet hanging off the edge of the bed? Would/does that help?

[Santa Cruz Soul Surfer (LRO)]

LOL, it's not so bad...No, it would'nt really. Since my feet are already drop foot tightened, it does'nt affect me as much when I sleep. I'm actually quite comfortable sleeping on my stomach.

[twisted_ophelia]

Oh, I just cringed a little reading about the rods poking you in the stomach. Yikes. I'm the opposite-- I find sleeping on my stomach to be really painful and uncomfortable for the most part. I can lay on my stomach for a short while and then it starts to hurt and ache.

Edited by twisted_ophelia, 05 March 2009 - 03:29 PM.

[greybeard]

twisted_ophelia, on Mar 5 2009, 03:29 PM, said:

I can lay on my stomach for a short while and then it starts to hurt and ache.

Have you tried laying on someone else's ?

[twisted_ophelia]

"Have you tried laying on someone else's?"

Is that an invitation?

Actually, yes, I have and that is the only time I like to be on my stomach. I like to pull my legs/knees up sort of up beside my torso and lay on someone, I find it really comfortable and soothing when my back hurts. Go figure! I can't stay that way for long but I guess the way my body is cushioned by their body--almost like having a human body pillow--somehow works and makes me feel cozy.

[greybeard]

twisted_ophelia, on Mar 5 2009, 04:30 PM, said:

"Have you tried laying on someone else's?"

Is that an invitation?

Now there's a thought.

Nah! You wouldn't be very comfortable there unless you've got a thing about hippos or other creatures with a grossly rounded belly. You'd keep sliding off.

[twisted_ophelia]

More to love!!!!

[greybeard]

twisted_ophelia, on Mar 5 2009, 04:55 PM, said:

More to love!!!!

Is it me is it getting warm in here?

Edited by greybeard, 05 March 2009 - 04:57 PM.

[twisted_ophelia]

[Ches]

lol Twisted Im the same way. I was pre injury as well.. laying like a sitting frog is pretty comfortable for at least half an hour (maybe its another libra thing ). Laying on my stomach feels good but if I start to move around I can feel the limitations with my rods and that gets quite uncomfortable. I fear dropped foot though so I try to avoid it.

[Travelling Blackbird]

I can't breathe if I lie on my stomach. I don't know how anyone does it. I can't catch my breath no matter how I have my head turned, no matter where the pillows are.

For the first years, I had to sleep propped up (three-pillow prism between back and headboard, pillow under each arm, pillow under knees), but I managed to reduce the amount of propping over the years as I got stronger, and got back to a more prone position. There were even times when I could lie on my side, provided I had a pillow at my back and another one in my arms.

Since the second injury, I've found I've needed propping up again, otherwise I have trouble breathing and bad lumbar pain, but I'm working on getting back to lying down again.

[Rjeez]

I have to sleep on my sides.On my front/chest,I am lying on my convene/pipe to my night bag,and on my back,my legs spasm badly and straighten out,which can be prtty uncomfortable.

[Trinity]

I don't suffer from foot drop but my ankles are always very tight in the morning foot drop does worry me and I am attempting to spend some time sleeping on my side, however i never seem to stay there! Also I only sleep on my stomach the rest of the time i'm in bed I spend on my back or sides, I also spend several more hours out of bed than I do in bed generally so i guess it's not a major problem

[twisted_ophelia]

Ches said:
"lol Twisted Im the same way. I was pre injury as well.. laying like a sitting frog is pretty comfortable for at least half an hour (maybe its another libra thing tongue.gif). Laying on my stomach feels good but if I start to move around I can feel the limitations with my rods and that gets quite uncomfortable. I fear dropped foot though so I try to avoid it."

Ohh, I think we may be twins--another crippled libra who likes the sitting frog position on top of someone? Sweet! For me, I feel more 'trapped' and almost like I'm being smothered when I lay flat on my stomach and my hardware limits my mobility as it is so... That on top of being flat-out uncomfortable flat on my stomach makes me pretty much avoid it. I don't know about others and how their ligaments were affected by their injuries but in my accident, I also tore up pretty much every ligament in my back and that shit never really heals so really anything is uncomfortable after a while. I guess it's why I'm always shifting around and fidgeting.

Edited by twisted_ophelia, 06 March 2009 - 06:24 AM.

[greybeard]

Laying on someone and shifting around and fidgeting!

That's what I call good therapy.

[silone74]

Hi i sleep on my back if i lay for too long on my side i dont know why but i start sweating really bad so i have to move back onto my back i used to have a pillow on the foot board to keep my feet straight but dont bother now i just stretch every morning to keep from getting drop foot, i have tried laying on my front but cant get my head comfy enough to sleep.

Does any one know what could be the reason for the sweating when laying on my side??



Si

[Ches]

Silone, are you picking up your body and shifting the weight, or just rolling on your side and staying there? Im not sure how to describe it.. but your possibly shifting all your weight into an uncomfortable position.. have you tried laying on your side.. then using ur arms to pick up your torso.. which will get your hips off the bed and pretty much give yourself that inch or two of air. Your hips and upper legs will adjust to what should be a pretty comfortable position.

Maybe you're too skinny, or maybe your hips need a professional adjustment?

Just a guess..

[twisted_ophelia]

I know what Ches means by "picking up your torso". I do that every time I roll over or first lay on my side because otherwise you may not realize if you are in a really awkward position, and you have control over where your hips are now laying by picking them up and adjusting yourself and aligning them under your body properly for laying on your side. It's very hard to describe, I'm not really sure how to describe it either.

[silone74]

Hi i have tried all sorts, i sit up first and lift myself into position as in i move my hips around then lay down onto my side, i have tried rolling over and pulling my legs into position i have also used pillows to prop myself half way over but i always end up sweating it is mostly just under me chest below my injury level but its alot not just a drop? i dont feel hot my skin is not hot to touch but as soon as i lay flat it stops and i am back to normal again? It also seems to be just when i lay on my left side and that seems strange to me 2?

I dont think i am in danger of being too skinny lol

Edited by silone74, 06 March 2009 - 06:51 PM.

[Ches]

I sweat like crazy too.. its hard to tell if Ive pissed myself or am just sweating some nights. Laying on my side is most comfortable for me, but does leave me drenched if I stay that way for more than an hour or two. Im pretty accustomed to waking up in the middle of the night and stripping at this point. Im not sure why it makes me so hot either, and its not a 'pressure' thing. AD would let me know...

I think youre just going to have to shift around more in your sleep, or sleep with less blankets? Is your mattress covered with a waterproof liner? That could be a cause.

[silone74]

No i dont have a water proof liner just a memory foam topper,i get the same even if i leave the cover off and i have a fan next to the bed i have tried leaving that on but still get soaked, i do try an move around as much as pos but some nights (depending on if the misses is snoring LOL) i sleep for hours and dont move at all and then have the no sleep at all nights as i think we all do then i am trying all kinds of positions to try get some sleep but its only the laying on the side that causes the problem.



Si

[Ches]

Yeah again, same here. I get warm, maybe even a lil clammy if I lay on my back all night, but nothing like laying on my side.

Oh well, just means you gotta shower more! Wish I had an answer for ya other than; go bathe!

[Santa Cruz Soul Surfer (LRO)]

I had many of the same issues for awhile, it took me a long time to find the right routine/combination...At night, it's pretty cold here in the winter (for california that is) high 30's/low 40's...I use a plastic sheet, followed by a flannel sheet and a really thick down duvet comforter...Even though i'm wearing a diaper to bed with flannel pj's, i've noticed that cotton flannel has a tendency to wick moisture away far better than the synthetic blends. and it does'nt maintain or hold in heat either... If you have'nt tried it yet, I would highly recommend it!

[Ches]

Really Christaan? I've always heard the flanel are meant to keep you warm, you know, like.. you bust them out at winter time.. hmm.

Weather is perfect in Texas right now, no need to use the A/c or heat, day or night. Been sleeping with the window wide open (fans on) and just a sheet, still gets warm but not nearly as bad. I wish I lived somewhere I could leave all my windows in the house wide open all night, would be ideal.

[twisted_ophelia]

I'm jealous. It's been freezing here except for yesterday when we had a whopping 15 degrees celsius. I'm always feeling cold so when it's like -100 here (ah, Canada), I am not happy. I'll be out in Mammoth Lakes shortly so I'm hoping to get away from the crazy March weather we get in Toronto. Right now it's not as bitterly cold as it's been the last few weeks with all the extreme cold weather alerts but it's pouring rain so it's gross. Normally I love rain but not when the damp chill starts to seep into your bones.

Edited by twisted_ophelia, 08 March 2009 - 07:05 AM.

[Ches]

Painfully cold.. eeeek!

On the flip side, we have the hottest summers here. My room stays warmer than the rest of the house in the summer, it can get miserable at night. My grandfather once told me that they used to soak a towel and lay on it during those grotesquely hot summer nights. Ive always kinda wondered how affective it was. Cant bring myself to throw a soaked towel on the bed though.

[greybeard]

Ches, on Mar 8 2009, 07:52 AM, said:

Painfully cold.. eeeek!

On the flip side, we have the hottest summers here. My room stays warmer than the rest of the house in the summer, it can get miserable at night. My grandfather once told me that they used to soak a towel and lay on it during those grotesquely hot summer nights. Ive always kinda wondered how affective it was. Cant bring myself to throw a soaked towel on the bed though.

I've never heard of that but if the bed's going to get soaked in perspiration anyway, why not try it.
I too sweat a whole lot while laying on my side in a semi foetal position, but I always have done, long before I had spinal problems. Possibly it is just a matter of how you are put together that counts, rather than anything to do with your SCI.

Also, if you think about it you are reducing body surface area quite a lot compared to laying flat on your back so there is less exposed for cooling by evaporation.

[Scribbler]

What's going on in this thread?

There's Greybeard and TO have am online affair, which is making poor Ches sweat. Just behave you two.. All these positions your suggesting, its reading more like tha Kama Sutra..

I never used to have dropped feet, but even with having them bent up each morning they eventually drop due to age. My right foot it the worse, plus a litte bent to one side. No amount of physio will help; its as if its fused like that.

Some nice posts guy...

[greybeard]

Scribbler, on Mar 8 2009, 09:59 AM, said:

What's going on in this thread?

There's Greybeard and TO have am online affair, which is making poor Ches sweat. Just behave you two.. All these positions your suggesting, its reading more like tha Kama Sutra..

I never used to have dropped feet, but even with having them bent up each morning they eventually drop due to age. My right foot it the worse, plus a litte bent to one side. No amount of physio will help; its as if its fused like that.

Some nice posts guy...

Aha! The little green eye of jealousy, me thinks.

Perhaps it's because I'm that bit younger than you Scribs, that I'm still able to induce a little sweat from time to time . ( I wish! )

My dropped foot is causing me no end of problems but in a different way to you guys. I can't walk much but when I do, I keep tripping and falling over my floppy feet which has given me a very painful adducter muscle (groin) strain. Incidentally, I just know I'm leading with my chin but can anyone offer a treatment for this, other than rest?

I'm resisting like mad using the wheels all the time for as long as possible because I know it is a one-way street. I don't want to loose the little ability I still have but I think the inevitable day is not too far off.

[twisted_ophelia]

Ches, on Mar 8 2009, 02:52 AM, said:

Painfully cold.. eeeek!

On the flip side, we have the hottest summers here. My room stays warmer than the rest of the house in the summer, it can get miserable at night. My grandfather once told me that they used to soak a towel and lay on it during those grotesquely hot summer nights. Ive always kinda wondered how affective it was. Cant bring myself to throw a soaked towel on the bed though.

The summers here are also crazy hot. We are right on Lake Ontario so we get a lot of weird lake effect weather but the summer's are smoggy and the air gets so thick with humidity that it can be hard to breathe. The garbage that people pile up on the streets for the garbage trucks to pick up starts to stink... it's definitely better than freezing though. The temperature gets up to between 30-40 (celsius) here in the summers.

That towel thing isn't something I'd do either. Yikes. Too reminiscent of peeing in the bed and laying in it.



Oh boys.