Ok, oh in that case it sounds like back sleeping is out of the question anymore for you. So what about looking into mattresses that can provide some more flexible compression reduction or the parts of you that are being subjected to weight that compresses them and causes the bruising/straining... plus exercises that will strengthen the muscles in that area so that they provide a bit more strength also, because the problem is compression, but some of that is due to age-related loss of collagen and similar thinning of skin layers. .
Also there is a procedure that, believe it or not, it's called skin blading or skin puncturing or something like that, numerous little blades puncture your skin down to about 1 to 3 mm depth, and the wounding actually stimulates your body responding by laying down newer and deeper collagen which then provides more padding. Very commonly done by plastic surgeons and dermatologists for both cosmetic reasons and for counteracting the loss of that padding that is the collagen that disappears with age, because as that insulation is lost then as you age your skin becomes so thin that it is subject to severe burning easily, other injuries easily, sunburning easily, all kinds of damages that happen because your skin has lost that springy spongy protection of the collagen and one or two other related tissues that I can't remember what the name is. Also much more pain sensitivity and temperature sensitivity and pressure sensitivity on the nerves because of that thinning of the skin.
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So this idea would counter some of that. .
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Add that to the cushioning of some sort of professionally recommended or specialty mattress... there are some on the market I think... or instead of a mattress then maybe a cushion material, material of a cushion perhaps being more of the kind of thing you would find in a nursing home supply store rather than down at your local mattress place...
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I understand that when you buy certain mattresses they give you two or three months or sometimes even longer to try it and if it works then you keep it and if not you get to return it and get a refund.
My mum sleeps on a profiling bed that I have raised four or so inches (with books) at the head end.
The head/body end of the profiling bed is tilted up to some degree and her pillows are also propped up by a triangular prism of foam such that the pillows sit almost vertically.
Between the books, the tilt, and the judiciously arranged pillows, mum's head remains perpendicular to the floor while she yet sleeps on her back.
Any saliva seeps out of the mouth... as her duvet attests to every morning. Clearly not delightful, but somewhat better than the alternative.
The chief drawback (but, again, preferable to the alternative) is that it does put the neck in a flexed position for an extended period...likely exacerbating the head dropping tendency often seen in those with PD and dementia.
Should anyone go down this route, I would recommend they do some neck-extending exercises.
Also worth noting that my mum sleeps like a statue: her position does not budge one inch across the night. I appreciate this won't be true for all.
Hello Colin, I have also had many problems with my shoulder, and in fact, I have had a scapula out of place and there was a time when I was not even able to lift my right arm, which is the side I have EP. The only thing that has fixed that has been a dopamine antagonist, pramipexole. I don't know if you take it or not, the truth is that this kind of medication is not highly recommended because it generally causes impulsive behavior, but it is what has had the most effect for me, the C/L didn't do anything for this kind of symptoms. At night I have no problems sleeping, I have insomnia, but I don't have problems with stiffness during the night after starting to take pramipexole. I had to adjust the dose very well because it exacerbated my social phobia and anxiety in high doses, but with the proper dose, the truth is that it is going quite well for that.
I have found that rubbing a mix (about half and half) of Castor Oil and Vicks Vapor Rub (Camphor, Eucalyptus and Menthol) relaxes muscles and takes away pain.
Just adding for safety: always check new therapies slowly and check that there are not known negative drug interactions with other meds taken. Drugs.com has a Drug Interaction Checker.
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