Getting in & out of bed?

[Gloria-John]

Does anyone have trouble getting in & out of bed? My husband had shoulder replacement several years ago and shouldn't have, because the pain he was having at the time was probably from the PD. But he hadn't been dx'd yet. So he doesn't have the strength to get himself in or out of bed. He wakes up 3-5 times during the night to urinate (which I don't think is normal) so I have to help him in & out of bed. This is exhausting for both of us. I tried a side rail for him to grip, but he can't around enough to grab it. Any suggestion at all?

[jeaniegal]

A urinal, I wish I could use one! It's hard for me to get out of bed. I went to PT for bladder control and it was very helpful. Sometimes I can pull an all nighter!

[jupiterjane]

I read somewhere that silk or satin sheet, or even pajamas may help. Easy to slide around on and may help him to at least get to the edge of the bed.

[pokoono]

is PT physiotherapy please

m

and yes have silk sheets they help a bit but not much

[etterus]

You might try the other side of the bed. Maybe a side pole at the side of the bed that goes from the floor to the ceiling for stability. Check a web search for adaptive home specialists for disability.

[ronn]

Gloria, Being an "up-&-down" sleeper, I share your husband's problem except for the damaged shoulder. I go to bed, (wearing satin pjs), and arise again when necessary, trying to avoid waking my wife. Upon return, instead of the bedroom, I go to my den and spend the rest of the night in a comfortable rocker/recliner. A sheet or washable blanket keeps the chair clean and I find it more condusive to a good night's sleep than my bed is and it allows my nomadic wanderings without waking wifey dear. The chair is easy to get out of.

This gets a little crazy but it works for me. Comediene Carol Burnett used to do a bit of Schtikk where she played an old lady in a rocker. When she wanted to get out of the chair she would rock back, rock forward, rock BACK and, on the next forward rock, the chair would deposit her, in a standing position, on the floor. I do this, but don't recommend it unless he still has a fair sense of balance.

Good luck finding a solution to your problem.

[JAYNIE]

I finally went and got an electric bed, so i can sit up and lower my legs and swing overto the side. i also got a bed rail to pull up on. it is portable and light weight and i take it when i travel.....

mtsmedicalsupply.com/c/100/...

[Barbheart in reply to JAYNIE]

I have been looking into an electric bed, glad you mention it helped you.

[Johnsilk]

I also have Distonia in the big toes So my bed is a side railed,electrical,foot hatched with satin sheets!!!

Any one to out do that?

John Silk

[JAYNIE]

I would not even try...............except, you should have "silk" sheets Mr Silk, and i will use a "cane" as my last name is Kane............. <grin>

[Johnsilk in reply to JAYNIE]

Jayne ,I guess it is only a mater of which side of the bed you are looking at.

My wife has a bad back and sometimes uses a Cane(walking Stick,).

So there is Silk walking with a cane and using satin sheets to push her husband out of bed with the help of a side rail.

What a mess we get in with PD and aging years

[jjmoore]

my husband has both parkinsons and dementia and getting him into and out of bed is quite a performance. Getting him up to the toilet at night became such a nightmare that now he wears incontinence pads plus a waterproof sheet underneath because he too urinates so much during the night. I didn't think it was normal either, but then nothing about this insidious disease is. Joan

[tlongmire in reply to jjmoore]

You are right--it is an insidious disease that affects us all differently!

[Barbheart in reply to tlongmire]

This is the hardest thing to except I feel, a Dr. who wants to hear how you are affect is hard to find, how can we get any help if out there if we are all lumped together with a nasty disease that affects us all different.

[srarndt]

Rolling over in bed, as well as getting into it and out of it was proving quite difficult, especially with the accompanying symptoms of urinary urgency and the onset of freezing. Personally I found that DBS fixed most of those problems for me. A close friend created a network of cables anchored in the walls and ceiling with handles from old weed whackers that enabled him to get in and out of bed and to the "john" successfully. Another got the type of assistance pole that attaches at the floor and ceiling to do the trick for him - along with experimenting with different bed heights and mattress materials..

It is frustrating to find that something works well for someone else but may not have any benefit to you! Yet how will we know what to hang our hopes on - or spend our money on until we try them?

Best wishes,

Steve (Bisbee, AZ)

[wifeofparky]

A satin draw sheet helps him move around a little easier but I find he is "falling" into a chair and bed now. I am trying to convince him to try some PT/OT to learn how to get around better but he won't hear of it. There are a few times he will ask me for help getting out of bed at night for his frequent toilet runs. I also need to help him get up from a chair at times. He is 6'3" and I am 5'4". I stand toe to toe with him, grab his hands and give him the leverage he needs to get up without straining my back. He started with dementia and his Movement Disorder Specialist started him on Aricept. Except for diarrhea occasionally, he is doing much better.

[moonswife]

we have a trapeze bar, and yesterday went out and bought the new ibed for the same reason. Getting up to pee a lot is common, if you are drinking enough water with your pills. Wifeofparky, my husband is 6'4" and I am only 4'10". I use a hoyer belt sometimes, and a slippery draw sheet when he is ill. Are using a urinal jug sometimes at night. We do what we must, don't we.

[BILLYRAY]

my wife sleeps upstairs....so when i got to get up to pee..piss i use a chain that is screwed to a beam..it is hard but i pull myself up set on the side of the bed and pee in a cup and it DEPENDS on how i feel...if i donnt feel like gettin up i just pee in my diaper..hell that is what they ar made for...btw i have no pain but iam so stiff it sucks but i thank God everyday it sure could be worse..

[harding55]

Getting in bed at night and getting in the right position seems like it takes me forever. It's frustrating and it seems as soon as I get comfortable - I have to pee again! Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night and end up sleeping on the couch the rest of the night because it seems much easier to get up and down.

[Gloria-John]

Thank you for all your answers. Today I put a call to his PD Dr. about getting a hospital bed. He sleeps only on his back. I'm thinking if he has a bed that can get him into a sitting position that he'll be able to get up and down better. He has a electric lift recliner, but it isn't very comfy, but it helps him during the day. In fact, he won't even try to sit in another chair because he has come to rely on that chair. Hoping a hosp. bed will help.

[Gloria1952]

I always have trouble turning in bed. It takes me about two minutes to roll over. Then I am so out of breath that I need to drink more water and that makes me have to urinate. So I get up out of bed, use the restroom, go back to bed and repeat the cycle all night long.

[Susie01]

I am single and cannot imagine anyone having to share a bed with me. I had shoulder reconstruction in 2005, it was due to complete tears in my shoulder. Intense PT for almost a year made it much better.

Since I am alone, I probably find more creative methods of doing things. There are times when I cannot walk without falling, I will manuver myself over the side of the bed onto my knees and if I have the strength, will crawl to the bathroom. Not real attractive, but you do what you have to do.

[ecurb]

I have this problem and I can say that the worst moments of my "day" is having to get out of bed 4 or 5 times during the night to urinate... getting back in is less arduous. For well over a year now I have acquired a medicalised bed, I can move the mattress to several positions as it is motorised. Also a cord hangs down from above me that also helps me get to a sitting position and swivel so as to drop my legs over the side and place my feet on the floor. The hardest part is standing up to use the hand held urinal and I have made a removable post (broom handle) placed in a block of concrete to help me maintain my balance when standing. I empty urinal into a recipient and place it where I can get hold of it when needed again. However this is still hard to do all this. I have found if I position mattress so I am sitting in bed I am able to place the urinal between my legs and find a position to urinate into the urinal. I then lower the head end of bed to a lower position and manage to empty urinal over the side as above mentionned. This is a lot easier than actually getting out of bed. However one needs a medicalised bed for all this and they can be expensive.

My GP has put me on tablets Tadenan 50 mg 1 in morning and 1 in evening. To reduce my need to urinate. Too soon to see if they work. But there are surely other brands to do the same thing. Good luck.

[Bloomingflower]

We have a bed that has a rail around the top. We hung a wide belt up around rail and my hubby pulls himself up with it. I know is sounds crazy, but it works for him.