Hospital bed at home

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Just wondering how many of you guys would recommend renting a hospital bed during recovery to help with leg pains at night? I'm about 5 weeks post op (stryde femur) and I haven't had a proper nights sleep since I started lengthening, the night pains are just crazy right now. I've tried everything from adjusting pillows under my knees to buying a special memory foam elevation pillow but nothing works. My doctor prescribed Bromazepam to help induce sleep but I still woke up around 3am and couldn't get back to sleep. My only thinking is maybe the way a hospital bed can adjust your body might at least ease the legs pains?

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I don't think that hospital beds can get your body into a comfortable position that's impossible to get from pillows.  If you can find a position that's comfortable with pillows, a special bed may be able to help you maintain that position better.  But I'd start by finding a comfortable position first to see if one even exists.  Could be a waste of money if you don't know what you're trying to get from the hospital bed.

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Thanks Medium. It's difficult to say for sure but the pain seems to subside a little when I sit upright in bed with lots of pillows behind my torso. I'm wondering if my leg position was adjusted like it was while in hospital if this would help any. I'd love to hear from anyone who's actually tried this, as you say I could end up spending a lot of money on something that might not even work.

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How does the pain feel like if you can describe it?

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Hi Nestor
Sorry for your difficulty in sleeping. But, I am quite sure that there is no absolute solution for it.  Hospital bed can't reduce your pain or discomfort.  I am also sensitive for sleeping even before LL.  During lengthening, it was hard for me to fall asleep and
 couldn't sleep for more than 2-3 hr without waking up.  Everyday, I slept 3-4 hr rarely 5-6 hr and took a nap for 1 hr or so.  Other patients were more or less same, although I was the worst at sleeping.   

You need to stretch a lot to reduce tightness and pain.  Warm pad (I used an electric pad.) or putting your feet on warm water could help your blood circulation and muscle relax.  Tylenol-PM or other sleeping aid could be helpful, although that didn't work very well for me.  So hang in there!  CLL is not a walk in the park.  You can do it!

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I’m just a week behind you actually and I’ve got a hospital bed that I’ve rented. It helps being able to adjust it in various ways but in your case you need to tackle the pain first. Are you taking adequate painkillers?

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@great321  it's difficult to describe, it feels sort of like nerve pain that aches all the way down my legs. During the day it's fine, it only comes on at night when I'm in bed

@Ghostfish  thanks for the positive words! Yup it ain't no walk in the park that's for sure. The sleeping pattern you had sounds a lot like me, just a few broken up hours during the night then naps during the day to compensate which sucks coz it's time I'd rather be spending on stretching. That's one of the worst parts of it your days are taken away from you because you feel so groggy and tired and lack any real energy for doing exercises on your own. I have PT four times a week but  I feel it's not enough.

I use a hair dryer and blanket to keep my legs warm  I don't use any sleeping pills just Bromazepam which helps a little but only lasts a few hours. Man I can't wait till the lengthening is done!

@Js  Do you get any night pains at all or have you been lucky enough to dodge that bullet? The only painkillers I'm taking are Tramal and Lyrica for nerve pain, they don't seem very strong tbh. What position do you normally sleep in? Do you think the hospital bed helps?

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Quote from: Nestor on December 12, 2019, 04:11:36 PM@Js  Do you get any night pains at all or have you been lucky enough to dodge that bullet? The only painkillers I'm taking are Tramal and Lyrica for nerve pain, they don't seem very strong tbh. What position do you normally sleep in? Do you think the hospital bed helps?

I've noticed that my leg pains do increase at night, to about a 3 or so without pain medication, so I usually pop 1 Norco before bed and that usually makes the pain go away. I also sometimes take a muscle relaxer (Flexeril). If I suddenly wake up in the middle of the night with pain, I take another Norco (it lasts about 4 or 5 hours each pill).

I don't know about Tramal, but perhaps you could try increasing the dose and seeing if that helps?

I honestly don't know if finding a sleeping position on a proper bed will make the pain go away, but I'm no doctor...

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Are there any reasons that your doctor doesn’t prescribe oxycodone or morphine?

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@Js  I'd love to increase the dose but my doc has a strict schedule for taking the meds. If I feel pain during the night I just have to tough it out and wait till the next day until it's time to pop the pills. Does your doc allow you to take a pill whenever you feel pain? Man that would make my life so much easier 😆

It might just be my imagination but I find if I'm propped up in bed almost at a 90;degree angle the pain isn't quite as intense, that's why I was wondering about the hospital bed. Have you tried sleeping in a normal bed to see if there's any difference? Wanna be my guinea pig? Lol

@Temaki  Tramal is a type of opioid as far as I'm aware, I think it has less side effects apparently