May 9, 2021

Rolling Over in Bed Can Be a *****

Right after my stroke, rolling over in bed took horrendous effort when I was most tired.  When I rolled onto my sound side, my floppy hemiplegic arm would get stuck behind me.  It felt like a wrestler was pinning my upper body to the bed.  I had to remember to use my sound hand to pull my hemiplegic arm across my chest before I started to roll while pulling on the bed rail.

Seventeen years later rolling onto my sound side is still difficult.  One night when I wanted to roll over so I could sleep on my sound left side, my hand reached for the folding chair I placed next to my bed.  This chair is lower than my bed which makes it easier to lean down to tie my shoes.  With the help of the chair and a hemiplegic arm that now rolls with the rest of my body, I quickly fell asleep.  Once again serendipity made my life better.   


However, I have gotten good at rolling onto my hemiplegic right side to get out of bed.  My sound arm crosses over my chest as I swing my sound leg over my hemiplegic leg.  My sound hand reaches for the mattress as I hang both legs over the edge of the bed.  The weight of my legs dropping down helps pull my trunk and head up.  My sound hand pushes on the mattress to help me sit up.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

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4 comments:

  1. DeniseMay 9, 2021 at 5:27 PM

    When I left the hospital my insurance paid for a hospital bed with a trapeze, which is how I get out of bed by myself. I sit up using the trapeze, then turn (still holding the trapeze) and swing both legs down, and voila! I'm sitting on the side of the bed with my feet on the floor.

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  2. J.L. MurpheyMay 11, 2021 at 10:58 PM

    Since I have to sit up to place a couple straps on my AFO on, I find pulling on the bed sheets and comforter helps. By placing hospital corners while changing the sheets, they are locked in place.

    I remember once I rolled over onto my affected side and rolled right off the bed. I was stuck in the dark, only half awake, in the space between the bed, the dresser, and the end table at my head. By the time I got untangled and up in the bed, I was wide awake.

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  3. LindaMay 19, 2021 at 8:38 PM

    When I had the hip surgery 3 years ago I had to get a new mattress. We were using a low waterbed frame with a regular mattress inside. It was very firm sitting on the wooden base which made moving easier. It was good because it gave me a hard wood edge to grip all the way around and the headboard had a post that was a good handle for me. The bed had to be higher to be safe with the hip precautions so we put a thicker board under and got one of those extra thick mattresses to raise it above the level of the wood frame. In some ways it is much more comfortable but I really miss having the edge to pull myself up on.

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