Pressure sore prevention

That must be do hard on both of you Lucky - sorry no advice, though I'm sure there will be from others.

Thanks for that Anya.

My mum used a sheepskin Luckygirl and applied Sudocrem which really seemed to help.

Suggest ask for a district nurse visit for their help and advice. They may get you a ripple mattress or a special bed for him. Hope you get some help.

She also had an air/gel filled mattress on loan from a charity (the kind they have in hospitals that inflate and deflate) . Do you have a local charity that loans equipment?

Paw has an inflatable ridged mattress (like a Li-Lo) from the Re-enablement team to put over the bed. It is only a single so he has it slightly to the side of the middle (I have long since been in the spare room next door!) I just pop a single fitted sheet over it, but you could put it under the fitted sheet, there are tapes top and bottom tomhold it in place and I am told it will need reinflating once a week.
There are also sort of memory foam type cups (?) which he had in hospital,on his heels and elbows but opinion was divided as to whether he should use them with the electric inflatable mattress he had there.

luckygirl indeed you do need an assessment by the DN. Pressure sore prevention is a very technical thing these days and sheepskins, ripple mattresses and sorbo rings have long been discarded in favour of gel cushions and mattresses of all kinds to which he is entitled. Nutritional support, hydration and movement are all key to prevention as well. In this area and many others you can refer yourself (or someone you are caring for) directly to the District Nursing service and/ or as you say do this through the GP surgery. I do hope you get some help soon.

You need a pressure relieving mattress. Your GP surgery should be able to help or the community nurses or the local red cross. Prevention is the aim. Make as many phone calls as you need to get some help or buy or rent one yourself if you can afford it. The mattress is attached to a small motor which blows air into alternating areas to relieve pressure. Then if he cannot move himself changing his position at least 2 hourly.

You should also have training and equipment to help with moving the patient regularly . My dad and I both received very useful training in moving my mum.

Ours is called a REPOSE inflatable mattress overlay, for information.

Just for now. The district nurse put a pillow under my husband's knees which had the effect of placing the feet flat on the bed instead of the heels. It was only an immediate solution but it did help.

Isn't your DH a doctor, Luckygirl? Or am I confusing you with somebody else.
I would hope the DNs etc at his surgery (former surgery? ) would be offering advice, assessment and some action.
Good luck, 7 st is very thin indeed and if he were in hospital all the "pressure sore" alert bells would be ringing!

Yes he was a GP - but so much of what he knew seems to have been eaten up by the PD. We are registered with a different surgery from his previous practice; but I might simply look up DNs and see if I can contact one directly. I had a feeling that the rubber ring and sheepskin might be old hat!

He is up and about all day, so this is good, but so thin that he gets sore overnight.

Please do, luckygirl. Pressure sores are so hard to heal, once they've broken the skin. They start a while before they show as sores, so best to plan ahead, as it were.

This may be a bit off the wall, but would it be worth considering a body pillow under one side of his body so that he is more likely to sleep on his side?

Also after a spell being bed-bound last year, the DN recommended Sudocrem for a suspect BS, as per an earlier post.

Best to get professional advice ASAP and just a warning, I have been told Sudocrem is no longer recommended as a barrier Cream (why? No idea) so do check with a DN

Thanks for the ideas - he sits up during the night because if he lies down, and particularly if he lies on his side, he goes into AF.

The idea of a pillow under his knees so that his feet can be flat - might try that tonight.

He has already had a nasty ulcer caused by his truss and it was a bit of a wake-up call - it has taken a few weeks to heal.

DN told me to stop using sudocrem as it is too drying , she gave us a big tub of another cream , can't remember the name, but DN is the right place for help and advice

I am well aware that this is not practical but moving the bedridden patient from side to side two hourly is one way. If a person is placed on his/her side, a pillow should be placed length wise between the legs. Try it yourself in bed and you will get an idea of the best angle for the pillow.

Pillows put in the wrong place eg length wise under a leg if the patient is lying on his back could cause a DVT so please be careful.

I think the most up to date info I have (from just a month or two ago) was that drapolene (sp?) is now used.

Paw has been given a tube of ProShield.

Maw how often to the carers come in to attend to Paw, is it x2 daily, to get him up, washed, dressed, catheter care and then the reverse at bedtime?

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Paw has also been given 2 seat cushions like this one for his armchair downstairs and for the one in the bedroom.
Not things of beauty but the Re-enablement Team threatened me with dire consequences if he didn't use them.
I just put them on to of the existing seats so easy enough to remove if I want to.
I realise how lucky we have been with the post-hospital community support system. Regular Physio and OT visits, 6 weeks of Carers if we want and someone at the end of a phone when I have needed them .
Hope this helps.

Charleygirl we have opted for twice a day, late morning/lunchtime and bedtime (7 ish) More than that would have been too intrusive IMO as it is, life is pretty busy in the mornings but we could have had up to 4 visits a day for the 6 week period.
Paw is happy to stay in PJs for the morning either in his armchair in the bedroom or sitting up in bed. I can empty catheter leg bags, detaching the night bag and assorted other bits.