QuestionDear Ms. Ware,
Thank you first of all, for helping people online like this, for many cannot afford to go seek a doctors advice.
My Question is regarding my mother, age 75.
She has pain as well as some redness on her ankles, but the pain is alot worse when she tries to sleep at night. When she sits up, it lessens greatly. With this happening, it is very difficult for her to get a good nights rest. The only medications she takes, are Atenolol and Clonidine, for her high blood pressure.
I would like to ask if you could advise on why this is happening, and if there is something that we could try at home (she lives with me). She has tried Advil and Tylenol Arthritis, but they didn't help the pain.
Thank you very much for any advice that you could give us.
Sincerely,
Sheryl spencer
AnswerHi Sheryl and thanks for writing,
The way you describe her pain I'm guessing that it's caused by pressure on a nerve when she's in certain positions (lying down). I would experiment with different sleeping positions and see if you can alleviate the pain - prevention is always 1000 times better than treating symptomms.
The first thing I'd do is get an Eggcrate foam mattress cover for her bed, you can get these at Walmart for about $15; the ones with three different patterns on them are best if available. These help relieve pressure and also promote comfort.
You could also try putting two solid wood blocks under the two top feet of her bed frame. These can be purchased at most Medical Supply stores and some Pharmacies; or you can make them quite easily. Just make each one approximately 8" x 8" x 8" and make sure the top surface has edges around it to prevent the feet from slipping off. If you do make them, just make them solid so they can support the weight and will not move around. This may not only relieve some of the pressure on her hips/back, it's also great for redcuing gastric reflux which most of us over 40 suffer from.
You might also try having her sleep with a soft & flat pillow between her knees and see if this makes any difference. You could also look at a pillow-booster chair and see if sleeping with her upper body elevated helps - these can usually be found at Medical Supply stores or some mattress stores.
As we don't know the exact cause of her pain, it takes a little bit of trial and error to see what helps and what doesn't. You may also look at getting a better mattress if hers is older or not a good quality.
If none of these work, you might want to look into a good Reclinber Chair from a Medical Supply store and see if she can rest comfortably in that; many older people actually sleep in these instead of flat beds as they find them more comfortable. Magnets will probably help reduce the pain and inflammation and i would suggest getting Nikken products if you are going to try these (if you use my name at http://www.5pillars.com/magnify4health/ you can get a professional discount).
Of course the best thing to do is to have your Mother go to her GP and get examined thoroughly, she may even need to see a Neurologist and/or Physio Therpaist.
Hope this helps & I wish you both gopod health,
Margot
