Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Just how DO you get out of bed?

Don't really know how but I know it's very slow ...I'm dead until a shower does it's CPR. When I move into a new apt, I have to find one that has free hot water because I take as many as 5 showers a day and each may last 15 minutes or more. I think I'll take one now:)

Pete




"Maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!"
- Lt. Frank Drebin

Hey Max!! Long time no see!

I find that, these days I'm not having that much trouble getting out of bed. However, I often give a good stretch before I even try, from my fingers to my toes. My lumbar area is burny these days, so I'm doing the roll over thing before I sit up, but generally, I've been in pretty good shape.

I have to admit, tho, that my new mattress has really helped in that regard. I'm not as stiff in the mornings as I used to be. My hips don't ache, my shoulder doesn't feel shoved into my neck. I have a new pillow too, and man, that's made all the difference to my neck while I sleep. Of course, the root canal last week went a long way toward my neck feeling better too.

Hugs,

Kat

Hi Maxine....Well with me ....very carefully....once I put my feet on the floor I have to slowly stand and count to ten to balance myself and move slowly to the shower....oh ! what a relief the hot shower does to this stiff and aching body .....take care

Hope "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."
."

Hi Maxine,

I usually wake up an hour ahead of time and take my pain meds, then go back to sleep if possible. When I get up out of bed I roll onto my side and raise up one my elbow. Then use my hands and arms to raise my body up into a sitting position. After sitting up I sit there for a few moments and stretch. Then I place both hands on the edge of the bed beside me to give me a little extra push to get a standing position.

I know it's a slow process for a lot of us but this is the best way I have found to not cause any extra pain in getting up.

Hope this helps
Brent

Maxine:I Scream out loudand roll out of the bed and push my fist into the night stand.I roll my feet to the floor and push off the night stand .I then ever so slowly go get a big mug of coffee which my wife usually has on and mix up a huge mug with milk and sugar and proceed to my bath tub with the paper.If my hands are hurting I soak them first for a while and then procede to take a two hour bath and read the San Jose mercury news. I get out and shave and depending on my condition try to do something usefull for a couple of hours.Then I usually go back to bed or on good days come here.
Good question!
Kev

Hi ya Max, well for me getting out of bed is something i dread! it takes me about 20 minutes to get out of bed these days , starting from the time i wake up to the time i'm finaly standing. beleave it or not thats alot better then it use to be !.. What made it alot easier for me was a new bed , before we had an old style matress ( low to the floor) but now and 2200.00 later , the mattress we have is very high and makes it soooo much easier to stand. When i frist wake up i begin by streching out my legs a little . then roll over on my side, getting my elbow under me and puching up ever so slowly. then slowly slide off the edge of the bed until my feet are on the floor ( like i said the high matress make a big difference because i dont have to pull or push myself into a standing position. when i slide off the matress i'm nearly standing straight. then
once i'm up, a spend a few minutes walking around the house, working the kinks out then it's off to the shower ..ah nothing better then a HOT shower to get me started in the mornings...
Ya know that one thing that has always scared me, what if i ever had to get out of bed in a hurry ? some type of emergency or something! i really dont know if i'd be able too. anyway cant dwell on the what if's.. so thats how i do it. dont know if it helps an anyway...

Keep on Kicking

Martin

"Trying to fly on broken wings"

Hi Maxine & Martin!

At first I wasn't going to respond to this post as I didn't really think the way I get up in the morning was very interesting or helpful, but then I saw Martin's post I thought, hmm, ah what the hey.

In reply to:

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like i said the high matress make a big difference because i dont have to pull or push myself into a standing position. when i slide off the matress i'm nearly standing straight.

---

Oh yeah Martin, this is true for me as well! My mattress stands 32inches high and although I am somewhat tall, approx. 5'9" well I used to be 5'10" and everytime they measure me it's different and they usually say I am under 5'9" but I am going in for a new drivers license soon and I am NOT changing my height GD it!!! They can change my weight all they want but NOT my height!!! Snort!

Sorry, got a little off subject there.

Anyway, I LOVE that my mattress is so high, for the same reasons Martin stated and one other. It is sooooo easy to make the bed. It is less strain on my back and knees. It is one household chore that doesn't hurt. Of course I have no excuse to not make it now.

Most mornings I don't want to get out of bed, I sleep so well and wake up with less pain now that I have a Tempurpedic mattress. <---- Shameless plug.

In reply to:

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Ya know that one thing that has always scared me, what if i ever had to get out of bed in a hurry ?

---

I hear ya Martin! I actually did that once, got out too fast but as I was rolling rolling rolling I grabbed the bed and still landed on my feet backwards!

Not sure if this would be a safe alternative for little people like Maxine.

Ok, she may be little but I've met that woman and you don't want to mess with her I tell ya! When she hugged me good-bye she almost broke my ribs!!!

Maxine!!!

peace & love
Kathy






"The most beautiful stones have been tossed by the wind and washed by the waters and polished to brilliance by life's strongest storms."

hahahahahaha.

I too have a high/tall matress & box springs in an old MacLean style bed frame...height makes it
easy to get vertical once the legs loosen up.

Making the bed...? doesn't that consist of straightening the sheets before getting in at night
there are benefits to bachelorhood...a lot less housework...clean dishes and glasses are stored in
the dishwasher...dirty laundry goes on the floor in the bathroom...all laundry is grey eventually...vacuum
is used like pain pills(as necessary...please don't overdo it)...empty the ash tray and pick up the newspaper

i know i have to buy a mop soon...praise dog for windex...what's this thing about dusting ?

best to all
alohaben

Spoken like a true bachelor.

Better stay single Peni or you'll have nightmares of this --->





"The most beautiful stones have been tossed by the wind and washed by the waters and polished to brilliance by life's strongest storms."

Getting out of bed was one of the hardest things
for me to do the past 17 years since DX with AS.
Once I managed to get my body to the shower and
had the water as hot as I could, and shower for about
20 to 30 minutes I would finally loosen up enough
to begin walking.
Now I am on Enbrel and I just get right out of bed
walk to the shower and I am sure our water bill will
be less because I don't have to stay in the shower
so long. Hope you find something that works for
you.

Good Luck,
Mike