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Four months ago I had a total reverse shoulder replacement (will do the next shoulder in 4 months) and find it too painful to sleep on either side. Most likely the pressure ulcer is still a stage 1 but I need to address it now so that it won't worsen. If it should worsen then I have to postpone the next surgery! My husband is the only one to help me but he has Alzheimer's and going downhill fast. With the 1st bed sore I saw a wound care specialist (no longer there of course) and she used honey patches on the sore that had reached a stage 3. Within a week it was gone! Any suggestions as to how best I can keep the pressure off this area and still sleep? Thanks in advance! :)

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Have you asked your doctor for a referral to a wound care specialist? I would definitely do that.

My understanding is that you should be using an air mattress that has articulating chambers, this adjusts your position and stops pressure points.

I would also be active during the day and not sitting a lot if that is what I need to do to sleep.

Best of luck.
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My Sister ordered a sheepskin to put under her butt to sleep with a gel pad under it.

She used a cream called Butt Cream on any kind of redness before the sore came
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JuliaRose Nov 2019
Yes, we also use sheep skin. It’s actually fake sheep skin. It seems to really help because it allows circulation.
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Talk to your doctor TODAY.
A referral to a wound care nurse or specialist will help.
Also ask about getting an alternating pressure mattress. This could be one as simple as it having air that moves through or as elaborate as one that will actually inflate and deflate.
You could also talk to the PT that is working with you for the shoulder. (I hope you are seeing a PT)
The risk is if you have a Pressure sore you may not be a good candidate for the surgery that you have planned in the next 4 months so this has to be addressed ASAP. And you will probably need the air mattress for several months after.
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Medical grade sterile honey, or the use of Mepilex patches to cover the area where the pressure sores develop.
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The medication we use is called EndIt, which is available over the counter at the drug store. It is a zinc oxide preparation applied twice daily. The hospital treatment is with a mattress overlay that has ridges that can be inflated with a small air pump. The overlay produces a wave effect under the bottom sheet that causes the body to adjust it's position slightly so that the back moves slightly during sleep, so that pressure points are moving and not constant over one location. I don't know what the actual name of it is, but you would need to contact a hospital supply house to get one, I expect. We have one that was supplied by Hospice for our client (my wife). And it seems to work without disturbing her sleep; I don't think she notices it. Several years ago she was in a rehab facility and her bed had one of these devices, and she hated it. I think more able to notice it than she is now. Those are the remedies I know of. If the sore is open then I suggest that you get help from a nurse or doctor, or maybe contact Mayo Clinic on line for advice. I don't know about honey patches but you seem to have had success with them. I hope all this helps!
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When mine got them during surgical recovery (not knowing it was already MRSA and he was going septic) his primary care said she would order Ambulatory Care to the house. Please call to see if this is an option. Pressure ulcers/staph/bed sores are deadly! Please make appropriate actions immediately as this becomes lethal if not addressed properly!!!
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This is about position, not the sore. Because of back pain, I sleep in many different positions. Most of us have a ‘favourite’, but if you have experience of long-haul air flights you know that you can actually sleep in other positions. I have slept sitting up many times, in a chair with a footstool or in a recliner. I have slept flat on the floor carpet, and often on the floor with my legs at right angles and lower legs propped up on an ottoman. Also in bed with 3 pillows under my knees, so that my back is flat on the bed. At the moment I’m usually sleeping in bed without a pillow. It’s worth experimenting with positions that change your body pressure, probably with a sheepskin to help.

My BIL died at home, bed-bound after he fell and broke a leg, and they hired a hospital bed with an inflate-deflate mattress which worked very well as a preventative.
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Pressure sores are just that - the place where pressure is exerted when you are sitting or laying. You have to relieve the pressure. Think in terms of the donut cushion that many people use. You might try to relieve pressure in bed by purchasing one of those eggcrate type mattress pads. Cut a hole where the sore is. Start with the smallest possible hole. Then when you are laying down, there is some space between the healthy area and the sore is not touching the real mattress below the wound. Also, talk to the doctor about the honey patches you previously used since they worked well for you.

You can also use the foam rubber mattress topper for your chair. Cut it as wide as chair - and leave it long enough to go from head to foot. Cut the hole where sore is. You might even want to double the foam rubber pad to give extra padding between you and the chair.
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My sister, an RN in cardiac step down unit, and I, former Med/Surg and Critical Care RN, talked about your issue. We both agree you need to get off the affected area or it will never heal. She suggested getting an inflatable doughnut to keep the area "floated" off the bed. I was wondering if you might find foam wedges to keep you partially on your side and slightly lying back (pressure would alternate from one side of hip to other) more comfortable than lying on your shoulder.
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Get a new wound care specialist immediately. Do not wait until the pressure sore worsens and you'll have an even more difficult time getting rid of it. Also, speak with your pharmacy team and see what their suggestions are. They have a wealth of knowledge.
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make sure you reposition every 2 hours keep some pillows or something soft under the sore area.god bless.
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Please don't laugh: Buy a medical sheepskin from Amazon and put it under your mattress pad. It will let oxygen circulate. I've had one under my mom in her hospital bed for 3 years now. I sit on one all day long.

When mom is in hospital, they put one of these pads on her sacrum and it keeeps her from having bedsores: https://www.ohmedical.com/Mepilex-Sacral-Bandages--Border-Dressings/Mepilex-Sacrum-Buttocks-Sores-Prevention-Pad-bandage-72-X-72/ It's called a 'sacral bandage"
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Get an alternating air mattress pad. That's what they are made for. They keep pressure sores from forming by alternating where your skin touches the mattress every few minutes. They are cheap. I got one for grandma for $40-$50. That was a fancy adjustable firmness one. $30 for one that isn't adjustable.
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