My mum had a stroke 8 weeks ago - though she is now walking little bits with a stick and 1 person
We are struggling to stop her ankles from swelling
Has anyone got any experience with the foot vibrating machines
3 Likes
Hi @janetb12345 I’ve not had any experience with the foot vibrating machine but I just wanted to welcome you to the forum…no one would wish to join 
I’m sure there will be other members along soon enough who have used this machine 
Hope you find this a useful site, we are a very supportive community here with a wealth of first hand experience and advice in strokes and look forward to hearing more from you
1 Like
Yes I bought a foot one. Very uncomfortable and so if little or no use. Went straight back. Can’t imagine anyone would have been able to use it.
For swelling you need to raise the leg above the heart.
Is it possible a reaction to blood pressure medicine? Amlodopine is notorious for this but there are plenty of other which don’t tend to produce the same impact.
Thanks
Nigel
3 Likes
@janetb12345 Hi & welcome to the forum. Sorry your mum has had a stroke.
I’ve not had any experience of these machines. Is it worth asking your mums drs for advice? They will have come across them before. If the swelling is meds related they might be able to give some meds / swap some meds to help.
Best wishes
Ann
2 Likes
As Nigel said it could well be a drug side effect.
The doctor didn’t want me to stop taking amlodipine so he prescribed a different drug, Well the one he prescribed had a different name, but was the same drug with the same side effect.
I stopped taking it and the swelling immediately started to go down. The doctors seem to be aware of what happens but ignore any complaint about it.
Eventually and reluctantly they tried me on an entirely different product.
It also has side effects but I’m glad to be freed from the swelling which was affecting my mobility.
3 Likes
I got the feeling Bobbi that it’s prescribed as it’s so effective. I have had to take two others to make up for a 5mg reduction of amlodopine. I was on 10mg before.
Presumably, although it’s common, not everyone had the side effects and so it’s worth doing.
Either that or it’s dead cheap and not everyone will complain.
3 Likes
@janetb12345 I just remembered this. I’ve had a hip replacement and then a broken ankle. On both occasion’s in hospital they had me wearing dvt pump cuff. For my ankle I was in for a week with my elevated so couldn’t walk around or anything. Those cuffs seemed to do their job in keep swelling for me; you can also get compression boots. These might be the better option for your mum.
Hope they weren’t like the blooming inflatable leggings type things I had to wear at night in hospital. Uncomfortable and VERY noisy.
1 Like
They were just a knee to ankle cuff, I also had them for my hip replacement. And actually, i quite liked them…suppose I’m just weird that way
1 Like
I think we’re talking about 2 different things. The ones we had in my ward included the thigh. Were attached to a compressor, and inflated quite firmly until the valve released with a ‘whoosh’ and beeped every 17 seconds. You were anchored to the bed via the air hoses, so it was difficult to change your position in bed when uncomfortable
Just what you need when you’re having trouble sleeping, and there are 6 of them in the room, all beeping at different times. Everyone hated them.
I don’t miss them.
1 Like
Yes, mine were the same…but thankfully only on the lower legs 
Maybe thats why mine were more tollerable. Mind you I could always sleep through anything…once I am asleep
1 Like
These almost destroyed me Bob.
It wasn’t just the squeezing but waiting for the next one.
I didn’t sleep for four days, life was hard enough without this. Not too bad in the numb leg but the good leg I could feel everything.
In the end, the Drs agreed it come off the good leg while I accepted the risk of what that could mean in terms of any possible clot.
Problem solved, not a bit of it, the Drs didn’t write it down and the nurses didn’t believe me. This just went on. It was almost cruel at a time when sleep was the most desired thing on earth.
Eventually my notes were updated. I don’t think anyone wanted to put their name to it in case something happened. The Drs were terrible for not doing notes for a number of things.
1 Like
I feel for you. These have to be the worst things I’ve had to deal with in my life. Not just the compression, it was the NOISE these things kicked out. Why do they have to beep? If there’s a malfunction, beep away - knock themselves out. But every 17 seconds when there’s nothing wrong?
I mean it, if I ever had to go back, I’d discharge myself.
1 Like
You do know all you had to do is say no or take them off yourself if you could have managed it, they’re only vectored on. If you are of sound mind, you can refuse any or all forms of medical intervention that you choose. Doesn’t matter that the doctor didn’t write it down, it’s down to the nurse then to check with the doctor if they want to keep their paperwork in order for legality purposes.
1 Like
Honestly it was like the wild west on the stroke ward. Really confrontational at times.
Nurses, amazing people but like any organisation, you always get one or two who you wonder if the caring gene had gone faulty long ago.
Same as the nurse who insisted I wore a fur lined AFO which hurt my leg and when I was using the bed end to keep my foot upright.
It’s almost there is a little sadist element in there. Can’t help wondering why they were ever in a caring role
2 Likes
I must have just struck it lucky when I was in, mind you it was Christmas day when I went 
But the ward was very quiet apart from one lady who was terminal. She was the life and soul of the ward and really sweet woman you didn’t mind listening to but none of the rest of us could talk back to her, only the staff 
I guess you could say she had a captive audience
I’ll second that, Nigel. After I’d been in a week, I asked them to take the things off, but they told me it would be like leaving some of my meds out of the dose. The noise was worse. Back that with the various monitors chucking in their two-pennyworth and you’ve got a veritable mechanical orchestra going on all night.
…And that’s before I mention the fact that the 3 night staff are holding a constant conversation - and they’re not whispering. It really WAS a circus. Oh for the peace and quiet of the cardiac ward.
1 Like
Some years ago now, I had spent a night in the BRI in Bristol while they were, unsuccessfully, trying to work out my blood pressure issues. If only they had…
A number of the blokes in there had dementia. One bloke was convinced the bloke in the end bed was his wife and kept trying to get into bed with him.
The bloke next to me looked like Tom Hanks in Castaway. I never worked out if he was alive. I can’t remember ever seeing him blink.
Once I had escaped the stroke ward in southmead, to have a room of your own and a decent size TV, not bad. The TV was also capable of linking to my android phone and I could cast the phone on to the TV. Mix in some physio, fabulous helpful people, not sure I could have asked for more
2 Likes
Do ALL stroke wards have this sort of disturbance? Hardly conducive to recovery.
1 Like
The ward I was on was very noisy on my 2nd visit. There was a delirious lady who kept everyone awake all night. I felt sorry for her as she couldn’t help it but it was still awful as needed sleep but couldn’t get any.
I too had those leg things. I didn’t mind them too much but was glad to get rid.
Hospital is really not the place to rest up. Thst all starts when you get home I think.
2 Likes