I am wondering if someone can help with any information for my sister who has had M S for around 20 years.She is 49 years old and is currently house bound and she can not walk at all. She broke her leg 2 years ago and since then she hasn’t been able to walk.I feel so sorry for her as she has no life left because of this horrible disease. Could someone tell me how she can start walking again, what exercises could she do to get rid of the excess water in her legs. She has put on around 2 stone at least because she is stuck in a chair all day. She cant use the house toilet, she can’t go in the Kitchen , she has a stairlift but she is too heavy to he, she has a frame which helps her use the comode, She has a wheelchair but she can’t sit up properly as her legs won’t bend because of the size and the amount of water in her legs.
I really need some advice from someone, she is in a vicious circle and I feel so useless. Someone please help, thankyou
Hi Matthew
maybe your sister should see her GP in the first instance as fluid in the legs is not good . Do you know if she has an MS nurse she can contact? Perhaps she can be referred to a physiotherapist.
My daughter has MS and has been shown exercises to do, little and often. It will be hard for your sister if she is overweight but the MS nurse may be able to arrange for her to see a dietician.
Sounds as though you are doing a a great job supporting her.
Swimming pool exercise would be very suitable for your sister. Water supports some of the weight, making workouts easier on joints and reducing the chances of an injury, especially if she’s overweight and out-of-shape. Working out in water is very safe because no joints or bones are forced to bear too heavy a load.
Thanks for your response I know she used to go swimming but she could only walk in the pool which did seem to work for a while but she dosnt go anymore. I am going to contact her MS nurse to see if she can help or give her some exercises she could do. Thanks again
hydrotherapy pools are warm water which is lovely.
however i would think that your sister would be like me and struggle to get dressed afterwards.
there are seated foot cycles which may help.
as the others have said, she needs to contact her ms nurse as it is just not right that she should be left like this.
maybe a circulation booster, cost from £80 to about £200, you can claim VAT back as she has ms.
First stop is the GP and if she is overweight and has fluid on the legs, she is is danger of UTI’s. A recliner may help - putting feet up gently.
The GP will probable put her on drugs to help get fluid off. DIET is going to very important in reducing weight and well as increasing mobility. There are seated exercise class and hydrotherapy is great idea.
She’d probably need a carer to help get dressed/undressed before and after. I do - its not an insurmountable problem.
Thankyou for your response I really appreciate everyone’s help. I have checked online where the nearest hydrotherapy pool is and it isn’t that far away. The circulation booster is also a good idea and I am going to check it out online to see how much it would cost. I will speak to my sister this evening and will mention these new ideas, thank you again.