Night splints – the first night

Like I said, the aides seemed to be cooperative about that night splints last night. I wonder what changed.

My nurse was asking a lot of questions. She wanted to know whether I was measured for the night splints. I told her the brace lady just walked in with them Monday afternoon after I came back from an outing. But I said they looked basic enough and she said she had my measurements from two or three years ago – which would still be similar to now. In the back of my mind I was wondering if they just happened to have the splints somewhere and decided to give them to me. I need to check to see whether Medicare paid for them. But, I guess it doesn't much matter whether they did or not. I have them and I'm going to use them and hope they work.

The second shift aides put the splints on at bedtime. I couldn't really see what they were doing and I hoped they had them on correctly.

After they left, the night splints felt strange – like soft boots. My feet are never covered and I don't wear regular socks, just knee-high support stockings under my pants, so they felt strange.

I laid here hoping to drop off soundly to sleep. But I did not think that was going to happen. I wondered if the night splints would keep me up all night.

At some point, I must have fallen into some type of sleep state. I guess I was wondering when my legs would start aching. I noticed right away that my hips felt different and my knees. My right leg did not feel as heavy. I did not have my legs on a pillow like I usually do because the splints hold my legs up some.
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The next thing I remember was feeling a smarting pain in my right ankle. Immediately, I wondered if the right splint was rubbing my skin raw.

I put the call light on and when the aide came in I asked her if we could take them off since I had them on for three hours. She removed them from my legs.

After she left I thought it would fall right off to sleep. But, instead, my legs felt heavy and wooden again.

At some point after that, I fell into a sound sleep and didn't wake until almost 5 AM.

I made it through the first night with them. Maybe since I finally started, I will be able to tolerate them well.