Electric Blankets and Heated Matress Pads

cowgal

So are these a no no for lymphedema? It sure is nice to climb into a prewarmed bed instead of a really cold one but I wonder if they are safe to use with LE?

Kicks

If  I didn't have my electric 'throw' I use nightly watching TV or sometimes over legs while doing 'stuff' during the day I would be so uncomfortable or wearing a lot of clothes.  I live where winters are brutal and I get cold easy (always have but since chemo it's worse) so Hubby got me a heated throw 4 yrs ago (he just got me a new one as old one no longer got very warm).  We've had heated mattress covers (with dual controls) for more than 25 yrs.  Daddy lived with us after Mom died and I found a heated mattress cover back then for him and decided  I wanted one!  Mattress covers are not the same as heated blankets - at least the ones I/we've had.  They have 3 different zones.  The warmest is the feet/lower section.  The mid section is not as warm and the upper has the least warmth.  For me - pretty much - if my feet are warm, I'm warm.

carol57

cowgal, it's true that heat usually aggravates LE, but unlike a sweltering day outside, with a heated mattress pad or blanket, you can turn it off when it's too hot! I have a heated mattress pad and my approach is to turn it on a half hour or so before I expect to go to bed, and then turn it off when I slide between the sheets. I find that once the bed is warm, it stays comfortable and I don't need to put it back on. Also, I can choose a lower heat setting so that I don't get too much of a heat blast when I get in the bed.

flannelette

cowgal - I don't seem to have LE so am not much help, except to say there is nothing better for a great sleep than piling into that nice, warm, mattress-heated bed. Got one a year ago, can't imagine life without it. Go for it! Life's too short and we spend too much time in bed to let that one pass by.

Kicks

flannelette - I thought I'd read you saying to use flannel sheets - which I LOVE!

flannelette

oh, flannelette sheets of course. wouldn't even CONSIDER anything else.

anna4969

Oh this is a great question!! Thank you for asking it.

I, too, will anxiously be waiting to see what others think and have experienced. I always slept with a heated mattress pad for years and then for the past 3 years since this dreaded lymphedema, I have given it up because I have worried about it contributing to the swelling. Frankly, I am miserable and do feel it is one more thing that contributes to my horrible sleeping experience in the winter time.

Again, thank you for asking and will be watching for others responses.

Have a good night all.

Binney4

It's been really cold here (for us, anyway), and putting on my cold night garments was a trial--the foam-chip filling takes awhile to warm from my body heat, and in the meantime I sure don't drop off to sleep while shivering. So a few nights ago I tried sticking all my night gear into the dryer for a few minutes and they came out toasty and great to don

My observations: more than five minutes would be too much--they warm in a hurry; and if yours have any snaps or zippers make sure they're not blazing hot before you put them on. Also, my dryer has a cool-down cycle at the end that doesn't work to warm them, so I have to set the cycle at the beginning and set a timer to make sure I remember to retrieve them from the dryer in case I get caught up in something else.

The foam holds the warmth long enough for me to settle down nicely, and it sure is a lot nicer to get ready for bed this way.

Just a thought. Be warm! (Sorry, all you Aussies--for y'all tis the season to stuff the night gear into a plastic bag in your refrigerator so they're nice and cool at bedtime.)

Binney