Back to pressure sores...

[Burgerman]

Slider boards.

For a long time now, I have suspected that my sores on my "sitting bones" ischeal tuberosities? Is partly caused by my slider board. Its a straight lump of varnished plywood, with tapered thinner ends. About 10 inches x around 28 inches. Because you drag yourself across almost directly on these bones with a little skin between you and the board. And I can feel the friction. Thats gotta be bad for these points.
Now I could use a hoist. But its a royal pain in the bum, and its slow and frustrating. So no...

So I removed all the wax polish. With petrol, then isopropyl alc. And gave it a light sanding.

Now, I am about to give it a thin coat of impact adhesive. And allow to 90% dry.

Then I am going to cover the top face of the board in some stupidly expensive woven PTFE covered self adhesive tape. Its only 1 inch wide, so will take many strips. I have used this stuff in the past. It allows very heavy stuff to slide very easily. Its great for draws too.

And I expect it to contribute to preventing sores a fair bit. Mine came from Australia. But this is similar stuff. https://www.fiberflon.de/Products/PTFE- ... 98-17.aspx

[Scooterman]

I've got a couple of what sound like identical boards to yours, and a couple of 2ft ones. I leave them in various rooms.

The teflon is a great idea . I'm sure I read somewhere that it's nearly as slippery as ice?

Years ago I made one of these style of scopes from a kit. Teflon is used as the bearing surfaces. And telescopes have to move really smoothly as any jerkiness is amplified by the magnification.

Fingers crossed for you.

I imagine it's quite a lot of work involved.

[Burgerman]

Telescopes?

Mmm actually its quite easy to do But I suspect its a good thing for all of us that use them. Thats why I mentioned it.

[Irving]

You know you can buy teflon (ptfe) paint to spray on? Don't know how much, but could be cheaper...

[Burgerman]

No. Where? Might give it a try. Wonder how that sticks?

[Irving]

Apparently you spray it on then bake it...

Another thought, self-adhesive ptfe sheet isn't that expensive http://www.theptfeshop.com/techweld-self-adhesive.html do 1m x 1m x 0.15mm for £25

[flagman1776]

Self adhesive slip sheets sounds interesting. Years ago, I had a contact in the metal finishing business. He applied nickle then Teflon on internal gun parts for me. He showed me mil spec parts... that were so slick you couldn't pick them up by hand.

[wheelie junkie]

Could you glue the bottom sheet of a glide sheet and then sit on the upper sheet and get your support worker to pull top sheet with you on it? Friction is then between the 2 sheets not you and whatever you are sat on.

[Burgerman]

Too fiddly and too hard to get hands in righ place. Teflon will work, and I can do it alone I hope!

[stevelawiw]

Because you drag yourself across almost directly on these bones with a little skin between you and the board. And I can feel the friction. Thats gotta be bad for these points.

It makes me wince just thinking about it.
I had a pressure sore caused by this, the doctor at Stoke Mandeville called it a bursa and the only way to get rid of it was having it surgically removed, they don't heal on their own.

Anyway enough about me, one thing I tried before going totally to the hoist solution (which works for me) was to put rolled-up towels in the gap instead of anything hard and transferring over those, that could possibly be something to try John?

[Scooterman]

Telescopes?

Mmmm I was really into astronomy years ago, it's an interesting hobby. I was never into astrophotography but a lot of enthusiasts have high tech scopes and take photos through the scope, but it gets quite expensive.

When I was into it people were moving from 35mm film to CCD devices of so many thousands or millions pixels?

I know CCD stands for Charged Couple Device and only mention it because I know you're into photography and may have heard of it.

[Burgerman]

It is. But there are brakets on both chair and bed that make it difficult to do. I am striping the wax polish off a board now with detergent and a green scotchbright cloth. And will coat the board in a thin layer of contact adhesive with a credit card... You see I do use credit cards!

Then the tape will stick like shit.

CCD? Yes. It seems cheaper and better to hire telescope time on a bigger one in a part of the world where the sky is clear and free from light polution.

[Snowy]

Have a look at this slip tube.
https://hainesmedical.com.au/collection ... 9635978298
I use the largest tube cut to length to transfer (bare skin) from the bed to a commode and vice versa after a shower etc.
I have tried teflon spray, a number of polishes, waxes, etc but when the skin hits the board I'm locked in place, no movement.
I have a form of muscular dystrophy so have full feeling in the nether regions.
If you use it be aware the slip tube moves in all directions so you must have positioning control of your rear.
I have not found an adhesive to glue the tube to the board.

[Burgerman]

I have no idea how to make that work in practice, does not look practical. How can you use that with a board, what part slides, and so on. All looks like an impossibility to me!

[Burgerman]

Also ...
I want a straight long board. And always give up when trying to buy one. Why?

What the hell is the idea of putting slots or holes in every damned straight transfer board? DESIGNED to rip the skin from your two sitting bones as you slide along. What are these retards on?

This is typical. Stupid, stupid, stupid.


youtu.be/5_trK5Qgfvw

Yet more expert retards.


youtu.be/Zh7Ns0PmiL8

[Snowy]

I use the same principal as the "Immedia Butterfly Transfer Board", except I do not attach or glue the tube to the board.

[Burgerman]

I will take a look. But it all seems too complicated to me.

Heres another.

9 boards. ALL have the hand hold cut outs designed to rip the skin off your ass as you slide your boney bits across. I mean are all these people retarded?


youtu.be/z3-Aszcvzhk

[Burgerman]

You mean this:


youtu.be/gnEWhh3q0fQ

This board is too short, and too wide. Way too thick. Yes yours may not be. And the demo shows her lifting herself onto the board, and into the chair off the end of the board. Thats not going to happen with someone thats heavy and paralised! SHE does not need a board. Or a slip sheet. She is lifting herself 3 times.

Also it would require an entourage of carers to somehow get the fabric part under my backside, before we started... No way to do that alone. And then to somehow drag a fabric covered board out from under my 20 stone without causing damage afterwards?

And the same getting it back under me again, but much worse once I am sat in an air/gel cushion in a powerchair. The amount of effort and time involved even if there was a way for a carer or three to do that is just not ever going to happen. And the sliding still does not look easy.

I just want a thin, strong, 9 to 10 inch wide, longer board that is slick and slippery with clothes on... Without the skin slicing "handles" or any cut outs in it that are DESIGNED to screw you up. I may be the first to DIY it. I KNOW at least 4 paraplegics that I see now and again (from the spinal injuries unit, and 1 in my local town) that would love such a board. Its a discussion we have already had. The two boards I already had were made by hand. They would jump at a chance for such a thing no matter the cost.

No curley wurly shapes, no gadgets, no slice and dice holes/slots, no sharp corners, no 1 inch thick sliding part, no impossible sheets, no bent boards, banana shaped boards, or anything else.
Just a straight ply board, high quality, ptfe coated slick top. Just wood underneath, so it slides under you easily in chair and bed. And you slip easily without damage on it. I recon worldwide you could sell 1000s - I would but 2 at 200 each myself.

[flagman1776]

I know Formica is old school but it's smooth & slippery... maybe some improved version of that for a top surface. With today's technology there must be something.

[Burgerman]

There is. This PTFE tape is slick not like formica, its a strange feel, no matter how hard you press on it your finger slides. Formica does not do that, you stick. Sort of feels waxy, but moreso.

[flagman1776]

Will the self stick adhere to good quality smooth plywood. How to deal with the edges which might be sharp an abrasive? Might the edges be rounded and the self stick rolled over adequately.
We could be on the edge of a breakthrough.

[Dan]

How about a small skinny converybelt

[Burgerman]

If they make a 5mm thick one that takes 20 stone... With a base that does not move.

[Burgerman]

Ok... I soaked a rag in petrol. To remove all the wax from the board. Then detergent and a scotchbright cloth. And rinsed. These ply boards were originally varnished, and then waxed with steel wool leaving a fine mat surface filled with furniture wax. That was the technology back in 97 when I stole these from the northern general hospital.

That removed the wax. A quick sand, and a coat of cellulose laquer as it dries fast. The 1 inch wide tape sticks to that like s**t to a blanket. Careful application in stripes that are edge to edge, leaves it looking flat, smooth seamless. And trimmed neatly with a scalpel knife. Its stuck so well to the fresh sticky laquer that its not movable as you apply. So you gotta get it spot on first time.

Test. Works great. You just slip across like you are sat in engine oil only better. Should have done this years ago. It really is likely to help stop my isheal? tuborosity or sitting bones from trapping the skin between me and my board. And I suspect that this is at least a part of the problem. So we will see how this goes. Certainly it reduces most of the effort needed to transfer. Thats just become way easier.

[flagman1776]

[jefferso]

I had to give up using a transfer board regularly and now tolerate using a hoist for almost every transfer. It takes longer and it's a real hassle, but no matter how careful we were using a board, I'd eventually end up grinding the skin under the protruding bones. Then weeks of slow healing while doing careful sliding were immediately erased.
One thing I started to do was have the sliding board slightly more forward, so the ischeal bones would be just off the back edge, and I'd lean slightly forward, so my weight would be supported more on my legs. Then, unless I slid forward unintentionally while being slid across, the bone wouldn't get that main pressure.
And, I had a much better sliding board which I brought from the U.S. It was thin, flat, simple, wide, long, light and strong with rounded corners. I left it on a train once and thought I'd just order another, but I couldn't find anything like it in the U.K. By that time, I was mostly using the hoist, so I dealt with a too thick, too narrow, too sharp at the end, terrible handhold cut version for when I travel.
I just did some searches on a U.S. site and found what I think is like my previous board, so I might order it (the plain no notches version).

https://www.exmed.net/p-3420-therafin-s ... board.aspx

[Burgerman]

Thts basically what I am using too, although mine was made by the woodwork rooms in the spinal injuries unit at the hospital...

[woodygb]

Should anyone wish to have one made might I recommend a plywood product made out of "densified" beech ....Panzerholz®... Delignit®..... Feinholz® etc.

https://www.delignit.de/fileadmin/downl ... olz_EN.pdf

[jefferso]

Should anyone wish to have one made might I recommend a plywood product made out of "densified" beech ....Panzerholz®... Delignit®..... Feinholz® etc.

What would be the advantage of this material? The board could be thinner with the same strength? It looks pretty specialist. Where would one get it?

[flagman1776]

If it weren't for cost, I'd think a modern material like carbon fiber would be desirable. Maybe I'm all wrong. My thinking is that the thinner possible at the ends would make it easier to transition. What about an arched material with tapered ends?