@TrudyG 

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TrudyG

Painful Legs

Hi need some advise. Mum has MS and lives with my brother. Over the past year she has lost a lot of mobility in her legs. Now should we push her to get up and use them as we have been told “use it or lose it”. She complains of pains in the legs and they are especially painful the next day if we do push her to use them. If we do push her to use them and strengthen the muscles back up will the legs be less painful? Or do we just let the legs deteriorate even further for fear of causing her unnecessary pain. She does have physio booked in but thats in December. We don’t want to keep on at her to get moving but also are really worried she will lose all mobility and be bed bound. She 75 yrs old . 🥴 Also if anyone could advise how much fluid she needs a day to keep hydrated . She hates water but reluctantly drinks a small amount. Would it be ok to drink tea or milk as part of your re-hydration ?
@Vixen

Hello @trudyg, the quote you’ve made about using before losing is a painful truth, I’m afraid. I would sa pay xercise for. Your mum is best little and often without pushing it. I do leg strengthening exercise which I hate, but I save them until my fave TV is on so I get distracted. Does your mum draping any herbal teas? I’ve alwys found them wishy-washy but recently discovered licorice and mint and I’m happily addicted.its really nice to be on here on behalf of your mum, I hop you get other responses x

@wobbleone

@trudyg Any drink... tea or milk that she enjoys is good to encourage her to keep hydrated. Such a shame she has to wait until December as an assessment would be helpful. A leaflet prepared by the csp(chartered society of physiotherapists) called “get up and go” is very helpful with useful information to prevent falls and some gentle exercises to help strengthen and become more steady on your feet. It may help until she sees a physio. Regarding her pain, it’s important to remember not everything is ms and you should discuss the best way forward to manage the pain with her GP. https://www.csp.org.uk/system/files/get_up_and_go_0.pdf