So I took almost a week off whilst I finished recovering from my op. If you missed my post about having a hospital grab bag for emergencies and how I prepared to go into hospital, including what I packed in my hospital bag and why you can read it here. I also wrote about my experiences in the recovery room and the first 72hours after surgery. It actually felt like all my conditions took a number and joined the queue to flare up once I was home, it was not fun and today is the first day I've felt like myself again, 10 days later.
This post is part of a series about aids, adaptions and gadgets that I thought might be helpful. If you missed my cooking and cleaning (housework) post its here.
This Is all about what aids adaptions and gadgets I use in the bathroom. My bathroom is tiny, there is just enough room to get in, turn around and do what you need to do, this has its pros and cons. there's things to sit on and lean against everywhere (good for my POTS) but if I fall or faint in there I am really screwed!
I have a bathtub and an over the bath power shower. My sink is positioned right next to the bathtub which means I can sit on the side of the bath to brush my teeth and wash my hands etc.
The council recently renovated my bathroom and kitchen as part of some scheme called better homes. They did this to all the flats in my area not just mine but it was really handy as it came right when I was needing to use a wheelchair more and was struggling with my mobility and day to day tasks.
So when they refurbished my bathroom they gave me a new sink, toilet and bathtub. The new sink had a different shape making it easier for me to reach if I was sat on the side of the bath or on a perching stool and had taps I could actually use:
The new toilet was quite high of the ground meaning I didn't need a toilet raiser. My OT noticed I tended to grab hold of the sink to pull myself up, putting strain on my joints and putting the sink at great risk of been ripped off the wall :/ so she gave me a support frame with handles I could use to push myself up:
I tend to only use it if I know I'm weak as its quite bulky and it does have a tendency to get in the way.
Next were on to bath / shower. Now I have to be incredibly careful if I have a bath. I have to sit on the shower bench swing my legs over then lower myself down. I then use the shower bench like a bath shelf. I cant have a bath unless there's someone to keep an eye on me as if the water is just a little too warm for me that day or my heart is just feeling extra special I will start to see stars and be at very real risk of blacking out / fainting.
It is much safer for me to shower sitting on my shower bench however Epsom salt and/or aromatherapy baths really help my fibromyalgia so sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks!
I have quite a complex set up to get into my shower as you can see here:
I have two grab rails on the wall to steady myself getting in and to pull myself forward to stand if I need to. The best thing I have is my shower bench. Its removable so Dom can still have a normal shower and I can take it with me if I'm staying somewhere else. I sit on it sideways then lift my legs over the side of the bath and voila I'm under the shower.
If I'm POTSie I'll make sure there's someone home just in case I faint getting in or out, otherwise I wear my falls alarm as you never know with me (next post will explain more about my falls alarm)! If you don't or cant have a falls alarm I was reading somewhere about a lady with POTS and she used a wireless doorbell in her shower so if she felt dizzy or had fainted and come round / fallen she could push the button and whoever had the receiver would know she was in trouble. I think this may be a good idea if you have a shower cubicle that's too small for a shower seat. You could have two, one at your standing height and one close to the floor that you could theoretically push it if you had collapsed/fallen (if your reading this and it was your post please let me know so I can give you credit).
To get out the shower, I swing my legs back over the side of the bath and I have another grab rail to support me standing up from shower bench:
Now even if I've been really careful I can still stand up and feel as though I've just been skydiving, so I have a nice cushy bath mat that's more like a rug so I can sit comfortably on the floor until everything stops spinning.
That's it for aids adaptions and gadgets in the bathroom for me. I have thought about some gadgets like an electric toothbrush if the movement hurts your wrists, long handled sponges if your upper body movement is restricted and shower feet if you struggle to reach your feet or bending down makes your head spin:
Finally its not always possible to shower for many reasons, you could be bed bound, unable to climb the stairs to your only bathroom, too exhausted or dizzy to even attempt it or stuck in a hospital bed.
For these occasions baby wipes, dry shampoo and facial wipes are your best friends. Simple even do exfoliating face wipes so you can cleanse, exfoliate, tone and moisturise all from bed, if you have the energy of course! If you anticipate been unable to shower for quite a while I came across these on amazon. Waterless body wash and shampoo/conditioner. Also wet toilet wipes are good for keeping those *cough* areas *cough*fresh, especially if you have bladder/bowel issues.
This has been a really long post so well done if you've carried on until the end. Although all the gadget links are from amazon that's just because I do most of my shopping online, I'm sure there are probably other places you could find things which may be cheaper and/or more convenient for you.
Do you have any suggestions for making showering / bathing/ personal care easier or safer? If you do just pop a comment below and ill add it to the list.
Thanks for reading
Laura :)
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