making taking a shower easier

This is a forum for "things"- cane/chairs, books, specialized luggage.... anything that has helped, and what hasn't. Add your own tips and reviews.

Moderator: gloria

Terese
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:32 am

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by Terese »

I also think showering is hardest. I have a grab bar in the tub that I put in for my mother years ago. I usually wait about 20 mins after taking my Clonazapam (which seems to be the best time of steadinessess) and go for it. I lean or hold onto the grab bar most of the time. I can stand for a few seconds and I still shake, but don't feel like I'll fall. I am much shakier when drying off, but one of my tricks is to step forward or back a few steps and this gives me a few more seconds of semi-stability. I could sit on the toilet seat lid if I really need to. I also put in a shower wand and tub stool for mom (actually mom-in-law) who recently moved in with us. I tried it myself once and it was really nice, but it made me feel old (I'm 59 now). When traveling I have had had scarey times in the shower but I'm a great leaner, so I get by. It's nice to know from everyone else how exhausting the shakies are. I admit I sometimes put off the shower til the next day because I just don't feel up to it. This is my first post and I have read several pages of yours. Of course standing in line is the worst. At the bank I can hold onto the standards that rope off the line and that helps, but I find a full side or hip lean works the best. I feel I lead a fairly normal life in many ways. Most people don't know that I have OT. I'm not ashamed of it, of course, but don't like to appear weak. I've had it for 7 years now and am on Clonazapam (I posted on that forum, too), 1 mg 3 times a day. It definitely helps but of course I still can't stand still for more than a few seconds. I've really enjoyed posting and reading here and thank you Gloria for the opportunity. I've never met anyone else with OT.
Terese
Joan
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:19 pm
Location: Vancouver B.C. Canada

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by Joan »

Hi Terese,

I just want to tell you what happened to me at the bank. I tried to stand in line, I just couldn't, it was a long, slow line. So... I just went & sat on a chair for half an hour till the lineup dwindled. Finally the receptionist came over to see if I had an appointment with someone and I explained I couldn't stand in line. Oh, she said, no problem, we have a special booth for people who need to sit, just always tell the receptionist and we'll get someone to look after you. I used to work in a bank and I should have known that they will make special accomadations for you, just ask.
You know if the showers are so uncomfortable for you then look at getting a shower chair, it will make your life so much pleasanter. I can't hang on to the grab bar and shampoo my hair.
Chris
Posts: 91
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2004 2:28 pm
Location: Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by Chris »

Hi Theresa
I too have had some very scary moments in showers and tubs especially when we are travelling or visiting. If we are only going to be away overnight I usually wait until I get home the next day to shower and if going away longer I always bring a shower stool with me. That is the only way that I can have a proper wash and hair wash. I too find standing in lines almost impossible now and try to avoid them as much as possible. I tend to get in a panic if people are standing around me and I have no where to lean or hold on to. My dear husband usually stands for me while I find somewhere to sit. If I know I will have to stand alot or when shopping I usually bring my wheelchair which I propel around with my feet. I do get some funny looks though when I stand up and push it to where I want to go. All in all you have to do what you can to make your quality of life what you want it to be and to heck with what everyone else thinks.
Take care,
Chris 8)
Sueb
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2011 9:35 am

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by Sueb »

There do not seem to be any recent posts here, so I should maybe contribute something I have found to be essential. I travel a lot and dealing with hotel showers is hard. I need supports to hold onto when showering, and chairs to sit in, and "telephone" shower heads. Also, moving in and out of the shower cubicle needs support. I have found a wonderful gadget, which has two large strong suction pads either side of a handle. I think it is a tool used by trades people who handle large sheets of glass. There are levers to ensure the suction pads really stick and hold. I take this with me when travelling, and can stick it to the tiles or glass in a shower and use it as a handle to support me. I have also now taken to checking with hotels as to whether they have a room with a "disabled" bathroom. These have the necessary rails and supports in them. The very worst experiences have been in hotel bathrooms with spa baths and fixed screeens on them to contain shower splash. The entrance gap is very narrow and impossible to manage with shaking legs and the impossibility of standing long enought to manoeuvre safely. I suffered such a shower situation for a week and had to make do with soapy flannel washes outside the shower area. Has anyone else found similar experiences?
Sueb
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2011 9:35 am

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by Sueb »

I have support rails and a chair in my shower at home, but travel a lot, and finding a safe shower is a challenge. I ask now for a "disabled" room with bathroom with support rails. I have also found a great device, which is a handle with two large suction pads to hold it in place. It sticks securely to tiles, stainless steel and glass - any really shiny surface. It is originally designed for glaziers to carry sheets of glass around. I travel with this in my case, so i can put it up and provide support when getting in and out of the shower, as well as while washing.
I am also worried about slipping on a wet shower floor, so put a towel bathmat on the floor, inside the shower.
stella R
Posts: 103
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:51 am
Location: winnipeg, manitoba, canada
Contact:

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by stella R »

Hi
I have changed from showers to tub baths quite some time ago.
I cannot stand long enough in the shower. It would not be safe for me
Stella.
Betty
Posts: 391
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2004 3:08 pm
Location: Melbourne, FL

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by Betty »

Hello all,

I haven't been here in a while, but I thought I would add a remark regarding tub/shower bathing.
I have gotten to the point I can no longer stand in the shower, even with a seat. A tub is out of the question so we purchased a "walk-in tub". This is the second one I have had, and it is wonderful.

You can get regular "soaker" tubs to ones with all the "bells and whistles"; I have the regular soaker tub.

I have added this link so everyone can check out what is available and what would best fit your needs. It does make bathing so much easier ~ and safer.

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=Agy ... =ush-mailn

Betty
Abinadi
Posts: 53
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2004 3:36 am
Location: Volcán, Chiriqui, Panama (Central America)

Vacumn Grips

Post by Abinadi »

Elsewhere on this site, one of our members (Sueb) wrote on what sounds to me like an excellent solution for those of us who regularly face the scary prospect of trying to shower in a slippery wet environment where we must stand without the benefit of permanently installed grab bars. But they didn't provide any information or web links where we could go and shop for some of these for ourselves.

I am interested in finding such a device that will be portable so that it can be used in rental housing or in motels/hotels where such grab bars have not been permanently installed and one must bring his own with him. In trying to do this for myself, what I mostly seem to find are industrial grade devices which seem designed to handle large plates of window glass. Some of these seem to be overkill, but I am not sure of that. Just how strong do these things have to be to hold on to the smooth tile surface and still support our weight if we suddenly have to shift a lot of our body weight to them to be supported?

How does one determine how much gripping power is needed in one of these devices to perform this function for us OTers?
How much weight should such a helper device be capable of supporting and still be considered safe for use in a watery environment?
Are any of these designed and sold to be used as medical assist devices which one could find at a medical devices website? Or will we be required to roam the aisles of hardware stores or industrial glass handling and installation sites to find what we need?

It is so much fun to be pioneering with a disorder that 99% of the world has not heard of and has no idea what we go through to cope.
===================================================================
ANSWERS (Edited 4Nov2012)
After shopping around online, I settled on the following item (I bought two of them).
Double Suction Cup Puller
Dent Lifter, Marble, Tile, Window, Mirror Carrier
Cap. 500 pounds
4-1/2" Diam
I found these at Amazon for $10.98 each for two.

http://www.amazon.com/FastCap-HOD-DOUBL ... cup+lifter

They are not only portable and thus can be moved with you wherever you travel, but the portability factor also means that they can be repositioned countless times and in different orientations until they are situated exactly where you need them.

All in all a terrific idea.

I actually had them delivered while visiting in the USA and then used them for the duration of the trip, including in the motel in Omaha. Simply put, they work great. For traveling again in the future, I would probably only carry the one in order to save on baggage weight for the airlines and leave the other one in the bathroom at home.
Eye Poker
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed May 01, 2013 8:37 pm

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by Eye Poker »

I use the Moen LR2308 Creative Specialties Home Care 12" Suction Mounted Hand Grip.
snickers
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:44 pm
Location: Central Interior, british Columbia,Canada

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by snickers »

When we redid our bathroom, I (thankfully) had the installer place a bar on the side that I could hold onto ,and also a personal handheld shower.
Before showering, I strategically place bath mats on the floor, so I can lean up against the bathroom counter to dry myself......works well for me so far! :)
gloria
Posts: 826
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2004 1:10 pm
Location: New Jersey, USA

Re: making taking a shower easier

Post by gloria »

I simply place a stool in my shower , it is easier to shower longer than standing leaning and holding on to the bar for me. Gloria
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