Showers And Baths Make Me Feel Worse... Anyone Relate?

[Tammy]

Uggg, I hate feeling yucky after I take a bath or shower. I feel completely drained and weak and lightheaded. So here I am resting in bed 'recovering' from my bath I took 2 hours ago. This is so frustrating. I know I've had this for enough years that I should just be use to it, but every now and than it just frustrates me to no end! I hate all the symtpoms every day varying hour to hour and this just puts the icing on the cake. I just want to be well

- Tammy

[cvincent]

I usually feel exhausted, weak, and shaky after a shower and almost always have to rest for a while afterwards...it can get extremely frustrating sometimes

Candace

[Megan]

I usually stick to showers, because a warm but not hot shower is much better than a warm but not hot bath, and the hot water is what bothers me. Showers themselves typically make me feel refreshed (but I avoid them if I'm at all woozy). I just know that if I take a hot shower I will feel sick afterward. Pooling in my feet and such. I'm so sorry that what should be relaxing makes you have to relax!

Meg

[Katja]

yes - I now have to shower sitting down in the bathtub, and using only lukewarm water. otherwise, I often feel much worse, and function at about 50% of my usual capacity, for the rest of the day. I always lie down for a while immediately after a shower, and then put on my compression hose before getting up again. I used to get very shaky afterwards, but now I'm usually fine, if follow this routine.

[EarthMother]

This past summer I wasn't able to get in to the shower or bath without significant breakdown, so I use to top and tail at the side of the tub and even lean over to wash my hair with the hand held nozzle attachment.

I am now able to take a really quick shower but not without lots of preparation and conditions. My husband assists to turn on the water for me and wait until the hot water is ready, then he adjusts the temperature before I get in. If I had to stand to do all that, I'd be a wreck before I even started. I sit on the floor outside of the shower stall. I remain sitting in that crouched position while I take the shower, all of my soaps and shampoos are on the floor. I leave the shower running as I step outside when I am done and wrap in a towel beside the open door so that I don't get a chill and I can still feel the warm mist from the shower. My inability to maintain or gauge temperate in this body is a real challenge. So from there I get dressed (still on the floor) I can walk over to my bed (I have taken to showering at night because my body tends to be better able to handle it) and rest.

Last night was the first time in months that I actually attempted a tub! It was a chilly day and I just really wanted to soak for a bit. After 15+ minutes of so, my body was getting so cold and I could feel myself begin to shiver (never a good sign) so I asked my husband if he'd turn on the shower (separate from our tub) so that I could rinse off, shampoo and warm up. As I was in the shower, my husband reached into the tub to pull the plug and commented how HOT the water was in the bath. It turned his arm red. Mind you I was FREEZING in that water. But once again room (or water) temperature doesn't seem to have much to do with how my body is feeling. I also have autoimmune thyroid disease ... so I tend to blame that part on it.

Good luck finding something that works for you. Water can be such a soothing therapy ... its such a pitty we can't partake like we once did. I know your frustration.

[Ernie]

Hi Tammy,

I have not been permitted to take a bath in 8 years because I could faint and drown in the bath. Dr Grubb even told me never to swim alone because of the paralysis. The first time I paralysed I was 17 years old and competing.

So I use a shower chair and this is a life saver for me. Also you can use colder water if you can tolerate it. You have to avoid vasodilation with the hot water.

[Guest tearose]

I looove baths but rarely take them now. If I do, I must warm the water, warm the room and if in a more relapse mode, will be sure my husband is around.

I have found a shower chair and a suction cup handrail in the shower has let me be more independent and safe.

We have more vasodilatation in warmth.

[MelissaCrystal]

I think it happens to most of us---the warm water dilates your veins and makes your blood pool faster, so you are more symptomatic. Standing really doesn't help the whole pooling problem either so it's the worst combo =(

[Rachel]

Yes, baths and showers are hard. I have found that it is easier for me to recover from a shower. Sitting in warm water in a bath tub makes my blood pool terribly. If I use cool water in my bath then I get too cold and use up too much energy just to stay warm.

I have found that what works best for me is a shower stool and a lowering shower head. Even if you don't have a handicap accessible bathroom, you can add both of these things to a regular shower or tub shower. A lot of shower stools don't fit in bath tubs, but there is one kind that does.

I currently have a handicap accessible bathroom (yay!!!). There is a roll in shower, handicap bars on the walls, a very large shower bench, and a lowering showerhead. The bench is large enough that I can sit cross legged if I really need to in order to keep the blood from pooling as badly.

Even with all of the handicap helps, showering is tough. I don't get a shower every day. When I do get a shower I lie down to rest afterwards.

If you need any help finding bathroom accessories (shower stool, etc.), just let me know. I'd be happy to share more specifics of what has helped me if that would be beneficial.

Rachel

[sheba]

I learned that I manage well by taking a quick hot shower and then cool down the temp. I also sit in the shower I have a step up tiled over the the back portion of the tub and Im able to sit. I also fix the shower head toward the end of the tub.

[shadesofgrey49]

I just go back and forth between sitting and standing in the shower. I'm working on taking cooler showers.

Showers are really bad though, and that's kind of when I first realized something strange was going on seven months ago.

[ramakentesh]

I always feel fine in the shower at the time -even if its hot - its only when i get out that I pay. But bathes are much worse. But sometimes I just have one anyway if im feeling ok or its a friday night just because they rock!

[ana_22]

yeah i'm kinda ok in the shower most times now..as long as its not steaming hot. like ramakesh i feel the worst after the shower, as sometimes i could spend a whole 15 mins standing in the shower.....very weird i know.

when i first got ill i had to sit down whilst taking a shower. i only showered once a week as it was physically impossible do it more frequently.......i didnt care i was in bed all the time anyway!

my biggest problem in the shower now is pooling....... my legs are shades of purple and bright red!!!

[Rachel]

Another thing that helps me is spraying cold or lukewarm water on my feet for a minute or two before getting out of the shower. This helps a little to counteract the effects of the warm water from the shower.

[carinara]

I used to love hot baths but now i havent had one in over one and a half years.

I just take cool showers whilest sitting down now. I have an office chair with rolls on which i use to roll around in the house almost all the time. When i have a shower i roll my chair in the bathroom get undressed whilest sitting on my chair. Then i sit in the shower and keep the water just warm, never hot. Then when iam finished i get out of the shower and sit back in my chair again.

That way getting a shower is not a major problem for me anymore. I used to get so sick before i knew my triggers. Like i said, i used to love hot baths but i felt very sick after them most of the times and had to lay down for a long while in order for my body to calm down again.

[momofsara]

Yes, baths and showers are difficult for Sara. It takes her quite a while to recover afterward. We have found that a shower using a shower chair works best for her along with lukewarm water. Also, not staying in for too long. And, yes, it frustrates the heck out of her also...... Susan

[mountainsunflower]

I do ok with showers, but baths are out- it takes hours to feel better, and hot tubs... as inviting as they look, i just don't dare!!!! Kinda stinks- it just seems like it would be soooo relaxing to jump in a hot tub or bath to take away the stress of the day- however, it just makes me feel soooo bad.

[turtlefairy5]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

I was doing a search for another issue, but I found this thread.

I cannot count the number of times I have come to this forum and felt so validated.

As awful as the symptoms are, it is such a relief in a way to know that others are experiencing the same thing, that I'm not alone, or that I'm not just weak or crazy or hypochondriac or...whatever, ya know? Though I wouldn't wish this plight on anyone.

For as long as I've been struggling with this issue, I've been dealing with feeling worse - weak, shaky, tachy, woozy, hot flashy - after taking a shower. It is so frustrating because, for me, taking a shower means I'm about to go out somewhere (otherwise I don't bother), so the last thing I need is an increase in symptoms.

SO so, frustrating!!!

I get out of the shower, and the first thing I go to do next is my make-up, and my hands feel shaky and unstable while I'm trying to apply eyeshadow, mascara - things you need a stable hand to do, ya?

I also feel SO HOT, long after I've gotten out of the shower, like I'm having an enormous heat flash.

I hear the advice about taking cooler showers -- such a bummer, though, because I usually like the water as hot as I can get it.

crapola.

yeah, hot tubs are out for me too, which was a bummer not only to me but also to my girlfriend at the time (now ex-girlfriend, partly because she couldn't deal with my illness) - she had a hot tub and liked to enjoy it frequently, so that was just one more thing that I couldn't do with her - she resented it.

Amber

[delphicdragon]

How strange that this got brought up today. I was going to start a post about how it's so difficult for me to shower and wondering if anyone else had that problem. I took one last night (always at night, I am sick all day if I take one in the morning) and noticed my feet were bright red, bordering on purple. It spread all the way up my legs. When I brought one leg up to shave it all the color drained out of it. Washing my hair was practically impossible and I was dizzy and nauseous throughout the entire thing.

This is probably TMI, but I can only manage one or two showers a week because it drains so much out of me. I feel like I'm not taking care of myself, but it is all I can manage. I wash up everyday, but I feel like people will see me as dirty because I just can't shower every day; the whole process effects me so much. This is the one thing I wish I had a solution too so that I could fit in and not feel self conscious. I sometimes think if I could shower during the afternoon, I would be better off, but I'm working, and I'm usually so exhausted from working that showering at night becomes out of the question because I crash so hard.

I guess I'm glad to know it's not just me.

Sara

[juliegee]

Just add a big "ME TOO!" to this one. At times, in addition to BP, blood sugar is an issue for me. It often crashes as soon as I get out of the shower- even if I just had a big meal right before. F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-N-G!!! I have to be careful to go into a shower with a belly full of protein. Baths are a little easier for me as I get to sit rather than stand. Warm, not hot. Short, not long.

[julie f]

I'm in this same boat, Sara. I shower every other day just so I have a couple of mornings where I feel semi ok when I head off to work. My favorite part is trying to do my hair after a shower. Not only do I feel crummy from the shower. Then, I have to put my arms up by my head to make myself look presentable. My co workers just look at me some mornings and say "it's one of those days." Luckily they are very supportive and overlook my somewhat strange appearance. Julie

[hollie]

I sit in the shower too... I do ok... not great. What I have a hard time with is once I get out of the shower, dry off, get dressed, etc... Then I need to blow dry my hair. I already feel "iffy" at best and have to put my arms up (bad) and add more heat (more bad). By the time I'm done, I'm toast! So, most days, I don't even do my hair. HEY GOOD LOOKIN'!

[Stace915]

Me too, me too! I usually switch off between sitting and standing and also have to sit for a while once I get out.. but by then I am usually way too exhausted of or dizzy or both to do my hair. When I do actually do my hair I sit on the carpeted floor while I blow dry and straighten it, and I stop every few minutes to take a break from the heat. Good luck!

[mattsmum]

I must admit I do better showering in the evening than the morning. If I shower in the morning and go to work my co workers look very worried at me as all the colour has gone. As others have said tho this is hard to keep up. I normally fall asleep after dinner all that lovely blood pooling.

[Broken_Shell]

Hello,

I also have a difficult time with showers. I have found a few things that are helpful, some of which have been mentioned in previous posts. I also use a shower chair to alternate between sitting and standing while in the shower. The other things that have made my shower experience more tolerable are these: I drink a lot of cool water while in the shower - I keep a bottle of cold water on the shower ledge and drink at least 1 -2 cups during my shower. I also shower with the bathroom door wide open and the shower curtain partially open. Having this contrast between the warm shower water and the ambient temperature of the room being much colder makes me feel better. When I start feeling too lightheaded, I pull the shower curtain open a little more to let in a draft of colder air and take a drink of cold water which seems to help for a few minutes. The last thing that I have found helpful is that when I get out of the shower in the winter I put the heater on so that I don't get a chill, but again I leave the bathroom door open so that I have the warm air blowing on only part of my body but cooler air surrounding a majority of my body. My feet are still the color of lobsters when I get out of the shower, but these things at least help with my symptoms.

Speaking of all of these problems with the heat... has anyone else noticed this? I have a difficult time standing near the stove if a burner is hot. I often have to place an ice pack on part of my body just to remove food from the burners when it is done cooking or sit in the kitchen while the stove or oven are in use. I am just curious if this sounds familiar to anyone else or if you have any suggestions that help you in the kitchen. Thank you!

~ Broken_Shell