Having To Plan To Take A Bath Or Shower... What A Pain!

[Tammy]

Sometimes I just really would like to be able to take a shower or a bath and keep on going. I know, no matter what temp the water is, or if I take a bath or a shower, I'm going to be down for the count for a long time afterwards. Here I am, laying in bed, 'recoving' from a bath. This is just rediculous... seriously! I feel awful, but at least I'm CLEAN Now my little girl is taking a bath too, and hopefully I'll be able to function enough to get a towel and her outfit for her when she ready to come out (she's 4). It's raining today which always makes me feel oxygen deprived when it's humid, so this is probably just the icing on the cake! I know, my other symptoms can be so much worse and being homebound isn't helping me frustrations, but sometimes I'm so thankful to have a place to vent where everyone understands Thanks !

[sue1234]

I understand about the shower. On my "better" days, I wash my hair, so that on my "not better" days, I don't have to spend that extra minute or two in there. I have dry hair so it doesn't make a difference.

[Guest tearose]

I too understand.

I have this whole procedure to survive. I especially have major problems going from my warm pj's to a cold room and then to the warm shower and then out into a cold room...I have to be sure I'm able to stand, had morning hydration, have heated the room up, sometimes with an additional space heater, use a grab bar or shower chair, sit on the floor to dry off...it takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

Some can tolerate the cold, I can't at all!

If I take a bath, which I love but don't do much anymore, it takes more time, heat and energy.

[fighting4health]

That's funny. I was just reading posts on the forum and avoiding taking a bath. About 10 minutes after the bath I'm usually okay, just a little more tired. It's the time before it that I work myself up and put it off, and of course the actual bath isn't my favorite. I sometimes go hypothermic if the water or room temp is too cold (below 70). I also have to be careful because I can't tell hot from cold most of the time on my feet. Warm water feels soooo good though.

[MelissaCrystal]

Humidity is SO hard... especially when we create more of it in the bath lol I noticed that I get sick in the bath if my feet are submerged, but that might just be me. My feet are really sensitive to temperature for some reason. But yeah, I feel ya! I go through the same routine every morning, and everyone at work is shocked that I spend 3 hours every morning recovering from waking up and bathing.

[Katja]

I always shower at night now, usually sitting down in the bathtub, so I can go straight to bed afterwards. if I wash my hair, I do it over the sink/tub during the day, without undressing. doing it this way seems to help a lot - also b/c I feel best if I put on compression hose before getting out of bed, and wear them till night/don't take them off to shower during the day. before I started doing this, showers were far more of an ordeal for me - my heart rate would skyrocket, I always had to lay down to recover afterwards, would have fatigue and/or shortness of breath for the rest of the day, etc...

[busymom]

It's always a big ordeal. Most of the time people get all cleaned up before they go out. These days I can't even shower myself most of the time,let alone shower and than do anything else but sleep for hours. Just remember you did it...that in itself is an accomplishment. I was a very active wife, mom of five, and nurse...can you imagine the things I use to get done. Well I set those goals and I acheived them. I still set goals and I still acheive them...as I see it you do the same. We can still be productve in life... just not the same way we once did. So you set a goal today, you gave it your all, and you excelled. Keep setting goals and keep reaching them. Just think, your little girl got to see her mommy try to do something that was hard for her and she still finished it.

God Bless

busymom

[Sophia3]

I only shower every so many days, and sometimes it's a week (Lately bad standing/upright times!)

In between I sit on chair in bathroom, and do sponge baths. To wash hair, I kneel on chair, lean over and wash hair in sink in bathroom. You can also do this in kitchen if tall enough chair to kneel on or you yourself are tall.

It's been YEARS since I could take a shower and do something afterwards.

I RARELY take baths but can do those easier in cooler weather but only at bedtime.

If your orthostatic tolerance stinks, you choose sitting shower/sponge bath over anything else that day. Takes all my energy.

Oh and get a shower chair!! could NOT do without mine.

I have this down to such a routine, I don't even know how to explain it.

[Brye]

A big turning point for me in acknowledging I had POTS was when I finally gave in and bought my shower chair. I passed out more times than I wish to admit because I was too stubborn to get a chair. Every time I was in my doctors office ..."do you think you should get a shower chair" It made me feel old and incapable. Buying that chair was one of the best decisions I made. It still ***** out the energy but the chance of passing out is so much less!! I usually take my shower right before I crawl into bed at night. Then by the next morning I've usually recovered!!

Brye

[kayjay]

I have a sprayer attached to my tub. I have not taken a shower since I last traveled somewhere. I can wash my hair with the sprayer better then sitting in the shower. this way I can get clean like a shower and have the comfort of sitting.

One tip that worked for me - if you are not at home a three legged cane seat worked for me in the shower.

I bought a few cheep ones off of amazon. I leave one in my car, one in my hubby's car and one in the house. ( I use it outside when he is gardening or splitting wood etc. to keep him company.

I have used it in hotels and would recommend for anyone when they are not at home. Keeps you safe and

[potsgirl]

Tammy,

I am so glad you posted on this topic. I felt like I was one of a few who got so exhausted from showering and especially doing my hair. A quick shower makes me tired for awhile, but doing my hair utterly fatigues me for hours, if not the whole day. I have long hair that's very thick, and it takes a while for me to wash and condition it, arms above my head. Then it's working out the snarls, putting in some hair lotion, and I've had to just stop drying it as I can't hold the hair dryer up for so long. I take a bath or shower 4 to 5 days a week, but only do my hair twice.

You ladies have some good ideas about washing your hair in the sink, except I think mine would end up in a big tangle, and bending over would make me dizzy/nauseous. Has anyone ever thought of going to a hair salon once a week to get their hair done?

Cheers,

Jana

[goldicedance]

My guess is this: most of us POTSIES have difficulty taking a shower yet alone a bath.

A shower chair is a must. Very warm water is a no-no.

I try to finish my shower with a quick splash of much colder water.

I also find having a thick terry cloth robe by the shower that I can wrap myself in as well as a big towel for my head.

I throw these on after the shower and then plop on the bed to recover--sometimes I even fall asleep. I always have to leave time for this cool dow.

As far as hair - long hair would be way to difficult to take care of. Give serious thought to having your hair cut to make things easier on yourself.

In the scheme of things, try not to fret about this....things could be alot worse.

As far as my life goes, if I had to decide what is worse - POTS or breast cancer survivorship - I would take POTS. The thing with breast cancer, even when you are a survivor, there still lingers in your mind the real possibility that the cancer could return.

Lois

[Sophia3]

Goldie

Your last point well taken!

I needed to add on dizzy days i can't do the shampoo thing bent over chair. have to wait. My hair is very thin and two days without washing is tough and three days equal GROSS! I wipe it with cloth around hair line and hang in there until I can wash it. My hair is long enough to pull back but thinking of getting it cut to just below chin length again...it was easier.

Also today I washed hair earlier, rested, blew dry while sitting and it's the arms way up over head that gets ya. Then rested, then put velcro curlers in hair..and back to recliner to rest.

I get to hear some New Orleans music for couple hours tonight so BIG DAY for me!

Now if only somebody could do my makeup. I started not wearing foundation for a long time but swear I feel better when I LOOK better in the mirror but my 89 yr old mom still wears makeup so it's a comfort thing . So back to full face makeup...but know that is not possible everyday, energy wise.

Grateful for whatever but dont' make yourselves feel bad if you have to do things in baby steps.

& get passed the prejudice for a shower chair! It helps.

[sue1234]

Sophia, you must be going to the Voodoo Fest! My 23 y/o daughter is in New Orleans enjoying the sights(in the rain!) waiting to go to the fest later. Enjoy! By the way, we live 3 hours away from New Orleans.

[Sophia3]

Sue

No, it's a local New Orleans band in Ohio..but couple band members lived in NOLA for over 10 years and speak french fluently. they play Cajun, great old New Orleans Jazz/Dixieland & some gypsy tunes.

but thanks for the sentiment. If Voo doo worked, I would be good witch and heal us all :-)

And all would be able to shower/bathe when we wanted

[janiedelite]

I was reading these posts and thankful that I usually have the energy to take a bath every morning. Then I remembered that in order to take a bath, I first have to lay in bed for an hour or two, drinking salted drinks and taking meds. Then I enjoy a warm, not hot, bath which is one of the only times when my muscles don't hurt so much for some reason. Then I get back to bed and lie flat until I get dry enough to put my hose on. Forget drying my hair! I've grown my hair out and just put it up in a braid because it demands the least amount of time with my arms reaching upward. It air dries that way. Not stylish, but gives me more energy for important things, like laundry!

I've recently started trying various POTS meds, and notice an increase in my function level which is great!!! But I realize that if I'm going back to work anywhere, I couldn't start my work day until at least 11am because the meds and salt haven't kicked in before that. Oh well, I'll take what I can get!

[sue1234]

Sophia,

Oh well, what a mix up on the New Orleans thing! I thought you were going to the Voodoo Festival, which has music for the next 48 hours or so, with Eminem tonight and Kiss/Sting(can't remember which one) tomorrow night, along with alot of lesser known musicians. When you said New Orleans music I just assumed you were heading to the big fest!

[Sophia3]

Sue

My New Orleans fest was 2 hour short gig, with great NOLA food and music. Can't go wrong with that combo either.

now back to our topic

[prettyinpink]

I get so irritated that theres never a good time to take a shower. I have energy in the morning but, if i take my shower in the morning I'm exhausted and need to take a long nap which ruins my day. I'd rather take a shower at night so i can just go to bed afterwards but i'm so tired at night its really really hard and sometimes impossible.

Someone suggested wipes like baby wipes but you can buy them in the pharmacy section to help tide you over until you can take a shower. Theres also shampoo that doesn't require water you rub into your hair and let it dry. I've only used in the hospital but it worked pretty well.

[lmt033167]

For those of you who have trouble with washing your hair, have you ever tried dry or no rinse shampoo/conditioner?

My youngest son has asthma and gets sick easily and it drives me nuts not to be able to wash his hair when he's sick so I use it.

Clean Life Products - No Rinse Shampoo ($6.99) or Conditioner ($4.99) no water needed just apply, lather & towel dry. Word of caution - it does have a scent.

[lifesaver]

I am going to try taking my shower at bedtime and wash my hair in the sink. So good to know that feeling crappy after a shower is common to Dys. The bedtime shower is such a simple solution--kind of my V-8 moment, lol.

[Stormie74]

We put in a whirlpool bath when we built our house 12 years ago. I love sitting in their reading with the water really hot, but every time I have done that over the past few years it triggered a bad spell. I'm cold ALL the time with a low body temp, so a hot bath really sounds inviting. Instead, I crawl up in a ball on the couch with 1 or two quilts, layered clothing and socks and try to stay warm.

No hot baths for me anymore! sniff sniff

[shadesofgrey49]

I miss baths

[Brye]

I miss Hot Tubs and baths!! There's that commercial on TV I see frequently where they have that walk in bath tub with a chair type seat. It's aimed at an elderly population but I've been tempted to look into that option. I occasionally look longingly at my neighbors hover round chair as well. Some times I just feel old and I keep thinking I'm too young to be old yet!

Frustrated ... Brye (thanks for listening)

[BelieverEM]

It feels so good not to be alone on this one. Often, I only manage to shower once a week. In between, I either use "No-Rinse Body Wash" (I put it in a spray bottle because it's thin as water and difficult to apply straight from the bottle) or pre-moistened bathing cloths. I've tried them all, and my favorite is "Comfort Bath Ultra-Thick Washcloths" because they're easy to use (no rolling or bunching) and actually get me clean. Applying babdy powder afterward is a MUST, to get rid of the slightly-sticky feeling, and to stay dry (just getting dressed can make me break out in a sweat).

My hair is far too thick for the "No-Rinse" shampoo to do any good (I tried it once, and had to use almost the entire 16-oz bottle to dampen my hair, which was tangled beyond reconning, even with the conditioner chaser! My only way to get my hair lean without showering is if a parent or sibling if available to help me. Then, we use the "E-Z Shampoo Hair Washing Tray" in the sink (around $30-- you can get others for more money at sites like http://www.rehabmart.com/category/Bath_Hygiene.htm). I like the tray better than a basin because I don't have to lay down or tilt my head back at all. The cape (like the Comfort-cape) and funnel (like the shamp-ease shampoo funnel) styles also work well. It all depends on how much you want to spend.

When I DO shower, I use my shower chair, prop up my legs, and use the hand-held showerhead. I use lukewarm water (slightly cooler than skin-temp) and do not leave the water running-- for example, I'll rinse my hair, then turn off water while I lather shampoo. Rinse hair, then turn off water while applying conditioner...

I'd be interested in hearing how the rest of you manage to stay clean!

Erin