I am sure that most of you have known someone, either disabled, elderly, or whatever that has had and used a shower or bath chair. Most of them are little curved seats that sit in the bottom of the tub or shower, and that is just what they tell you to do when your like me.
Let me tell you, it is just a bummer! The shower that my folks set up for me in the bathroom they made for me (yea, my folks are great. While I was in the hospital they remodeled a bathroom into a wheelchair friendly bathroom for me. Did I mention that they are great? You can see that bathroom in one of my videos) is a nice shower. I have a really nice shower chair they got for me. It has a backrest, is slides back and forth and locks in place. A quick plug for the place we got it from, Thrifty pharmacy and home medical in Providence, KY. Tom and the gang up there are great people. Go spend some money with them, you won’t be disappointed with the service!
Wow, I get off track easy, don’t I?
So, anyway, in my shower my folks put one of those shower head on a flex pipe thing so I can hold it in my hand while in my shower chair. Let me tell you, this makes for a totally non enjoyable shower experience! You know after a hard day, or a tough morning when it is hard to wake up, that nice hot shower wakes you up or eases away the pain in those tired muscles?
Try sitting in a chair, worried about slipping off into the floor, when you have no feet. And that’s another thing. I say I have no legs, but of course I do. Mostly I have no feet and calves. Off track again…. Argh! So, in the chair, only one hand with fingers to grip. Here is my shower experience.
Hose my body down, then set the spray head aside…
Lather up with soap….
Hose my body off, trying to get my hind in and everything else while sitting in a chair that I could slip off of…..
Pick up the nozzle again…..
Lather, rinse, repeat…..
I can’t just sit under the hot spray and let it wash my worries and else away like everybody else. When I lather and wash, no spray for me. I get cold while washing, damn it!
Well, I say can’t, but after yesterday, it’s couldn’t. The great people that did my physical therapy taught me to use and get on/off a shower chair into a TUB. We have two step in showers in the house, one of them in my bathroom, the other one in my folks bathroom. So, you know I can get around on the floor, right? Walking on my knees with knee pads, crawling on hands and knees, right?
Yea, you guessed it.!
I had a great freaking shower yesterday! I hands and knees my way into mom and dad’s shower yesterday. I couldn’t reach the shower knob, so mom had to turn on the water for me, but everything else was great! This shower is a tub length shower stall. I could stretch out and enjoy that wonderful spray. No holding the shower nozzle, no getting cold while I washed up, no worrying about falling out of a damn chair while I am trying to wash my hind end whilst sitting down.
I lay there on the floor of that shower, back leaned against the wall with all my muscles relaxed. I was as loose as a rag doll. I shampooed my hair like three freaking times! I am sure there was eye rolling in the house, as I was oohing and ahhing and singing the praises of flowing water as I lay there. Relaxed….. In a shower…. For the first time in four months!
It was in that moment, better than sex. Not as good as sex IN the shower, but you know what I mean, right?
I had to holler at mom a time or two to have her come and turn the hot water up. She would slide the door open enough to snake her hand in and turned that blessed nozzle. I sat in that shower until I ran all the hot water out of the entire house. Did I say it was great!?!?
Only one problem, though. The drain was right underneath me! I would have to check the height of the water, and upon occasion lift one leg or the other to let the water swirl down the drain….
Oh well, nothing is ever perfect!
I am going to ask dad to modify my shower so the flexy nozzle thingy can hang on the wall low, so I can sit in my shower and let the spray be at chest height!
If you can stand in your own shower (yeah, Jennifer, I am totally jealous of Clint’s catfish leg!) be thankful. Next time you step in, adjust the nozzle so it sprays away from you. Step in the spray, then out to wash. Get cold while doing it, then step back in the spray for a quick rinse than out again. You will get an idea what those who have challenges go through. And then be thankful.
If you are a challenged person, such as myself, get some one to help you out. If you have a step in shower where you live, try it. It is better than sex!