It’s AMAZING the things we take for granted!!! Until you can no longer DO what normal people DO every minute of every day!
STAND! WALK! TURN! Pull down your pants to sit on toilet without losing your balance and falling! (Bars by toilet ESSENTIAL!) Put on clean diaper and shorts! (Knit shorts get caught on sox/shoes/toenails. Denim and cotton are firmer material and easier to navigate.) Reacher tool helps, but getting dressed is a SLOOOOOOW PROCESS.
SAFE FOOTWEAR: Skechers hands free slip-ins. (I’ve ALWAYS worn slip ons, but these are BEST because they have a firm back once it retracts to heel.) Ordered myself this pair, then read a funny on Facebook: “Anything you buy between now and Mother’s Day is Mother’s Day Gift!” Lol” (It’s early May.) Not “advertising” for Skechers: I usually buy the generic ones at Wmt, but this seemed IMPORTANT, and they were ON SALE! LOL!
SHOWER: Now THIS is where it gets tricky! We have a shower chair I’ve been using for over a year. It works well for me.
My AWESOME FIREFIGHTER FRIEND JAMES HARRIS put bars in the shower when I had the hip replacement in May ’17. Then my SON, JONATHAN added more as needed.
TUB CONVERSION: We invested in the Lowe’s tub cut-out (and believe me, after tons of research, IT IS THE BEST SOLUTION TO NEEDING HANDICAP ACCESS TO YOUR TUB!! Inexpensive install. Removable slide-in piece if you ever want to use your bathtub as a tub. Low step ( 2″) . Wide opening. Eazy wipe clean!
Back to shower chair: So why are we “shopping” for another one? Because sometimes reaching my back and butt is hard, and I need a chair with a HOLE in the bottom to facilitate that better when it’s not safe for me to stand up to clean my rear. There are multiple models out there with various configurations, but most not as helpful as JUST A HOLE! Most are too wide for our tub! (Home built in 70’s; std tub size not as wide as current, I guess.) One version extends outside the tub so you sit and slide in. Maybe. None are configured to fit in our tub as we have it, it seems, tho they are “reversible” by changing some of the parts around. Many don’t have STABLE arms that I need to push off of to get up.
The one I am currently using in my REHAB room is PERFECT, but I can’t find it anywhere to buy!! Have the model # off it and everything: the website for that company (DRIVE) doesn’t show that model!!! Go Figure! Welcome to my world!
Medicare doesn’t cover these, but I DON’T CARE!! I’ll probly find it at a local medical supply store, since AMAZON doesn’t have it. (And YES, I’m getting my money’s worth out of AMAZON PRIME this year!)
Back brushes: The one I’m using now is PERFECT!!! Long handle (tho the extra 1″ gets caught on the arms of the chair sometimes!) Foam with scrunge on the backside. Can I find these online? OF COURSE NOT!!!! Again, have model #: NOPE! Will ask REHAB Director where she orders her goodies.
In case you’re wondering, I’m rambling at 0100, having SLEPT from 3pm til 9pm. Sleep cycle OFF, but that’s actually pretty normal for me!
WHEELCHAIR: We have ordered a 16″ lightweight wheelchair that should serve me well. I prefer the standard sling back (no pad), but the cushion they have is almost twice my sciatica pillow thickness, which HELPS A LOT! (I’ve been using Marie’s large wheelchair and hate the way I get TRAPPED often due to it’s girth!)
It probly still won’t fit thru the bathroom door, and honestly, as narrow as our bathroom is, having the wheelchair INSIDE the bathroom would be DANGEROUS!! No room to maneuver at all!
I use the rails and the solid vanity, which are not too far apart, to navigate walking in the bathroom. The raised toilet we installed last year is against the wall and vanity, so I can’t “fall off the toilet.” (Well, I almost did once when I leaned too far over to wipe. VERTIGO!)
So after writing this rambling blog, I can tell my AWESOME OT GIRL, DANIELLE that I don’t NEED the crazy contraptions they’re recommending, but will just order what THEY HAVE BEEN USING FOR ME!!
PROBLEM SOLVED!!
SHOWER ATTACHMENT: I still need the type of shower attachment that so many already use: The shower head that snaps onto a bar, slides up and down, etc for easier access. Lotsa good possibilities out there. We’ll see what Larry and I agree on, since he likes “shower” and I like “TORNADO!!!!!” Filters not a biggie to me; just shower massage. Getting the bar low enough for me to reach will be the issue. JONATHAN will get it done w/o even blinkin’ an eye!! That young man (my sweet Baby Boy!) can do/fix ANYTHING!! Don’t laugh, but most of his training has been YOUTUBE videos, and they REALLY WORK!!!
Reacher tools: Do you know what the greatest problem with a reacher tool it??? IT’S NEVER WITHIN REACH!!!!
OT Danielle created an attachment to my wheelchair with a strip of foam, velcro, and a rubberized line so that I could have mine w/in reach and use it to stretch the places I’m not supposed to stretch yet. BRILLIANTLY MADE!
BUT… If Im not careful, it gets caught in the wheels of the wheelchair as I’m rolling down the hall! Not just the line, but the reacher itself! (It’s supposed to sit beside me in the seat, but I’m not always diligent to get it there!)
OPERATOR ERROR!!!! MUST CORRECT!!! (do you hear the warning alarms going off!!?)
We invested in the folding reacher tool at Wmt. Pushing the button to release it to unfold is HARD!!!! The claw only engages when it feels like it! Haven’t used it enough to outsmart it, but I will!
Getting sleepy, which is a good thing. Two salty snax and a sweet snack as I write. They brought me a Pepsi (hospital must have contract w/Pepsi, cuz it’s actually on the menu.) and cup of ice as requested a few hours ago. I HATE Pepsi, but sometimes, you just NEED a dark cola carbonated caffeine jolt to get you going!!! Thinking on paper is my lifeline, so this has helped. TMI for some; interesting reading for others: solutions for me!
GOOD NIGHT! May the Lord grant you RESTFUL SLEEP so you can walk in your anointing tmor to impart DYNAMIS POWER to help others with GRACE & HUMILITY and grant them SHALOM PEACE!
Wynne Loveless Writes 