Does anyone else feel revolting after a shower?

[Machair]

I am unable to have a shower at all due to low blood pressure and more especially low pulse pressure. I have found baths to be easier, and on the rare occasions I have had showers I am so ill during and after them, but in hotels if I get the disabled room there is usually a shower stool and this I can cope with. As BP runs lower in the morning showers then are even more challenging and could be dangerous. This morning my BP was only 85/60 standing so a shower in that state would be very risky.

 

[snowathlete]

Yeah makes me feel dreadful, and baths arent much better. Hotter is definately worse, so i have them warm only now. Cold would probably be better for me but i cant stand it.

 

[Tia]

You descibed me exactly! Sometimes I feel faint when showering and have to get out and lay on the bed to avoid fainting. It gets so far that is blackens before my eyes but I always manage to avoid the faint part by lying down until I feel better again.

 

[ahimsa]

shower seat

I agree with Sally that a seat in the shower is really necessary for anyone with orthostatic intolerance (POTS or NMH). It can also be helpful for those who have balance issues or just to save energy (sitting is so much easier than standing). I also have a grab bar in my shower, bolted into the studs so that it could actually hold my weight if I were to slip. And I'm also one of those who takes lukewarm showers. Heat is bad for me.

For those looking for a shower chair I recommend getting one that has rubber tipped feet and also a back so you can rest against it. For me it's very difficult to sit on a stool without a back to lean against. My back muscles get very tired and start twitching (fasiculations).

 

[Sallysblooms]

Yes, my chair has a back. Works great. I love having the hand held shower head also. I sit and shower, wash my hair, so nice! I also make sure I have something on the shower floor. I use a towel. The non slip mats are slippery if you step on them from the side. I hope everyone stays safe!

 

[xrayspex]

this is me exactly, my hair is annoyingly dirty as i write because been dreading taking a bath or shower for almost 2 weeks, think i took a sitz bath a week ago but didnt do hair. I noticed reaction was worse when I livd in 1929 old bungalow, wonder if somethng in old pipes, I even tested water for common probs nothing showed up and even put filter on but would feel sick for days after a shower. Now I am in a newer building and the shower spout is less pressure, seems to help, but still get a reaction. I noticed if lie down in tub to wash hair and do it gently one arm upto head at a time it helps have less of a bad hangover, and lower water temp but I do not like lukewarm. Glad there are others out there because my doc doesnt really acknowledge much about it when I tell him and he has a lot of cfs patients, made me think I was unique.

 

[slayadragon]

Very frequently, showers have a good bit of toxic mold growing behind the tile. When the water gets going and the bathroom gets steamy, the mold releases its spores, causing the toxicity problem to feel worse.

Lisa

 

[Calathea]

I have a nice seat that was provided free of charge by an occupational therapist. Is that an option? Failing that, they can be surprisingly cheap if you look for good bargains. I also have a grab rail on the wall, properly screwed in so that it can take my weight, and a grab rail clamped to the side of the bath (alas, it's a shower over a bath). The one for the side of the bath was a particularly good find, and you can see the same thing on eBay here. It's solid, and it's taller than some of the other grab rails I've seen about.

If I'm in any doubt whatsoever, I make sure there is someone here to put the bath board in position and move it away again, and also to help me get out of the shower. I don't usually stand for a quick shower when I'm not washing my hair, as the effort of repeatedly sitting down and then standing up again to wash various bits isn't worth it in a short space of time. Recently I've been getting my support workers to hold the shower head for rinsing my hair as well. I can't leave it overhead as some people do, I have dry eyes and it stings like mad if I get water in them, plus I find it difficult to get clean from an overhead shower rather than a handheld one. I always make sure the bathroom door is ajar so that the steam doesn't build up too much, and I have a small stool in the corner of the bathroom so that I can sit down as soon as I'm out of the shower if I need to.

And then I rest!