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Post by newbee on Sept 25, 2014 16:07:31 GMT -7
I'm a recent btk and currently use a bench for showering. Question: what equipment etc can be used when on the road to facilitate a safe shower in a motel room or campground setting? What suggestions do you have? Thanks
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Post by cherylm on Sept 26, 2014 1:58:06 GMT -7
Hi there, and welcome! There are a number of options for showering "on the road," but sometimes you have to get creative about it......
The easiest and most convenient is to ask for a handicapped accessible room when registering at a hotel, and then explain your need for a seat in the shower. Occasionally you'll find a handicapped room with a built-in shower seat...at other times, the hotel may have a shower bench available for you, either as part of the handicapped room accommodations or just delivered to a regular room for the duration of your stay. If that sort of thing is available, it saves you a lot of worry and carting things around. (Please note, though, that the term "handicapped accessible room" can mean a lot of things, and sometimes those "things" aren't all that important or necessary for a BK amp. It might just mean doorways wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair...which is dandy if you happen to use a chair, and pretty much useless if you don't. So ask questions..................)
There are also folding portable shower seats that you can carry along with you on your travels. If you're taking a long road trip, that can be a real convenience! If you're flying, it's just more stuff to carry, but it guarantees you a seat in the shower wherever you go.
If your prosthesis is a basic one with nothing out of the ordinary, there are waterproof "covers" to wear over your leg..."stocking-type" creations which you can seal to keep the water out.
Some incredibly well-coordinated folks with good balance have been known to stand on one foot in the shower. I am not one of those folks!
What I have done in the past, if I'm really desperate, is to sit on the edge of the tub and just wash off using the tap instead of the shower. It works if you need it. But it's sloppy and not much fun.
Now........for my very favorite way of dealing with showering, any time, any where: Purchase a separate prosthesis for water activities. The problem: it's unlikely that an insurance company will cover it, so it's at your own expense. The good part: it can be made from the most utterly basic set of components, you can even use an old socket, liner, etc., you may well be able to work out a "deal" with your leg guy to cobble it together at a price you can manage. (I actually once got a water leg for no cost as "payment" for serving as a model for a prosthetics seminar, so deals are out there.) The BEST thing: it makes showering a non-issue. My water leg fits inside my luggage, I can just wrap it up in a trash bag if it's wet, and I can step in and out of the shower and just stand there and SHOWER.
Look around, and think about how you normally travel...you'll find something to fit your needs!
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Post by oneblueleg on Oct 28, 2014 6:16:59 GMT -7
I take my chances and hop and stand on one leg. I've never unsrstood anyone wanting to wear a leg in the shower... surely the most important part to wash is the very part you can't if you're wearing it! Each to their own I guess..
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Post by Ann on Oct 28, 2014 6:32:10 GMT -7
Likewise, regards not understanding how people want to wear their prosthesis in the shower ... maybe its out of necessity. Though I generally try and seek out a place to stay which has a bath tub, which as a bilateral I find much easier, and no need for equipment .... otherwise when showers are the only option I have to sit or kneel it out on the floor of the shower ... not the greatest or comfortable...ist option ... you also sometimes need someone around to switch on the water.
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Post by snarfler on Oct 29, 2014 9:05:59 GMT -7
The best way to shower is to float on your back buzzed on Kava Kava juice in a 100 degree tropical pool warmed by the heat of a volcano and as you float along through the fragrance of floating hibiscus blossoms joined by six beautiful Samoan girls who pull you under a gentle waterfall, giggling as they scrub your hair and back then rub you down with coconut oil as you dry naked in the warmth of the Hawai'ian sun while gentle breezes caress your tingling body. Or invest in a folding travel chair. Same thing...
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