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Have once simple tasks become a challenge because of MS?
“My morning ritual of showering for a fresh start to my day has progressed to a once-a-week occurrence. Like everything else that my MS affects, less shower time is not by choice. I take sponge baths daily of course, but actual showers are reserved for when I have enough energy for the scary, slip-and-slide thrill ride known as my bathtub’s shower.” Debi Wilson
Do you also find it difficult to shower regularly? Do you have any tricks and tips to make these basic tasks easier?
Read Debi’s article “When Did Showering Become Such a Thrill Ride?” and share your opinion.
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17 Replies
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luckily I still shower daily
But
It is getting harder and different.
I too have a shower over a bath. the bath sides really do seem to have grown!
The days of hoping in are long gone. I have a bath chair, well really its just a few lengths of plastic that fit across the bath which I can use to sit on and then turn 90 degrees pulling me legs over and into the bath or if I am feeling really strong I use the hand grab rail to pull myself in and constantly hold onto it as balance is an isue
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Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for your response, and for sharing your experience. It is always encouraging to know we are not alone in this MS journey!
MS, brings so many adaptable moments, sometimes it is hard to keep up! I am constantly forced to discover innovative solutions to complete daily tasks.
With the standing that is involved, even doing laundry can be difficult. Never would I have imagined, that I would have to sit to wash & dry clothes!
It is incredibly helpful to read tips from our readers on adapting to their challenges. We can all learn a lot from the sharing of experience and knowledge.
I hope everyone joins in and shares their daily obstacles. And how they maneuver around them !
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Yes, most tasks have gotten harder. Anything that involves being on my feet more than 5-10 minutes wears me out fast, so that affects cooking, most aspects of cleaning, exercise, yard work, physical play…
Showering happens every second day rather than daily, and almost always in the evenings because it’s too exhausting to pull off before work. I’ve used a shower chair for the past five years (even pre-diagnosis) because of poor balance while showering. On weekends if I’m not going anywhere, I don’t even change out of my jammies, let alone shower!
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I relate to all you are saying Tanner!
What kind of adaptions have you made to help with your tasks of daily living? -
That is one thing I miss, the long and relaxing bubble bath or muscle soak…I can get myself in, just by sliding down, that’s if and when I can get my heavy right leg in, now the getting out is not ladylike, if I can get out at all….
Sad to say my showers also are limited, I have become ashamed at the fact of my body cleanliness to the days I would bath every day, well not any more, it is a quick shower wash and shampoo my hair, and once a week I must add….It is the washing my hair standing in the shower now that I most dread…as I suffer Lhermitte’s sign as and when i bend my head – neck forwards…
Other things I would have had no trouble doing at one time, and believe you me I had done a lot which was office cleaning jobs, vacuuming – emptying of bins-rubbish ( part time evenings after day job, ) I cant do this now, it just messes up my body, same as hand washing my cashmere knitwear, spinning it in the dryer, it all takes it away from me, I have to sit down and rest till my body comes back to some form of normality, whatever normality is…I am sure others things will come to mind of what I can now do, or cant do, apart from the obvious, basic walking, or just walking the dog…
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I hate MS. Everything is a challenge now plus I’m old. Buy a shower chair and sit
and bend over to wash your hair and condition. I stopped standing in shower long
ago, but do stand to wash private parts, but lean against wall while I do it. Fix
showerhead so water is on me. Terrie -
Hi Terrie,
Yes, MS can be very frustrating! How do you stay positive? What makes you happy? -
Terrie..
…I too hate MS, more so when we dont know yet know what caused it, or indeed if it was anything we done ourselves that brought it on…I now use the term of ” its unfortunate ” that I have it, but I am only one of many, there are a whole lot more like me – us… But hey, if it wasn’t MS it could well be something else we have to be dealing with, or adapting to…My belief is that no one goes through life unscathed…We just have to learn to, or adapt to a whole new way of life, and that is a life that works for us, and not against us…I know, easier said than done…
This is the only way I can keep positive…
Terrie, sending a cyber ((( hug )))
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Jaqueline and Debi, thanks for your input. I’m not positive anymore, but listening to music does bring me some joy. To not be able to do things like before, still scars me and brings me down. Not being the person I use to be, like I said, still scars me deeply. I do not know how a person can be happy with this disease?!?!?!
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I forgot, please call me Terrie
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Everything is a challenge now because of MS. How can life be good anymore. I look forward to death now rather than living with MS.
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Terrie…I get enjoyment and pleasure from the birds…and any other wildlife I see…guess I am lucky to now be living within a beautiful setting…but I do so miss my three beloved fur babies and the life I once shared with them…I too think on the same lines as you…one day I shall be reunited with them…I am 67, diagnosed at age 64…
The only uplifting or positive advice I can offer is that ” no two days are ever the same…”
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Hi Terrie,
I know it’s easy to feel down with MS, it is a hard way to live.
To stay positive, I concentrate on what I am thankful for in my life, focus on things I can do and keep busy.
Because the alternatives would be, not being productive and depression.
I think that would be a worse way to live my life. -
I know it is hard to accept, or take in but…if this helps…Once we know what we CAN’T do, we can then focus on what we CAN do, and remember that some things WE can do, other people can’t…I hope this brings more perspective to the dealings and changes that come with our MS illness…
We are worse than some, but better than others…who maybe dealing with other serious medical issues – dilemmas..
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Jacqueline and Debi, Thank you so much, knowing other people with MS helps me alot more than I realized. Talking to someone who can truly understand me took a weight off my shoulders. There are people worse off than me. I can still shower and walk and go to the bathroom. It is not as easy as before, but I still can do them. I can still drive, too. Not far, but by living in America, I can still go to stores because they have motorized carts. I do not know if other countries do as much as America does for handicapped people. I’m happy today that I found this site and the two of you. With all my heart thank you, Terrie
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Hi Terrie,
I’ll be 70 years old in a few months and have been living with MS since i was 32. It’s been a slow decline, but I’ve adapted by using a scooter, etc., and I to continue to do as much as I can. I worked, full-time, until I retired five years ago. I still travel, even internationally, and I have my family…including two grand kids. What more could I ask for?
I have two sayings that I like to share:
Even a pair of deuces can be a winning hand if you play it right.
Life isn’t about hiding from the storm…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
I hope that you’ll be able to find a way to dance that dance.
Ed
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Ed, thank you. I will remember to dance in the rain now instead of getting depressed.
Terrie
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