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In our new regular feat ure, we ask for your top tip s on different aspects of man aging everyday life with PH. This issue, we asked our Fa cebo followers for their advic ok e on bathing and showering…
“I have a bath board to show er with. It ’s a w with a small h hite board andle on the si de that fits ac [which has a sh ro ss my bath ow use it, but if I’m er head]. If I’m having a bad day I can having a good day and I can I don’t tend to stand, then use it.” Debbie Taylor
t on when “I use a stool to si ashing my hair. showering and w so I make sure I have an IV pump, l wrapped with I have the line wel place the pump clingfilm, and then , outside of the on a chair nearby ilding curtain.” Judith W
my back ower, I stand with back to sh I n he w d an e e top of my “I have an IV lin recting that at th di y, y ra sp er ow sh est and wetting m y to the ch y m n w do g in nn spra avoid the water ru ower head by hand to direct the sh ower e sh th pe ld dressing. I ho verhead rainfall’ ty my ‘o an e us r ve ne I ater, and if to rinse myself. ntrol the flow of w d that’s co ly si ea t n’ ca I an head as s to be changed ed ne it et w ts ge dressing t do.” Cas Lawson no er th ra I’d b jo a just an extr “I only very occ asionally take a bath as I find my heart races for quite a while af terwards. If I do, I only take a shallow one and keep the door open so there’s no steam, and so I need it. We hav can call for help if I e changed our shower to a double-hea ded one, with a fixed overhead and a handheld on e, so I can just stand under the spra y or hold it to shower if I’m sitting dow n . I no longer have an IV line, but wh en I did the handheld version was es sential so I could keep the water away from my line as mu ch as possible . I u se Press’n Seal [a d brand of food wrap] to keep the line d ry, which was easier to remove than o rdinar y cling fi lm .” Julie Royle
“I have a thick towelling robe, which I put on wh en I get out of the shower, then go and lay on the bed. Once I’v e had a rest, I take it of f, and he y presto, I’m all dr y without any ef for t.” Paula Joanne Smitham
“I find baths and steam make me bre athless, so instead I stick to showers and hav e the door open to remove steam. I also have a shower chair so I'm not wasting my energy standing up. And I have the shower head han ging up and pointing down, so I don't nee d to hold it and can just sit under. Using 2in1 shampoo and conditioner, instead of separate ones, reduces activity. And I dry myself on the shower chair, so I'm sitting down. Then I lay down immediately afterwards, to rest, before get ting dressed. Finally, showering in the evening is my top tip – if I shower before bed at night, I can rest and sleep straight afterwards.” Sarah Marshall
ework r carr ying out hous fo ks ic tr or s tip y t us know have an ks well for you, le or w Next time: Do you at th ng hi et found som phauk.org with PH? If you’ve ur tips to media @ yo nd Se . rs he ot r fo and we’ll share it
SPRING 2022 emphasis 43
