showering

[billl]

hi ya . have just had shower with out nearly dying .

I or I should say we now wash my hair in sink in kitchen . then have shower about hour later and I don't have to put head under water .

keep on breathing

[lily26]

Wow that's what I do

[Hidden]

Glad you found what's best for you! xx

[Hidden]

I too was having trouble but found that if I went in with my oxy on it was much much easier, the pipes are easily dried off.

[Jambo]

Always have my oxy on in the shower,and the wife washes my hair for me.

[Louisiana]

Hey! never thought of that - thanx!! Stay well

[stone-UK]

Hi

For showering or indeed any activity, use breathling method blow and go.

Stop to breath in, exhale to go or perform task.

In the shower to wash my hair. I remove my cannular, rest to controll breathing, place shampoo in hand breath in, exhale at the same time shampoo hair, stop to breath in, as many times as it takes.

To rinse first rest, controll breathing, then lean back in to shower spray turning head side to side, again stop to breath in, exhale to move.

[Hidden]

Glad you have found the best way for you - it takes a lot of anxiety away. TAD xx

[DozyDormouse]

I, too, shower and wash my hair under the shower with my oxy on. Sit on bath board, switch shower on. Damp hair, add shampoo and rub while humming I'm forever blowing bubbles. I wear a mask not cannula and the oxy keeps coming no matter how full or soapy the mask gets.

So with bubbles coming off head and out of mask who needs a bubble disco?

Have fun

Love

Dozy x x x

[Offcut in reply to DozyDormouse]

I cannot get that image out my head now

[dukes]

It must be something in the water!

I too am no longer scared to take a shower and need to stop to open the door three or four times.

Great isn't it ?

[pollyjj]

I persuaded the oxygen man to give me some extra tubing that I throw over into the shower cubicle it has made life so much easier.

polly xx

[FarmerD]

I don,t use oxygen but still have to wash my hair separately.Showering is a three hour job with constant breathing breaks,door wide open no guests allowed lol.Keeping clean is hard work,like a gym workout.Roll on my wet room if I can ever finance it!D.

[stone-UK in reply to FarmerD]

Hi

There may be grants to assist you.

gov.uk/financial-help-disab...

I live in a housing association property, wet rooms or walk in showers are the in thing at the moment, if the property is suitable, steps ramps grab handles.

Even lowered kitchen untils.

[FarmerD in reply to stone-UK]

Thanks Stone,because my wife has the audacity to still be working,as a teacher,I don,t qualify for these grants.I just have to get into debt instead.Or I might rob a bank( on political grounds lol) instead.D.

[Hidden]

Another tip is don't dry yourself after your shower or bath but get a big towelling robe as that will dry you off nicely. x

[alg-i]

Allways shower with cannula on,start under arm's ,back and front,one leg at a time.underneath,hair last,ALL the time hanging onto rail.JUST stop when you're body tells you,you can do it in 30 -45mins.Feel great after!!!

[helingmic]

Fortunately, I don't have oxygen. But, all the same, I freeze in the shower and get so breathless that it's become a no, no! I wash my hair in the sink. Then I wash the torso and dry. Then, third phase, I wash legs and that and dry. The fact that I dry myself makes it bearable to be naked and start the next phase. Phasers out! Beam up Scotty!

[onamission]

So many things I took for granted pre COPD like taking a shower, my old man said it sounds like I'm up to something when I shower with all the heavy breathing. I'm lucky I live in a bungalow I have a en suit with walk in shower and I use a towel bath robe so I don't dry myself but still takes me hours. I wash my hair in the shower as I can't bend forward and having a soap dispenser on the wall makes life a bit better.

[boylie]

When your breathless its a long job to take a shower for me also! I use my oxygen sitting on a bath chair, and slowly trying to control the breathing, its true you do get alot of anxiety when showering, I have to stop so many times, have window wide open and doors open! It does help if you have a nice thick towelling dressing gown, so you dont have that extra breathlessness trying to dry yourself. I sit on my perching stool and rest, when my carers are due in they help me also.

[Hidden]

if you are on dvla or pip you may be entitled to having a level access shower put in i had one a few weeks ago and its change my life x

[billl in reply to Hidden]

hi ya yeah I get all the benefits also got a big walk in shower . troble is I have copd and ipf and 23% lung capacity so even with wife helping every thing is a struggle . if every thing was easy I wouldn't have nought to moan about . xx

[Hidden]

yeah im pretty much the same as you its not easy x

[billl in reply to Hidden]

what gets me moaning most is swollen feet . cant wear socks and shoes are two tight

[Hidden]

what because of your lung condition ?

[billl in reply to Hidden]

they recon its the pills im on and lack of exercise . catch 22

[Hidden]

oh for goodness sake like we dont have enough to deal with x

[Hidden]

Regarding hair washing/bathing etc. I have a level access shower and for nearly the past year due to the spinal fractures and near pneumonia that followed I could barely breathe or stand to have a shower. I felt this would never improve but for the last few weeks the sob has improved slightly and I can now stand and wash my hair , just. Someone here mentioned the timing of the breathing and that really does help.

Another thing that helps me is to use one arm at a time to massage shampoo into hair on one side while holding on to the grab rail with the other - then vice-versa. Chuffed to bits with the rinsing cos as long as I talk myself through it and breathe out I can now just manage to let all the water run down over my face without 'drowning', lol