COPD & Showers

[philipjr]

Thank you everyone for your repsonses, I am most grateful for your taking time to respond.

It's almost a relief to know that I am not alone in finding water vapour in the bathroom, and the outdoors an issue.

I am not sure whether that this is something that the medical profession are aware of, or even accept.

Due to intermittent claudication, lumbar stenosis and ulcerated legs, I had my bathroom turned into a wet room. The council tiok over the replacement and spent over £11k on bodging the job, and leaving me with an unusable room, with a useless air vent that serves only to bring the room's temperature down to the same temperature as outdoors.

Has anyone had any issues like this? I think mine was due to an OT report that was out of date and didn't even look at the difficulties presented by COPD.

[CDPO16]

I'm so sorry to read about all your bathroom problems, it sounds like an absolute nightmare and unacceptable to be left in that situation. I wonder if getting OT to visit again would help in any way to get the problem attended to and resolved. It is certainly worth contacting them. Other than that I don't have any solutions but others may be along with more ideas. My best wishes to you.

[philipjr in reply to CDPO16]

Thanks CDPO16,I will be challenging the basis upon which the wet room was built, along with the poor quality of the build, which has been deemed acceptable.

It had me thinking that the council representative must have been corrupt to accept the workmanship as being acceptable.

I will be challenging it, once I have fully recovered from vascular surgery.

[CDPO16 in reply to philipjr]

I wish you the very best of luck. I think that you have enough to contend with without your wet room problems.

[philipjr in reply to CDPO16]

Thanks. Yes, I would have accepted it if I had asked for it, but the Physio /OT had decided this for me, and I wrongly assumed was a wetroom, or nothing.I am in the process of taking my case further.

[CDPO16 in reply to philipjr]

Let us know how you get on.

[philipjr in reply to CDPO16]

I will, but I envisage the council being deliberately obstructive, in order to avoid the cost of putting it right, or even putting things back to the way that they were.

[Spacecat1]

Yes I have same problem my hubby built me a wet room .I still have a problem I start to have panic attacks so have to calm myself down.

[Damon1864 Volunteer in reply to Spacecat1]

I have the same problem, I get panic attacks and have to calm myself down, it's really awful. Have a good night and take care everyone 😚 Bernadette and Jack 🐕 xxxxxx

[Annie31]

Well that was an expensive nightmare! I do hope you can get it sorted!

[cad7]

Did the council carry out a full risk assessment on all your water system, including your shower, for the presence of legionella bacteria ( I believe this is a legal requirement ) This bacteria is to be found in most water supplies, and I believe it first came to prominence around 40 years ago following the deaths of a group of legionaires, whe had inhaled water droplets/vapour containing the bacteria. Guidance was then issued that all air conditioning cooling towers be replaced, and that hot water supplies to showers be kept at I believe 60dog up until the shower mixing valve, and that all shower heads be regular removed, cleaned, and disinfected

[philipjr in reply to cad7]

That's an excellent comment cad7, and I will be adding that to the list of things that the "builders" didn't do.Taking advantage of the disabled should be seen as a form of abuse, as well as a hate crime, and people trying to take advantage of them should be up before a court.

[Bkin]

Hi phillipjr, I think you will find the respiratory team at the hospital are fully aware how certain lung conditions are affected, some GPs may not be so good to communicate your difficulties.

Regarding your wet room, communicate to complaints and customer services the situation. Pointless having the work done if it makes the bathroom unusable, say why you can't use it and what you need done. Hope you can get that seen to asap.

Best wishes

[philipjr in reply to Bkin]

Hello Bkin,Thanjs for your advice. I rarely get to see my GP, and I rarely speak to the same person twice. I see them, now, as glorified first-aiders, rather than medical professionals.

The issue with the bathroom was that the local council had my case referred to them and used my disability facilities grant, deciding what I needed between themselves and the builder (a family firm, all related to each other) . I didn't know any better, at the time, so accepted the situation, until I complained and the council verbally agreed with me, then paid the firm!

I will be repeatedly complaining, all the way to the top to get things put right.

Thanks for your advice.

[Bkin in reply to philipjr]

And if the complaint is not dealt with at Stage I progress to Stage II etc etc

[philipjr in reply to Bkin]

Thanks for your reply. I will be going all the way to the local government ombusman, and the court, if needs be.It's just another example of indirect discrimination that the disabled have to endure.

[Bkin in reply to philipjr]

Best wishes with it all, hopefully something will be resolved sooner rather than later.

[philipjr in reply to Bkin]

Thanks, we can only hope that they will do the decent thing.

[Patk1]

That's awful!! Does it have a radiator in + could u replace the vent with an extractor fan xx

[philipjr]

There's no heating, and the builders managed to disconnect the heated towel rail. I said vent, but it is an extractor fan, which has plastic louvre slats that open up in windy weather.I have complained about this, so I will now be taking the complaint to the next level, whilst pointing out that this has made my home unfit for human habitation.

Now I know what it must have been like having to use an outside loo all those years ago, not that I ever wanted to know! 🙁