Is it normal to feel so tired after having a shower ,I have fibro but dont know if this is normal or not

[SootyB]

I've only just been diagnosed (tentatively, awaiting blood tests for inflammation and antibodies) with fibro, and I don't know if it's normal, but certainly I have to have a lie-down (just to let my roll-on deodorant dry, of course) after a shower. My feet and legs hurt, and I feel generally knackered. So, whether we're normal or not, you're certainly not alone!

Sara x

[Hidden]

hi

saddly it can be normal of course depending on you it may be worth checking it out with your gp x however for some like me the heat is killing and i find it hard to cope with anything xx

hope that helps

Gentle dyslexic hugs

[Hidden]

Hi. Yes I feel like very worn out after showering. I usually wrap towel around me and sit for a while. Like Lexie said, the heat can be killing. It makes us all sleepy and relaxed, I think we just take longer to get over it.

Hugs to all xxxxx

[Loopylizzie]

Hi Sara

Yes, it's normal, sometimes I have to lay down for an hour after having a shower.

Lizzie x

[Hidden]

thanks for your replies its good to know i am not alone in this.

[grasmit in reply to Hidden]

I get out of the shower too tired to dress.Something i have noticed is that if I get into a really hot car which has been sat in the sun all day for about 10-20 seconds all my pain goes.I mentioned this to my doctor who looked at me as if I was mad.

[Hidden in reply to grasmit]

Yes grasmit thats the way I feel I have to sit down for a while to rest before I get dressed ,and try to get my thoughts of what i am doing next

[Hidden]

Unfortunately on a day when we aren't feeling too good even the simplest thing can exhaust us! This might be having a shower, drying your hair or sweeping the floor. A good way to combat this is by learning how to pace. Pacing courses are available at local CFS Clinics, it might be worth checking to see if you have one near you. I went to one near where I live and it proved invaluable to me, it changed my life. You are taught how to manage on a good day and even on a bad day. The course basically strips down how we live our lives and reappraises how we tackle the simplest things, teaches us how to prioritise things and to introduce regular rest periods to manage our days. It really taught me a lot and made a real difference to my life which in turn affected my family too.

If anyone is interested in learning how to pace, please have a word with your Doctor who will know of any CFS Clinics in your neighbourhood.

[Devonlady]

I have days that I can shower easily without being tired but mostly it wears me out for a bit and have to rest. I have had hair cut very short as can't hold the hairdryer as hurts too much.

mainly it seems to be adapting your life to help to combat the fatigue and pain of fibro.

[Jane64]

I feel exhausted after a shower or a bath (which i have difficulty getting out of afterwards!!!)

[Waterlily]

It certainly seems to be common, if not normal. More often than not, I too am exhausted by having a shower and hairwashing. I just sit on the loo with my towel wrapped round until I can garner the energy to finish getting dried and dressed. Also often have to just lie down for a while. While I prefer to shower in a.m. on those days when it is not going to be possible to rest afterwards because I have a doctor's or hospital appt for instance, I have my shower before going to bed and embrace the wonder of baby wipes in the morning! The drawback to this solution is hairdrying - normally I just comb it and leave it, which is no use unless you shower early in the evening. (I cant hold a hairdryer either, and with the best will in the world, my husband is a complete klutz when it comes to wielding one!)

LibbyDe -As a long time sufferer of FM, I do my level best to pace myself in everything and its a great tool to have - however, (there's always one of those) I have yet to figure out how to deal with what has to be an inevitable consequence of having to do more pacing than usual due to, say, a flare up - that is, you plain run out of time and something important just has to be addressed. No-one can do whatever it is for you. You have no other option than to get up off your butt and do it. Needless to say, it sets you back for days or even weeks. These are the times you wish for a magic wand instead of beans or spoons. All suggestions gratefully received.

[Hidden in reply to Waterlily]

waterlily, I too rely on baby wipes at those times. I am wiped out by a shower, and have to sit with the towel wrapped around, and then often after getting dry, I have to lay on the bed before getting dressed!

I had my bath took out over 5 years ago, and had a large shower cubicle put in as I couldn't get in and out of the bath, (had surgery on both my elbows, and on both wrists now, arthritis related, and carpal tunnel). I have also got my hair very short so I can just wash and go. We have to adapt where we can.

[Waterlily in reply to Hidden]

seems we have everything in common except the elbows and the hair length! I had chemo 10 yrs ago and when my hair came back it is wiggly all over the place and totally unmanagable without hairdriers or straighteners! Shoulder length for me and a comb through, so its not quite wash and go but at least it doesnt need other attention.

[Hidden]

It is never wise to try to pace yourself during a flare-up, you will only make yourself worse. Attempt to start to pace during a reasonably good spell and with plenty of rest periods in between. There is no hurry after all. It's also a question of trying to adopt the mentality that you cannot possibly do everything, that is easier said than done of course.

You are quite right when you say that by forcing yourself to do something you can set yourself back. I have done that many times. However, when a better day comes then I start to pace myself slowly again and eventually reach some sort of programme for my days.

When a flare-up happens I tend to accept it and my body is telling me that I have to rest more than usual. I accept I do less, I just do the bare minimum, all that I can manage. There is no magic cure for these, no extra spoons unfortunately. It's a waiting game with rest I find.

[Waterlily in reply to Hidden]

perhaps I used the term pacing rather too loosely - basically, what I really meant was that during a flare up I am doing absolutely zilch and as you know, things have a way of piling up, especially if you have a shortage of helpers. Housework as far as I am concerned can go hang. In referring to things no one can do for you, I mean that literally. For instance, for me a hospital appointment is a round trip of 160 miles on rural roads (no motorways here) a total journey time alone of about 5 hours, add to that hospital time and getting a meal and you are away for a whole day and you may have seen your consultant for less than 15 mins! It takes it toll and there's no getting out of it! I hope my example makes my point clearer in that I was questioning how you deal with a proverbial spanner in the works - and I agree with everything you say.

[foggyness]

I am exhausted after a shower - sometimes too tired to even get myself dry. Holding a hair dryer is a killer so have to time my day to allow time to rest. Not sure people, including GP really understand how shattered I feel. It's a mad condition, it keeps you awake at night with the extreme pain and then makes you dog tired during the day when all you have done is shower and dress!! Such a nonsense condition is hard enough for us sufferers to understand, so no wonder non-sufferers have trouble getting it !!

[Abbeystead]

Yes completely normal. I have cut my showering down to once a week now (dirty cow I know). Get a wash down every morning. Going to hairdressers is out of the question -- too tiring. After the shower,sit on settee for hours and putting rollers in is so painful, must get someone in to cut hair short so I dont need rollers. Amazing how you find all these short cuts wih FM.

[fairycazzie]

ohh yes and itchy for me too .. i just too tired to get in shower anyways.. i had a bath (used to) ohh sounds odd lol..i had it taken out last year and hubby put shower in as i was getting too fatigued and i was in pain and getting out and falling, so shower went in (still fall out of that at times) step not that big either. xxxxxxxxxxx

[lynnh]

Yes although I try to have one alternate days at least, I agree about the babywipes absolute godsend. I am lucky that my hair is naturally wavy and I have a brill mobile hairdresser so I just drag a comb through and leave it to dry x

[alikat1]

And here I thought it was just me! Yep. After a shower or a hot bath, it can sometimes take me an hour to prise the towel off of me and get dressed or in my jammies (generally the latter). I can't dry my hair with a hairdryer, but luckily, my hair is wavy as well, so my hubby quirts some frizzy detangler in my hair and then puts it up in a ponytail and tucked in...then I sleep on a towel. Next day, beautiful waves with no frizz. But, oh yes, exhausted after having a bath or a shower...

[emadavies]

i tend to lay on a towel on the bed all sleepy an spaced out!

and yes devonlady iv cut my hair short as i was in too much pain to brush it propperly! an i havnt had short hair for 17 years due to being bullied for looking like a boy

[Betty67]

Yes I too suffer after having a shower, have a seat in mine that helps and also take my time so I can wrap myself in a towel and lie down and wait for my body to dry itself. Find dry shampoo very useful, although tiring I do find that showering improves my mood.

[gregorysgal]

well at least im not the only stinky, prefer to ahve a good strip wash , these days takes longer but not so tiring as for my hair hubby helps by rinsing it out for me as i get knackered from doing it , easier over the sink with the shower head

[Hidden in reply to gregorysgal]

I prefer to have a strip wash, it just doesn't seem as exhausting as a shower. For washing my hair, I have a tall mixer tap and it's brilliant I can get my head right underneath it! In between times I use dry shampoo,

[madamebrianne]

Hello! I am wondering: are any of you still active on this forum and still experiencing this issue?