Hi Does anyone else find that their low back is so stiff that they have trouble wiping after a bowel movement. I just cant twist to do it

[goodfellow23]

[siver52]

oh yea, not the sort of thing you can bring up to your friends. SO glad we can discuss anything on here. I not only have trouble twisting but have carpal tunnell syndrome in both wrist. Baby wipes help a bit easier to use than toilet paper. x

[fairytails in reply to siver52]

yep was just about to say the same thing!! i use baby wipes !

[TheHud in reply to siver52]

Yep, have to be near a sink or shower very often, add in IBS and its a disaster just can't go out.

[Karlos65 in reply to TheHud]

I find stay seating and wipe from the front I learned that when I had back pain

[Ginsing]

Bless your heart isnt life a "bummer". I love baby wipes but do not put them down the loo they block them!

I wonder if people generally ever realize the difficulties we have take care x gins

[mugsy68]

God yes!! I find it so demoralising that I struggle so much with the simple everyday tasks that everyone else takes for granted...this in particular! I'm only 44 and sometimes feel that my body is in it's 80's!

[Hidden]

Yes me too.

I find, although its as much a struggle at times, if I stand with one leg on loo it helps make it easier to clean myself.

Luv & hugs

Jackie

[Hidden]

What a horrid life we have every day pain even days when we get up

And don't feel to,bad by the time you go to bed the pain is back

And the stiffness well,it's just as bad as the pain, good job our blokes

Can't see us do some of these things I am lucky I have a bidet but them

How do you dry yourself another problem.

Oh well, could be worse have a good days fibro friends and as pain

Free as possible.

Love viv

[bruiser]

wow so glad someone else brought this up, ive been like this for a while so embarrassing, thought it was just me, i havent even told my doctor but i did tell the ATOS man at my medical bright red in the face telling him and the bugger didnt put it on my report.

my lower back goes into spasms and i just cant turn round like yourself and my arms wont go round as the muscles dont want to work properly.

isnt life fun lol

would like to know who would help me with this in a work place

love and hugs Lin x

[bumblebee57]

Ohh bruiser, your last comment made me laugh (sorry). but its true isnt it? Its the little insignificant things that "normals" take for granted, that we have to struggle with every day. Id love to see faces in the workplace after you ask, "can someone please come and wipe my bum?". THAT should be in the ATOS medical,lol !!

[Hidden]

Sadly it's something I can't hide from my man as he sometimes has to do it for me . And as I bleed heavily from there sometimes it's not a pleasant task for either of us .

I do sometimes wonder why he sticks around !

[caspermouse]

Aw thanks for posting this & all the lovely replies .Felt so alone with some of these personal issues&so good to know im not the only one & there is a safe place here to discuss them.

[emadavies]

have never mentioned this to any1 before not even my husband! but yes im the same an im only 26, its so embarrassing

[sarahjaundrill in reply to emadavies]

Only 28 myself and struggle to even move sometimes. I recently got a new partner and it is embarassing.

[hamble99b]

I use the "rugby" method a quick up & under! bk to front. It's not ideal but ... there is a long handled helper you can buy for about £5, but my hands can't grip it.

I've just thought of a slightly naughty rhyme -

DLA,

ESA,

oh what a farce,

show me the box to tick

"can't wipe own a...." !!

regards,

hamble

[BlueMoon19 in reply to hamble99b]

Hi Sandra

Laughed at this so much i almost wet my pants. I had forgotten all about this issue and i started laughing as i was reminding myself of my own dramas in the loo.

Feel so much better after that great laugh. Thanks xx

[TheHud in reply to hamble99b]

I bought one of them but could not get the angle with the arthritis in my thumbs and wrist lol It ended very badly and I will not be attempting to make a firm commitment to fixing my relationship with the botty buddy anytime soon. I sometimes look at my thera cane as a possible replacement for this so intimate a relationship, it knows what I am thinking and does a runner at the first chance it gets

If we could all afford a nice new bathroom with a bidet, problem solved. My dad says its the best thing he ever installed in the house.

[floozy]

lol that was so funny sandra. me too with the wiping thing , sometimes i get horrendous stitch like spasms in my side when i try to swivel round . I have to go for a work capability interview soon and i will be mentioning it

[moodswing in reply to floozy]

Hi ive a p.i p consulattion today and im nervous about the questio s they may ask about wiping urself n drying urself any good ideas for answers xx

[moodswing in reply to moodswing]

i also have arthritis n fibro xx

[Elky]

You're not alone with this problem, it is embarrassing but it does help to talk to someone and especially someone you cant see. Those new toilets that are now available in the Uk, the ones that wipe, wash and dry are just the thing we all need but the price starts at £2ooo plus so I wont be getting one any time soon.

[bumblebee57]

Well done Sandra, that made me laugh. youve got to the bottom of it now, lol !!

[DEstiletto]

Yes, It can be difficult! I slipped a disc 3 years ago...probably because of my inflexibility and I have to be so careful not to put my back out again! I'm 65 years young in other ways but I've had these symptoms for 18 years. Of course putting weight on doesnt help, together with the tummy bloating with IBS. Sometimes I stand up to finish off and always use wipes after anyway.

[nanatre]

Happens to me too, and my husband is a Godsend, he deals with most of it. My local council actually put in one of those wash dry loos for me. That is downstairs, I am ok if I need a number 2 down there, its dealt with nice and easy, but if I am upstairs my hubby does it for me. Even if I have the strength to twish, by the time I have got round there my fingers go into spasms and drop the loo roll.

[Moop]

Me too... it is so demoralising when you can't even wipe your own bum clean! My lower back is always very stiff and very sore, I do try and move it as much as possible but it is extremely difficult as I know you all know too well. My physio told me to try and keep some movement if possible, something to do with the way muscles move... like bones have fluid between them, there is fluid between muscle fibers apparently! However, I have still had to buy a long reach wiper, much easier than shouting for help but can still be difficult to use especially first thing in the morning when my hands are so stiff! The joys eh?!

[julieevh]

Ohh me too; have to do an up and under and shower after a pooh when I'm at home - moist wipes when out .... but I can only reach with my right hand - left is too inflexible nowadays.

On the DLA form it asks if you have anti-social behaviour ... I ticked yes - I can't stop farting due to having Metformin for my diabetes! Well they may as well know ... when I have to have a medical I must remember to have beans on toast for tea the day before going though just to make sure they get the full effect lol

Julie xx

[dottii]

Me too, I use the Andrex moist wipes, but thjat too van be a problem on the worst days.

Let me also share with you that, four years ago I broke both wrists at the same time and had them both in casts........that was a challenge as well - living on my own, at least the embarrassmwnt was only witnessed by my dogs ! muchly dottii xx

[FionaP]

Yep, me too. That was before. Now I have a shiny fibro bum

I use the toilet wipes that you can flush and wipe front to back underneath. I can only do this if I have not overdone things and been awake for at least 2 hours!.

Before I had an Assistant for the heavier work around the house I could not manage at all, very good. Then I had the council fit a wash/dry toilet. Deff worth calling your OT out for.

Good luck.

[patch3259 in reply to FionaP]

I had the wash dry toilet,and it was great until 5 mnths ago i found that difficult to use,so my lovely o/t arranged for me to have an eleci toilet to help me lower and bring me back up,Fantastic i thought problem solved,Nope i cannott go right down to the bowl as it is to painful,and because i havnt got the contact to flush,its pointless using it,so fed up!!!

[goodfellow23]

thank you so much for all your answers. Don't you think my wording was very polite. lol.

I cant manage an up and under either, tho trust me i've tried.

What is a wash dry toilet?

My house is a total embarrassment. I'm going to have to get a cleanet to help but with all the benefits changes who knows how long i'll be able to afford this for.

[FionaP in reply to goodfellow23]

Hi. You did word it good. But if you should attend a support group it is probably not an ice breaker lol

The washer/dryer toilet is called a closmatis. It has a sensor on a back bar and a floor button. When you are ready you press either and a jet of warm water washes you until you take pressure off to stop it. Then warm air dries you too. It is well worth you contacting your Occupational Therapist at Social Services. You can apply for a disability grant to pay for this and any other adaptations you need. Stair lifts, shower & shower, support bars, you will be assesed for all and if on income support you will not need to contribute anything. Otherwise it is a low amount so worth applying

[FionaP in reply to goodfellow23]

You may also want to be assessed for direct payment/independant living fund. that way you can have assistence in household and personal needs. Good luck x

[goodfellow23]

thanks Fiona. Is this all difficult to do. as a result of loosing my job cos of my fibro i've got an anxiety disorder and am not good at going for this sort of thing.

Thanks again for taking time to answer. x x

[saluki25]

its such a relief to know others have the same problems. I also find I can't dry myself properly which leads to other issue.

[lynnh]

The things we have to suffer eh. The wash and dry loo sounds interesting lol. I am due to have an OT assessment for some hand rails but will try and remember to mention this too. I have a twisted spine which is a form of scoliosis and I have four screws in my back to help with a degenerated disc and another disc has prolapsed now too. I also have trouble with my wrists and hands so all in all this is not an easy task. I dare say the answer will be no, thats if I remember to ask at all lol

Loving the rhyme Sandra, it should definitely be a question on the forms (-;

[sarahjaundrill in reply to lynnh]

I have backpain from having scoliosis in high school. I have now had back pain for 12 years. It kills me sometimes i love it when it has gone and can move at a fast pace but when i have it everything just takes ages to do which normally would be simple.

[greenfield]

Thank goodness you had the courage to ask this, for a long time it has been a struggle to wipe me bottom, i thought it was the arthritis in my back and the fact i am overweight, i have had several joints replaced and keeping myself clean in hospital was a big worry, but i couldnt bring myself to tell anyone, on a good day it is not too bad but most days i am as stiff as a board in spasm . Thats the good thing about this site, you realise that others are struggling like you with this embarassing problem. well done goodfellow 23 for asking it !

[paininthebackside in reply to greenfield]

Hi, I found this by typing in 'pain too much to wipe myself', in the vain hope I'd find some kind of answer. My back pain is only temporary (I hope), but I noticed one of the answers above said there was some kind of long handled helper, so I Amazoned that, and found a page full of 'appliances', under the term 'toilet buddies'. They start off around just under £20, and I have 'primed' one for next day delivery.

I hope if anyone ever types this kind of query in again, they too will find they are not alone. Here's the kind of appliance I think the lady meant.

amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_no...

[kaymadd]

I suffer dreadfully from this and hve to take a shower just to clean myself which isn't always practical. But wat causes these spasasms. Iv yet to go to my doc too embarrassed . cud it b arthiritis

[Phoenix944]

My back (on certain mornings) is too immobile (too stiff) to be able to do so. This frustrates me. After an hour or so, I have complete mobility, but yes, I also experience this phenomenon.

[lesley1829]

When I went for my PIP assessment, this subject came up. I was told that there is such a thing as a "bottom wiper"! Ive never seen one.

I use a handle on my wall to help me twist

[sarahjaundrill]

Recently i have been having trouble with my back and have been leaning to the left becase i can not move to the right which has left me unable to wipe my behind so i have to wash everytime.

[PapaMoses]

I told my family Dr. about how I'm unable to wipe good because of my painful stiff tight back. She requested an MRI. Scheduled, went, didn't happen. Turns out I need to go to a hospital that could place a iv, to knock me out. Turns out I can't get my MRI without being knocked out. Still waiting on the appointment to pan out. Have you ever heard! " WHAT DON'T WORK, DON'T HURT"! Oh, how true this is. Too young, only 59! What's going on??????

[Sara893393]

Yes I have had a spine operation 5 weeks ago I had it fusion at the bottom so now I can not reach to wipe my bottom and it really gets me down makes me cry I am 50 going on 99

[Idreaminlayers]

This is a fairly old thread, but it makes me feel so much better that I'm not alone with this problem! I can't turn to wipe, I can barely hold the paper! Fibro, RA, AND Lupus, plus all the other little issues, added together and I can't even put my socks on!

[Iamwomanspirit1]

I thought it was jist me. I had gained a lot of weight and thought that was it. I lost the weight and still struggle. I was never able to wipe from behind any way as I have a long torso. Just couldn't . So always went from front making sure to front to back. But, reaching my anus has become a task of maneuvering unlike anything when I was younger. I don't know why it took me years to realize it is because my lower back muscles have shortened. Hoping some daily yoga stretches might help. Good luck to you all. Lol

[Dawnfybro82]

Omg I thought I was alone in this. I have endometriosis and fybromyalgia and back pain hip pain and muscle stiffness and lately I've put 3 stone on making me 23 stone and cos i can barely move cos of pain I've put the weight on but I cant lose it cos of pain, I cant even shower more than 2 mins without excruciating pain. Anyway, the toilet trouble, most day I just can't reach and now I've developed a patch on the back of my hand that is dry rough skin with some bumps from the friction of my hand against the toilet seat when I'm trying to reach. I can't even reach from the front and I'm scared the more weight I put on ill not be able to reach at all and my Dr is useless he won't give me anymore pain killers and I only get 21 dihydracodiene a week, that's 3 a day so im totally lost and depressed. Is there anything out there that helps you reach? I don't no what to do cos my whole life is pain orientated so I don't leave the house anymore except for appointments and to pick up my meds.

Anyway, thanks for listening xx Dawn xx

[2young2hrtthisbad]

Almost every morning! Does anyone know what it's from?

[Daveen]

There’s aids on Amazon

[Millergm]

Is Fibro what this is? I wasn’t sure if it was sciatic? Or a pinched nerve? Whatever is going on, I’m on day 5 and it’s wearing me down. I’m in so much pain and no one will prescribe anything. Does anyone have a recommendation of meds that work well for their symptoms? Currently trying Lyrica. Not fussy on it. Thank you for anything you can add. 🙏🏻