Showers!🥴
I think I will give up showering for good. I had a shower at 10am - it is now 11.45 and I am knackered! The only positive thing about it is I have less arthritic pain and the aches of PMR are not so overwhelming (for how long I don't know)!!
How long before one starts "smelling"????😏
I can sympathise. I have gone to sleep, wet, wrapped in a towel, on the bed, following showers. Plays havoc with the hair. Never really found a solution except for what my mother would have called “ a lick and a promise” some mornings.
I use a rough flannel the rest of the week. We used to have a motor boat - it had all the necessities but no shower. As we used it as a "holiday home" when we came to England we were often on it for 4 weeks (that's when the flannel first became useful). Then, and now, the only problem was 'hair'.
I only wash my hair every 3 weeks or so.
Mine looks terrible after about 10 days (very fine hair). Have tried 'dry' shampoo but it's no good for me.
You have to extend the period slowly - took me a while to get to 3 weeks! Dry shampoo just compounds the problem - dries the natural oils out too much
I know a guy who never uses shampoo or soap. Just has a quick daily shower. Clean-smelling body, shiny head of hair. Bathroom products all a bit of an expensive con, I think. After a hot shower, follow with a cold rinse- step out feeling invigorated rather than exhausted. Works well for me.
I do have a bit more hair than most blokes!!!! But I don't use soap otherwise for anything except hands and even then it is a minimum - OH uses 10 times as much as I do for hand washing! As long as there is a bit of foam I consider that enough. Shampoo is usually a basic one like Head and Shoulders but one that I like using and doesn't smell too much! I used to like a couple of the Aussie ones but can't get them here. I sometimes buy one the hairdresser uses if I find it suits my hair - but a bottle does last me a VERY long time 
I'm surprised by all the answers on here and would like to thank everybody for their input.
I assure you all that was the very last 25 minute shower I will ever have.😂
Good! I just had a shower and while in it was wondering what you find to do for that long and that if I spent 25 mins in the shower I might feel a bit ropey afterwards!
"Resting" most of the time!
Yes! All that soap is a hype. One just ends up using 'rehydration products' to put back what one stripped off. An expensive vicious circle in other words.
VERY expensive - nice to find someone else who thinks like me!
Ditto! I gave up using make-up decades ago for that very reason: outrageously expensive and for what? And don't get me started on high heels and lingerie...
Absolutely!!!!! Then you look at my daughters: the older one obviously inherited her paternal grandmother's genes and pre-Covid used more makeup in a day that I would use in 10 years! The younger one is in the maternal side mould - make-up is only ever for very special occasions!
Get out in the sunshine and run around a lot I say. And, honestly, who would one be putting on make-up for?
Right after my husband and I were married we decided to get a professional photo made. I put on a bunch of make-up and went out to get in pick-up truck where hubby was ready to go. I asked him how i looked, and he said: "I like your every day face better" I never wore make-up again.
Couldn't agree more, it's another area where the practical and medical reasons we apply to our animals are thrown out of the window for us humans. We shouldn't shampoo our dogs for as long as possible, ideally around every three months, purely because it takes out all their natural oils that take care of their skin and the same reasoning should equally apply to us as well.
How do I deal with the fox poo that my newly acquired Cocker Spaniel adores ?Three times in as many weeks.
Oh yes don't they love Fox poo, it's their favourite perfume. Sadly, there are times when the ideal has to be broken. Mine get washed, warm water, if they are muddy etc, which is quite a lot at the moment, but if I have to shampoo them then either a good dog shampoo or baby shampoo on the areas needed.
A strip wash mine used to call it...
What's a "strip wash" Lt?
Only the vital bits!!...😂
😂😂😂
My mum used to call it three Fs wash - face feet and f***y. The armpits didn’t get a mention. 🤥
Your reply really brightened my day. I say just washing my “bits”. 😳
Furry bits and feet was our family mantra.
I shower every day otherwise I feel even worse, but it’s a quick in and out and gets later and later every day.
I often jump back into bed for 10 mins to recover before tackling getting dressed. ( leisure wear or more pjs )
I just make sure the 2 F’s , excluding face , get a good swill .
I’m not a sweaty person even though I have hot flushes.
My disabled brother refuses to allow anyone to wash him and doesn’t smell . His body seems to self clean .
I was concerned I’d be done for safeguarding after he was in hospital for a couple of months.
I was sure they’d find wildlife living in his beard .
This is a funny thread Constance . It’s a good job we can still find the whole sorry saga very funny at times .
Going to get in the shower now. 😆
😂😂 It has been an enjoyable thread and also very helpful.
Ha ha! 🤣 🤣
The three F's 😈
As a man, I'm not going to ask what the three "fs" are!!!Paddy
I don't know either. Language barrier? With my kids I referred to the smelly bits.
Don't worry! I only got 2 of them.😂😂
Oh!!!! Suddenly thought what the third was!😂
Guess that means Face, Fanny and Feet.....well thats what my mother used to say to me as a kid when not enough hot water for bath. Those three got wash and everyone seemed happy with it.
😂
No-one else dared to print it!!😂😂
My Mam used to say, Face Fairy and Feet...............you takes your pick with the company you are in . Just like POETS day.
😂😂😂 How polite! Good job she doesn't hear you swearing these days!!
Just realised I don't need to shower at all as I wash the 3 F's every day anyway.
Did you shower every day as a child? Or even teenager?
Bath in front of the fire once a week. Teenage years twice a week - just loved soaking in a bath.
My husband always asks if I enjoyed my shower. I hate telling him no. My body usually is shaking so I try to get it over quickly. I sweat so bad at night and my cpap makes my hair stand straight up that I have to shower every day.
I'm very lucky (questionably)! I sweat very little - too little I'm told.
Ladies perspire, gentlemen sweat. 👍😮
No , that's not quite right. Ladies glow, gentlemen perspire and horses sweat!
Dear Constance 13, I would be knackered too if I was nearly two hours in the shower. 😱
Regarding the smelling bit. You should smell like a rose after so long in the shower. 🤣
YuliK
No no! Shower was 25 minutes the fatigue later was long lasting!
BTW "Constance" is enough!! I've tried several times to knock the "13" off but have failed each time!
What do you do for 25mins??....perhaps you get too comfortable in that chair....
No way. The most difficult thing is washing my hair - my arms just give way and I must pause, in fact I have to 'pause' often. I'll try and take some of the advice given and shorten the time.
Must admit my hair is so long and scruffy now, it is taking longer....
Don't bother 'washing it with shampoo' just use the water - you don't need shampoo at all.
People keep saying that but I did it three times running and it was so limp - ie no 'body'.
Perhaps a new, short wash & wear style would be the answer for now.
As soon as I can that is on the agenda. (3 to 4 weeks)!
I had my first shower since 2019 about 2 weeks ago ! I did just 'strip wash' for about 18 months out of sheer pain . I never ponged too much.
Miss_Diagnose , 🤣🤣🤣That you never ponged too much, may be debatable by those who are around you ...
YuliK 🤣
I’ve long maintained this shower culture that has evolved is neither necessary or good for the skin. My husband showers every day and sometimes twice if he’s playing sport (when he was allowed ).Every four or five days for me, only two “f” the other days. I haven’t washed my face for about 30 years.
😂😂😂
I fully understand what you are talking about. The first couple of years showering made me exhausted too, the thought of “ having to dry out the shower” was the worst of all. So i showered about once a week had face and bottom washes daily and that was it! Saved myself a lot of energy and hassle. I noticed that my hair got used to not been washed often. I don t think I was smelly, too tired for socialising anyway. Now in year four, still not showering often, about every five days, and very comfortable with that regime. Grown a pony tail, or put my hair up...all energy saving....nobody has complained... so far!
😂oh dear poor you 😂 maybe a hose down on the front lawn
Hose would be a very good idea (if it was warm water)!😂 We have a large garden, but as we live in a flat it would be most embarrassing.😂
Constance dear, it might cheer the neighbours up during lock down.
Recently a fellow was running naked through the streets of London , chased by two bobbies...
Must have cheered the onlookers up no end. Especially during lockdown
I had to laugh just reading the article.
Don't think I'll bother though.😂👵🏻👵🏻
I do my stretching exercises in the shower, water turned off, I feel much better then.
If I did stretching exercises in the shower I would fall over - even if I was sitting on a stool! Everything slippery!
The first thing I do if moving house is install a handle in the shower. I lost count of the number of elderly patients I had who had fallen in the shower. I always hold on with one hand and it is easy to just use the other one, then swap over. Really worth it I feel.
I have two!👵🏻
Me too. Had installed after fractures. Plus seat.
Stretching upwards, if I start overbalancing I can steady myself by holding on to the top. I suppose it depends on the design of the shower. Hope you soon feel better.
Feel as fit as a fiddle (except for PMR and Polyarthritis)!😂😂 Another week before the next shower!🤯
Something to look forward to!😂
Could you not take yourself to the Dry Cleaners?
What a splendid idea - but a walk-in one (like the carwashing). Squeaky clean and 'dry' on the way out.
Fascinated though I am at reading about everybody's shower/bath traditions and habits - I spotted your comment: 'the aches of PMR are not so overwhelming'. and wondered how you are.
Must be boring by now (especially for the men) but it's brought some amusement to a very frustrating time for us all.
Warmth does help me a lot and I grab heated beanbags as often as I can. My husband gets very frustrated because I have the heating too high. Even our heating expert who comes in once a year tells us we use too much heat!👵🏻👵🏻
Remind him you are making up for the first 30 years when you probably used very little! Can we swop husbands then? I turn the heating down, he turns it up ...
Ummmm! No disrespect but........!
I wash in oil. I know it sounds weird but so I doubt have to shower every day I use Aveeno wash oil when I'm on the loo first thing. I put a small blob on some toilet tissue and do under my arms then repeat with my lower bits. And I seem to smell sweeter all day. The romans did it so can we
I look forward to my shower. The heat and force of water takes away a lot of the aches and pains
Can not beat a lovely shower,i feel better when im in there ! Bought s shower stool a while ago, transformed my life , back to a normal experience !Good luck . Viv x
My problem is drying and getting dressed takes me ages , lots of ouch and the odd expletive along the way.
Yes, I agree.....showering is only the half of it....
Enjoyed this thread. 😉 . Constance, since I also find showering uses extra spoons, I do that on days not allotted to other tasks. ( ie, grocery delivery, etc ) . Obviously I don’t worry about every day showering. I tell my self, I’m not working in the fields. And as for hair, have always washed in kitchen sink. Old way since childhood. So can be different day than shower. Extra spoons used then too. Oh, this getting older does take managing. 😏 🤗
Last sentence! You can say that again!👵🏻
My son put a good sturdy handrail in the tub. I absolutely love my hot as I can get it shower. I do my bending exercises while there, and have it full force on my lower back to help the osteoporosis. When I dress I feel refreshed and happy to start the day. Hyou get to feeling better. 
???? Questionable for me!
When we put in our first floor shower a built in stool was a necessity. I just can't stand up to take a shower. The heat is exhausting, At the same time if the water is not really warm I get chilled. A stool to sit on in the shower is a must have with this illness. I can't take a bath. I get bladder infections. Probably because of pred. I have to shower daily or I smell. Sad, but true. Also, be careful using liquid soaps and hair conditioner. They can make the shower floor slick. the last thing we need is a fall in the shower,
Well after teasing some of our ladies in this thread, I admit to throwing out the bath in my bathroom and instead I have a walk in shower. No more steps and cocking my leg over the side of the bath to get in.
I love my shower box and use it every day.
Unfortunately I have a bit of a handicap at the moment...
I have a perforated eardrum, caused by the cortisone injected directly into my middle ear. This all happened a year or so back I experienced sudden hearing loss..it never returned.
So now showering is very easy with a waterproof hat, but washing my hair is quite a fete. But truthfully I manage to cope. 👍
I have now been fitted with a hearing aid. ( I still believe it is PMR related )
My shower is like therapy for me. I love the hot water spray on my knees , shoulders and neck.
My late husband hated baths, he said he hated soaking in his own dirt. He had a good point.
YuliK 😷
Oh dog I remember those days.
It seems it was the most exhausting thing to do and I rarely bothered washing my hair in there. I found getting dry tough going and the pain in my fingers made it worse.
I am now able to shower like a normal person and it is such a relief however I forget I can do it easily so don't get in there that often.
I hope things improve for you soon.
A thought.
Clip your hair in cute really short pixie cut. Easy to keep/ wash. Often.
But- if you are having trouble washing and mainly styling...
Have you considered a natural human hair wig?
My understanding is you really can’t tell now a days at all.
This way you could wash your own hair- but now worry about staying it so much.
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Your reply didn't come up on the HU site but luckily some of it came up on the email.
I have a good/sturdy stool in the shower and two hand rails. I don't know WHY it's such an exhausting experience - but I don't like it!!!
I am in and out really quick!...after all we don't work in a coal mine that's what I tell myself....
I don't think I do"quick" at all nowadays.😅
How long are you actually in the shower? Unless I'm washing my hair I can be in and out in 2 or 3 minutes, and most of that is getting the temperature right!
It took me 25 minutes this morning.
No wonder you're knackered!!! Step in, lift your arms, rinse all over, no soap needed, get out.
But the hair - that's the problem.
Once you can - treat yourself, let the hairdresser wash it ...
Once a week at €35???!
I find it lasts far longer after a professional "do".
Anyway - you're worth it
I tend you use the ubiquitous bulldog hair clips. Just blow dry the fringe!
I dont know why doing my hair literally sends me into days of exhaustion after... well i probably do ... i have to blow dry it, which i am expert at, it looks really good when im finished, but its sooooo much more difficult since i went on pred, more shockin frizz, totally mad looking. So i took an executive decision before christmas that i would get it blowdried once or twice a month and manage myself in between, just so i could feel a bit better........well the bloomon hairdressers closed, not opened since😄😄. Typical me!!!
its better for your hair if you don't wash it every day... if you do that then you can take a 'quickie' shower as others have described
needwig.com/ladies-grey-wig...
This is just one idea... see my other comment.
( real hair.)
Kind thought but I can deal with dry hair very well. It's the actual washing of it which is agony. Arthritis in hands, elbows and shoulders.
~Wow what's your power bill like? ~
Same here. Pretty quick and wash hair everyday. Love the shower
Quite - just a rinse is all one needs nowadays.
Maybe the water is too hot and it is resulting in vasodilation and low BP until it gets back to normal?
Could be! Never thought of that. As my BP is inclined to drop quite often it would make sense. I'll take it straight after a shower next time.
It happened to me once - almost passed out after luxuriating under a hot shower for too long in winter. My BP had usually around 120/70ish was 92/58. Swift tepid showers from then on!
I find I have a low energy period around 11am. We usually have our weekly grocery delivery around that time and I feel exhausted dealing with it, wiping everything etc. I said to my husband I can’t understand why this tires me out so much and he said it’s maybe the time of day rather than the task! Since then I’ve realised he’s right. I seem to have a sleepy low energy period every day around that time, whatever I’m doing. I think it’s whatever time the pred is hitting my system.
It might be worth trying to shower at a different time of day. Maybe before bed?
I've thought of that! At least I could then collapse onto/into the bed.😴😴
I now have my shower at bedtime. The heat helps the back to relax and I can flop into bed after!
Constance 13, do you mean a seat, and not the ‘other’ thing...🤣
😂😂😂😂😂😂
I find drying myself is even more exhausting
I don't do that - except feet and lower legs. I bought a massive hotel type bathrobe, wrap that round myself and collapse on the bed.
Having read all the threads about showers - am I the only one who has abandoned a shower in favour of a long and relaxing bath? My husband put a handle on the wall so that in the early days I could pull myself out. It is encouraging for me - and I hope for those of you who read this - that I am now so much more mobile that I hardly need the handle. Maybe my daily exercise on the rebounder is having a positive effect!
Mmmmm!😟 Most of us would absolutely love a bath (especially those with arthritis as well as PMR) but have not the energy/balance/stability to bathe. I, for one, am extremely jealous!🙃
Me too. Lost the strength to pull myself up to standing even with handles.
If I continue to lose weight might try again one day. It's soul destroying when you get stuck in the bath 😥
I too love baths as they help my joints sooooo much... the trick to getting in and out is to roll over to hands and knees and it it easier to stand from that position . Also in getting in go to hands snd knees and sit down on your side and then roll over. It works and is safe. I am soothed by baths so I figured out this trick.
That wouldn't help me at all.😩 I have arthritis in hands, knees and hips (as well as many other places. Ouch!
I gave up baths because it was such a struggle to get out - I do have other knee problems so can't turn over to get up either.
100% love my bath. For me there is nothing better for achy OA joints than a soak in a hot bath with a cup of tea and a book.