It’s been a while since I last visited but after 15 years, diagnosed 31, wheelchair user at 35, I’ve moved on to even greener pastures and need advice. I was able to weight bear until the beginning of this year and now my transfer to shower and especially the toilet are hit and miss but mostly miss. OT has ordered a shower chair to minimise breaking my ankles doing a pivot from power wheelchair to shower chair, but we aren’t getting anywhere with the toilet as I don’t have the power to use a dolphin slide board.
im waiting to learn isc ( could I cath straight into loo from chair and how long does it take to learn- I shudder at the embarrassment) but I’m generally feeling miserable. I’m a writer and my hand has finally given up the ghost (dragon voice doesn’t quite cut it). If ms could ever come tumbling down in one go this seems to be it. My partner has to do most things but not someone I can talk to- ‘it could be worse’ or seems peeved at times when I need repeated help.
i don’t know how it goes from here. If you can’t stand how do you do your bowel routine? As it is my social life has just ended as I can’t now get off a public toilet.
how do we manage in our own homes let alone in the world? How do we stay independent in our day-today functioning?
Any thoughts?
thank you
xx
ps - shower chair just arrived and I don’t know how to transfer from my power chair to shower chair . . . ho hum.
3 Likes
I do think you need some expert help to figure out how you can manage self care or outside care if that’s what’s needed. Just the thought that the OT orders you a shower chair but doesn’t help you to figure out how you’re to get into it!!
Equally, if you don’t have bars at / around your toilet, it probably isn’t very safe. It might be that the OTs should be looking at how you get on and off the loo and perhaps getting you a frame for it. Or of course, as I said before, look at whether there’s a need for hoists.
Do try phoning the local council to get a care plan sorted. It really doesn’t sound like you’re managing very safely at the moment.
Sue
1 Like
Hi, supplying a new shower chair isnt going to solve your problems of safe transfers.
Sounds to me like it is time to talk hoists!
I`ve been where you are now and decided to go for an spc and a ceiling hoists.
Anything else didnt work for me.
pollsx
Hi , I have a shower chair which can have a seat with a hole in for loo or filled in for the shower. Can’t answer your isc question I’m afraid Are you able to transfer from bed to the shower chair ? I use a banana board , would that help? Shower chair is a god send , it’s self propelled .
Transfers from power chair to shower chair could be done through guidance and help from physio and ot. Certainly if you can transfer from bed to shower chair that part could work ?
I was like you struggling to transfer to toilet/ bed/ shower stool from my powerchair, my wife got an OT involved and this has made life a lot easier and safer, have a ceiling hoist in my bedroom where I can be hoisted from chair to bed or shower chair/ commode, this can be wheeled over toilet or into shower.
As with many I was always constipated and found going away from the home problematic bowels seemed always wanting to move at the worst time, thanks to the continence nurse now use a peristeen system once a day at a time I choose which has transformed my bowels, I am now back in control!
i do hope you get something sorted soon so you can get your quality of life back