posted
I had a great deal of difficulty with baths and showers when this first hit too. I still need to limit my showers and baths to twice a week instead of daily as I did before lyme disease.
I learned to take a cool bath. I also have handicap rails in the bath now that help me get out of the bath.
I also have a shower chair that helps big time with being able to take a sit down shower with an extension shower head.
It still takes a lot out of me to take a shower or bath.
At times, I can get dried off and dressed at one session.
Other times, I need to lie down and rest before I can dry off and then lie down and rest before I can dress.
I hope this helps with your daughter:
adjust water temp to cooler temps if needed
handicap bars help big time if needed
a shower chair helps big time to if needed
and an extension head shower
bathing or showering only once or twice a week too.
Posts: 89 | From AZ | Registered: Mar 2006
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5dana8
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7935
posted
Good advice from happy camper.
The only other thing I could mention is some people have been helped by a shower filter.
The vapors from the chlorine in the water-specially while steamie, can do some lyme patients in.
betterhealthguy.'s webb site for has some information
or I just did a search and found a thread on water filters but couldn't get it to come up. Sorry
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
Jordan has a camping type chair in the shower so he can sit down. There were times that he was so dizzy and unstable he wouldn't have been able to take a shower without it.
-------------------- Peggy
~ ~ Hope is a powerful medicine. ~ ~ Posts: 2775 | From MN | Registered: Apr 2001
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
I try to take them water around body temp.
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
posted
I use a shower chair while showering and can take baths, cooler, with handrails to help out.
Posts: 719 | From Delaware | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I have POTS and will often feel really woozy in a bath. I sometimees even throw up afterwards, and have blacked out.
Also too tired to stand in the shower. Once put a small plastic chair in the tub and had a sitting shower.
I can't stand cool water because if I get chilled for a second, the chills become violent.
I find it helpful to have a warm/hot bath or shower, but keep the door to the bathroom a little open to get some air.
Posts: 169 | From former Philadelphian | Registered: Jun 2006
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savebabe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9847
posted
I also passed out in the shower when I was first hit with lyme disease and babesia. I used a shower chair, kept the door unlocked and limited my shower time. After aggressive treatment this does not happen anymore.
Posts: 1603 | From ny | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
hi Char I dont post a lot but this one caught my eye.. I've been sick almost 16 yrs now and I STILL have trouble taking a shower.. I can't take baths as I always end up with UTI's from them. No idea why..Showers, I get VERY tired and weak afterwards as well as breathless sometimes and very dizzy.. What I have learned over the years is. I use a shower chair. I do all my shaving BEFORE I get in the shower. This cuts down on the time I am in there. I also dont make the water too hot as that seems to make things worse.. With doing everything I can before getting in the shower this way when I do shower all I have left is washing my body and my hair and Im out...
posted
Neurally mediated hypotension/Pots Syndrome or orthostatic hypotension is caused when the brain sends the wrong signal to the veins , to dialate instead of constrict; blood then pools in the legs,blood pressure falls sharply,heart rate increases sharply and the brain is deprived of blood and you faint. This is common with lyme and CFS. The best thing you can do is lie down and raise your feet. most times the fainting part will pass but the dizziness may almost always be there. My dr has me on 3-4000mg of salt a day and 10-12 glasses of water. I also wear support hose to keep blood from pooling in my legs. Low Body fluid volume is universal, thats why the water. And salt helps the kidneys retain water. My dr said anyone with this problem should have their Renin,Aldosterone ,Citrate and Sodium tested. These are all kidney/Adrenal related.
This is only my condition and not ment to be medical advise. See your doctor for any medical condition.
Posts: 789 | From CT, | Registered: Jun 2006
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Hubby used to feel dizzy in the shower -- this was about the only time he experienced dizziness. I attribute it to either babesia or adrenal fatigue -- adrenal function can be compromised but not to the level that would cause NMH or POTS.
The low dose Cortef (4 or 5 mg daily) and low dose Florinef did stop hubby's fainting episodes, but I can't remember if the dizzy feeling went away before or after he treated for babesia.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
Bringing back some memories tonite.
When it hit at first, i couldnt shower....i got super dizzy and so scared. I could only shower once a week.
As time went on this got much better.
What i did to help was to take luke warm showers....too much heat made me worse. I also only showered when others were home, door unlocked in case something happend.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
When I was in rhe totally acute phase, showering was somewhere between "impossible", and "quite a trip", as they say...(though it did mhelp the pain a litte). But once I was past that really bad stage, and the fever had come down, a hot shower, or even better, a sauna, helped immensely- made me able to do some things. So I think it will get better for you. DaveS
Posts: 4567 | From ithaca, NY, usa | Registered: Nov 2000
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char
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8315
posted
Thanks for all the replies!
Got her into LLMD, who does suspect the orthostatic hypotension. This would explain why she has trouble getting up and staying up out of bed.
Dr. has referred us to a pediatric cardiologist who specializes in pots. I am hopeful that getting this treated will help her a lot.
Most people would never believe the effort we have put forth when we are shiny clean!
kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
How is she doing? Yep. Things like taking a bath or shower we all took for granted until our health went south.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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