When taking a shower hurts
It seems easier to think and cry in the shower. I have washed many tears down the drain in my lifetime. Lately though, showers haven’t been so freeing. This may sound weird to some of you, but much of the skin on my face, arms and legs have become so hypersensitive that even water hitting me from the shower head hurts. And when I say hurts…I mean HURTS! It feels like I’m being pelted with pin and needles.
I’ve been pointing the shower head to the side wall and filling a large cup with water to rinse the shampoo out of my hair. It makes bathing a bit more complicated, but if I don’t want to smell like a skunk after a long day, I have to change and adapt.
One thing I have noticed is that after a shower I am much more exhausted than I was before I even started. By the time it takes me to bathe, dry myself off, put on some deodorant, and get dressed, I have a hard time holding my eyes open.
If it’s morning I have to take a nap for about an hour or more. If it’s night time I need to be sure to dry my hair and finish putting on some lotion and skin moisturizer. By that time I crash in the bed for the night. I’ve been known to fall asleep curled up in my towel then I wake up with my hair dry and I look more like a drowned cat because sleep overwhelmed me. But regardless of how much sleep I may get, I still wake up exhausted.
I never really realized how much I was truly taking for granted in the past. But today, many things have become a challenge for me to complete that never did before. It’s as if each day, as I pull back the covers to get out of bed, I start my ascend to the top of Mount Everest. I don’t always make it to the top as the day comes to a close, but I press on anyway.
Multiple sclerosis is the disease that keeps on giving and taking away. But regardless, I refuse to let it limit or define me.
REMEMBER: You have this terrible, pesky disease called multiple mclerosis and it’s trying to take over your body, but you are not MS. You are an amazingly courageous person that can still love, dream, laugh, and hope for a better tomorrow.
1. Simplify your life.
I’m sorry you face this every day. It’s so hard to explain that being touched can be painful, especially to loved ones who just want to hug us.
My dear father-in-law, who suffers with dementia, stayed with us for a few weeks. He is becoming resistant to showers, and we came up with some very good solutions, but on days that he just didn’t want to get in the shower, we used bathing wipes to address most of his body. He thought he was getting a massage, which worked well in both our favors. Can you tolerate something like that every so often?
I pray that you can find ways to adapt to this, so you don’t have to suffer from pain any more than you have to.
Some great ideas. I don’t think for me it would make me feel clean but would be great for a touchup here and there. I’m actually thinking about a accessible tub may be good. At least it wouldn’t be anything harsh on my body.