Sounds disgusting to some people I know.
I have been warned not to let my dressing get wet and that, if I take a shower, I should try to stick my leg out of the cubicle . That won't work as we don't have a cubicle but an overhead rain shower wet room type of arrangement so it would be pretty difficult to avoid getting my leg wet.
However, you may be relieved (or not) to learn that I am still able to keep myself clean using the old fashioned methods from my childhood. Perching on the edge of the bath with a washcloth and soap for an all over scrub and leaning over the large sink in the utility room with a plastic measuring jug and shampoo to wash my hair.
Brings back all those shivering cold 1960s bathtime memories. At least nowadays I can have the heating on.
Don’t you have those huge black wheelie bin liners where you are. Put your leg in, then put your foot through a hole in the closed end (so you can stand without sliding all over the place) then sticky tape the top end round the top of your leg ( up in the …….region)
ReplyDeleteWishing you luck!
Sounds like an interesting solution, so long as I don't fall over!
DeleteI wouldn't bother with hairwashing at all J. It doesn't need it. It can wait. I rarely wash mine and my hair is good for it. As for all over washes without bath or shower, as you say, from childhood days when bath night was only one night a week washing was easily achieved with flannel, soap and bowl of water. x
ReplyDeleteI remember staying at my aunt's house where there was no bathroom, just an outside loo. A zinc bathtub would be brought into the kitchen and filled with hot water from the kettle for me, my sister and our cousin to share. Fun times.
DeleteIt sounds like you're coping fine. But if you ever needed an excuse to wear a slippery shiny black bin bag then this is it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like someone needs a cold shower.
DeleteOur bathroom in the house where I grew up was so bitterly cold and unwelcoming, that as a child I used to have my bath in a zinc tub in front of the fire, with the clothes horse (draped with blankets) around 3 sides to keep the draughts away! Later than that, strip washes were the order of the day during power cuts etc in the 1970s, by candlelight!
ReplyDeleteThose were the days!
DeleteGoogle 'Limbo' which is a company that makes proper plastic covers for your leg/arm/etc They have next day delivery and they are waterproof-you can sit in the bath and keep your plaster cast or dressing dry. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the suggestion. I am hoping that once the stitches are out in 10 days time I can return to normal showering.
DeleteRemember when I mentioned having ankle surgery? Yeah, getting a shower was a feat of strength I didn't have for quite a while, especially as I had a huge cast up to my knee. Don't try the black trash bag trick yet--you won't have enough strength or balance to manage it (as me how I know). I did get a shower stool for inside the tub, but trying to step over the bathtub to get to it was enough to make me reconsider being 'that' clean. I survived in the same way as you. No one fainted if they got too close. Frankly, I was so exhausted those first weeks, I didn't care. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Mary. I am having a struggle to stand on that leg so perhaps my sitting down scrub would remain the safest option. I am not exactly working hard enough to work up a smelly sweat anyway!
DeleteYou are clean enough, JayCee! Just relax and recover and don't take any chances while you heal.
ReplyDeleteI tried the "sniff test" and I passed.
DeleteI grew up in the 1950s when a bath was a once-a-week affair. Otherwise it was a wash-down at the sink every day. My mum described it as washing down as far as possible, washing up as far as possible, and 'possible' never got washed at all!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds very familiar, Addy.
DeleteMy father used to say this when he washed me as a very small child. He also said wash the front of your hands and the backs will take care of themselves.
ReplyDeleteI often wondered why boys never washed their hands. Some men too!
DeleteAddy made my humans laugh. I, the Tigger, believe that showering is unnecessary and a good licking has always sufficed.
ReplyDeleteHmm.. there are some parts I don't think I can reach that way Mr T.
DeleteI was going to suggest that you used a large plastic bag to cover the area, and tape it all round with drafting tape to ensure it's waterproof, but it's of no use if you're struggling to balance.
ReplyDeleteWe used this method successfully when my husband cut his leg through to the bone and had several clamps and a huge dressing. We had a walk-in shower, so a nurse friend of mine suggested it. Another friend said that she always used wet wipes if she couldn't bath!
Ouch! Your husband's injury sounds much worse than my little wound. I am such a wimp!
DeleteFacecloth and soap seems to be working fine so I think I'll stick with that for now.
I don't quite understand your new washing routines. Two or three photographs would aid my comprehension. Does Lord Peregrine know how to use a camera?
ReplyDeleteSend me a couple of hundred pounds to cover my costs and you'll receive the photos in a plain, brown envelope.
DeleteVery entertaining ideas! I'd say just skip it for a week or two although I know I couldn't go that long without washing my hair!
ReplyDeleteI did try but my scalp got too itchy after five days. I am clean now!
DeleteThe comments today were fun. The idea of watching the moon through a stained glass window sounds like a wonderful post surgery consolation. Here's to spring!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading everyone's comments. It really cheered me up!
DeleteGreat post. I remember visiting my grandparents here in Ireland and my mum would fill a metal jug with hot water and pour it into an enamel bowl and place it on the wash stand in the bedroom to wash us. Happy days,
ReplyDeleteI bet you had to wash quickly before it got too cold!
DeleteI had the same when I broke my elbow ….. was told I mustn’t shower or bathe until dressing was off and scar was healing which took ages BUT , I just washed as we did as children ! My Dad used to say too much showering was weakening 😂🤣😂. My hair was in a ponytail on the day I broke my elbow and remained like that ( getting wonkier and wonkier) until my daughter and daughter in law helped me wash it ! I looked a right state but, in the great scheme of things, who cares ? Wet wipes were a help too as Coppas Girl said. XXXX
ReplyDeleteOh dear... and your recovery took ages. It must have been so very frustrating. Hooray for wet wipes!
DeleteXXX
When I had my knee replaced I adopted Cathy's bin-bag solution. Worked well.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, I suppose your healing / recovery time would have taken a fair while longer than mine? I only have to wait another 10 days so I am sure I can cope with that.
DeleteCatching up a bit here, and seems you are recovering nicely, and are being cared for well by P. And sounds as if you are improvising quite well without a proper bath. You might decide they're overrated!
ReplyDeleteI do prefer a shower, Bob. Jump in, splash about a bit, jump out. Done!
DeleteWe didn't move to a house with a bathroom until I was 15 years old and it wasn't heated. We had a wall mounted electric heater in that bathroom which, when the weather was particularly cold, my dad would let us have on while we had a bath. An all over flannel wash in an unheated bedroom was the rule of thumb prior to the luxury of a bathroom!
ReplyDeletexxx
Oh yes, we had one of those heaters too. It wasn't switched on very often!
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