3/31/11 - Scooting Outside and Taking a Shower

The 31st was Day 3 after the surgery, and Day 9 since the injury.  I spent the first part of the day catching up on a week's worth of email from work and cleaning up a bit around the house, and then decided it was time to take a shower.  There are a number of complications around showering with this type of injury:

• You can't stand up - so you need to either take a bath or shower sitting down
• You can't get the splint/cast wet
• It's a challenge to step over the edge of the tub to get into the shower

So to overcome these obstacles, I've had to invest in a couple of new tools.  First is a device that goes over the cast to protect it from getting wet.  Alternatively called a DryCast, ShowerBeauty, or even a shower condom (gross, I know), this is a latex or nylon sleeve that covers the entire limb.  There is an expandable opening that you out your foot through, and once the whole leg is inside, there is a very cool elastic band that seals against your skin to prevent water from getting inside.  These things are secure enough to go swimming in!  Here are a few pics of what the sleeve looks like hanging loose and with my leg and cast inside.

Cast Protector hanging on the towel rod and over my injured leg

Of course, once it's on you have even less traction than before on the injured leg, so you have to be extra careful on the slippery surfaces in the tub/shower.  Once the cast protector is on, the next challenge is getting into the shower and sitting down.  We designed a process that seems to work well, and will undoubtedly become less clunky over time. 

1. First I load the basket of the knee scooter with my bath towel, a beach towel, and the clothes I plan to change into after the shower
2. Next I wheel the scooter into the bathroom and place it up against the side of the shower next to the handles and faucet.
3. I open the sliding glass door, swing my good leg into the shower, and shimmy my butt from the scooter onto the shower bench (see pic below)
4. I swing my injured leg from the scooter into the shower, and lay my foot (well my heel) on the ledge in the very front corner of the shower against the door to keep it elevated.
5. While sitting on the shower bench and with the door still open, I take the beach towel and lay it across the seat of the scooter to prevent it from getting wet.  I take my clean clothes out of the basket and lay them on top of the beach towel. I leave my bath towel in the basket.  
6. I close the glass door, then turn on the faucet for the tub and let it run until the water reaches the right temperature.  Then I left the lever to start the shower and I'm good to go
   
   Showering while sitting down is another odd experience that I guess I'll get used to.  The shower bench is the perfect width so that I have enough room to maneuver around a little, but it's also stable enough so I know it won't slip and slide.  When I want to shampoo my hair or wash my back I can turn around and kneel on the bench (just like I do on the scooter).  When I'm done I take the towel from the basket and dry off as much as possible in the shower before reversing the process and getting out.  I get dressed while sitting on the scooter with my leg extended onto either the toilet or a little step stool that I also just bought as well.  What fun! 

Shower Bench inside my shower

The rest of the day was busier than expected thanks to a few friendly visits.  My wonderful friend Marnie came by with her son Josh after she got off work, and helped me run a few errands.   Marnie (with her fiance Jason) has been a tremendous help the last few weeks - she's the person who picked me up from the gym when I first experienced the injury and took me to the ER.  Now more than ever I'm looking forward to attending their wedding next month.

In the evening Chris came by again as he was in the neighborhood for a business dinner.  We went out to get some frozen yogurt at Juicy Berry.  Juicy Berry - Delicious!  And then sat down and played a few hands of cards while enjoying a late night caffeine boost at the 'Bucks.  This was also a great test of the scooter, as I used it outside for the first time. We put the scooter in the trunk, and then once we arrived I used it instead of crutches the rest of the time.  It worked wonders in the parking lot and both stores.  I got a couple of odd looks, but it's clearly also a conversation starter, as I had two different people comment how they wished they would have had one while recovering from a leg injury at some point in the past.

The next morning meant going back to work, so we headed home and I tried to get a good night's sleep!  More later....