How can this be? I will explain. It’s all about the attitude I now have to my shower seat. It wasn’t easy to begin with, but vastly improved following an unplanned run in with a bath bench. 

So, I’ll begin. After a  while of seriously struggling to shower. (It’s still a serious struggle. But I’m going back to early days of ME/cfs to help explain.) A shower seat was suggested by an O.T. (Occupational Therapist). Along with several other suggestions to aid day-to-day living. I grimaced. But pursued the advice, with some hesitant relief I’ll admit.

Just before I launch into my story. I should add, that a shower seat is not the only gateway to hot water.

You could find yourself in proverbial hot water if pacing the whole activity is not carefully considered. And as all dedicated pacers know, there are many steps to a shower that require consideration.

Some of these being. Attempting to shower on a day when your body is clearly saying – NO!

Or attempting to shower without having; eaten something; rested pre-shower; or let the dog out (& back in). Howling outside the bathroom door does not pertain to a relaxing experience. Or without having; warmed the house; organised post shower resting cushions; unplugged the phone; gathered a random post shower snack plus flask. Or a host of other possibilities yet to come to mind.

Back to the shower seat. Shower seats have some beautiful features. A seat, as opposed to a stool or bench, has a back rest. Ah. Just sit, rest and let that cascade pour over your head. They can also have arm rests. And generally have adjustable legs (& back rest) to suit your height comfortably. No not for standing on, that would be silly and would not comply with any form of risk assessment. It’s adjusted to suit your calf length when seated.

This I appreciated far more when our easy access shower was out of action for several weeks. Groan. Fortunate to have an alternative shower source, ie. The Bath, I purchased a bath bench. Why not just have a bath? Now that really is silly. Baths are exhausting (well for me that is).

Back to the bath bench. Sounds easy enough. My shower seat does not fit in the bath, but because of its beauty and functionality I had become a bit blasé with measurements. I made an error in my calculations. I measured from the bath base to the rim, not to my seated height. Big mistake.

I eagerly awaited its arrival, and a hot shower. It arrived in one piece and beautifully packaged. But, due to my miscalculation, it was not unlike trying to shower seated on a primary school height bench. If you’re about to purchase a bath bench, check the height for you to be able to sit comfortably as you would on general chair height, not in a heap. It’s a long way to sit ready to shower or stand once finished, if a mismeasurement is made. My back took a while to forgive me.

If you have a shower curtain, don’t worry. If it’s tucked inside the bath, you’re not likely to slosh water everywhere. Unless the shower has a fault and it could be a Pink Panther scene revisited. Oh, and don’t put the bath plug-in, definitely don’t do that.

In defense of the bath bench, it has massive sucker feet. So is stable and ain’t moving for no one. Try and prise that off a laminate floor before fixing it in place. In fairness there are little stoppers to pull to aid foot release, as it doggedly re-applies itself with the other 3 feet! Could I be accused of being bench-ist? No hard feelings bench. But I’m sticking with my seat.

So yes, my shower seat is my friend. I no longer cringe when I see it by the shower waiting for the day of it’s possible use.

Hope you chuckled along with me. I also hope a few bath aid purchasing tips have been highlighted.

Thanks for popping by and have a blessed day.

Penny ~ Hope found in M.E.

Chosen tune… 🎵

Lean on me ~ Bill Withers