dressing bathing tips


anna2

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One of my new year resolutions was to become more independant in bathing& dressing myself, using my sound dominant right side. I am determined to regain some of the feminine mistique by year 2007

any tips on choice of clothes, lingerie etc. to facilitate the effort will be appreciated

anna

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Anna -

Here it goes -

If using just one hand, in putting a bra on, first sit down so you can fasten back of bra by holding down bra with affected arm - its heavy and will act as a weight -

After fastening, stretch bra and put over head. adjusting and pulling over head until it is on correctly -

While fastening bra, you can put on deogorant. letting it dry -

Hope I have been of some help

June

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I can't tell from your post how independent you might or not be in the shower or bathtub, but if you need help drying off afterwards, a tip an OT gave us is to get a thick terry cloth robe to put on (or to line a wheelchair if you use one). That will absorb the moisture where you may not be able to reach with a towel. While you're letting the robe do it's work you can do something else for five minutes---your hair for example.

 

Jean

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Dear Anna,

I'm not sure from your post what you neeed help with, but here goes. For washing my face I like to use those dispoable face cloths with the soap in them. You just wet them and squeeze a couple of times and presto, lather! ( no dropping the bar of soap on the floor) For brushing my teeth I either use a travel size tube that I can open with one hand or a flip top squeeze bottle ( no cap to fall on floor). I use dental floss picks too. As for makeup I have a place where I can sit down and spread my things out. I changed to loose powder style mineral makeup. It does require me opening small jars, but I get even ,natural looking coverage with sunscreen protection. As for the rest its back to practice, practice, practice.

As for the bra thing, my OT taught me a way to use a clothespin to hold one side of the back( attach it to the waist of your pants or panties then reach around back and fasten in front. Then turn bra around and put your bad arm in the strap first, pull up and adjust.)If you're like me you'll find at this stage that it is twisted and you get to start all over again. Maybe you can just wear a camisole. I switched to a front hook bra, not as much support but easier to put on. The one I like I buy online and it has a racer back(no more straps fall off my shoulder).

Another issue I had was I really wanted to take a bath. My PT and I spent a whole session figuring out how to do it. It really made my day. I hope some of this helps. Keep asking questions everyone has a different way to solve these problems, you might have to try them all until you find the right answer for you.

Marden

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Anna:

 

I bet you need help in bra, it took me year to master wearing bra, but once I achieved that it was such a victory feeling, back hook bra are easiets one, though I think you should keep stool in the bathroom, for me wearing clothes sitting down becomes very easy to wear my clothes, ok lets start with bra first, first sitting down make sure you close the bra's back hook, then put it over your head, and always put affected hand first, get that side of bra to be situated right, and them put right hand(nonaffected hand) , and pull it down, you might have to use your right hand to pull back side of bra, and then adjust it.

 

I wear pants and kurtis a lot, and I made my pants stiched in India with elastic, and even wearing pants also put affected leg first and pull your pant above knee, then put it in nonaffected leg, getup, and pull it up

 

 

I absolutely don't take any help in dressing from my hubby or anyone, though while combing my hair, I do take his help though I don't need to if I use some other hairstyle, but all of us like that hairstyle so he has to pay his dues.

 

hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

Asha

 

 

 

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Anna,

I thought of some more tips for you as I was dressing. In the shower or tub I use shower gel and a nylon net "scrubbie" instead of bar soap. just pour on the gel and squeeze for lather. Try not to use too much because the shower or tub can get slippery. I use a pump for my shampoo and conditioner. I also like to use pump dispensers for face and body lotions.

I wear elastic waist pull on pants and pull on shirts. (mostly athletic styles) Not too cute but comfy and easy. You didn't say if you wore a afo or not, I do and I usualy wear a knee high stocking under it with a pair of ankle sport socks over. When I was in a colder climate I wore regular knee high socks. I also wear the extremely eye catching and alluring velcro athletic shoes in every color. For a handbag I carry an across the body shoulder strap travel style bag. Its has lots of pockets and zipper compartments so I can find things. I also use a tote bag.

Marden

 

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I know this topic seems to be mostly about women dressing themselves and as a guy you have my sympathy, ladies.

 

I have found that wearing what I call "street clothes" (being retired that is mostly jeans with belt, shirt, sneakers these days) causes me fatigue and makes me draggy, so when around the house I wear sweatshirt over a t-shirt, sweatpants, socks but no shoes. Warm, saves on heating bills, no tight belt or heavy denim. Works for me...

 

 

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Again, being a man, I can't help with the feminine things, but I use pump dispensers for everything; shampoo, conditioner, soap/body wash, etc.

 

I hope that your shower/bath has grab bars installed. This makes life much easier getting in and out and much safer. And of course the shower stool or transfer is a must. I also use a hand type shower head with a shut off on the head handle itself. No use in wasting water.

 

Bob

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Another view from a man here, so I won't even attempt the femine only topics, however the big ones for me was trying to wear pants that were not sweat pants or elastic waist types ie. mainly "normal jeans", the only way I have found is to buy jeans a size bigger than I normally would have so I can button them before putting them on and slide into them already buttoned, as for putting on deoderant since I can not lift my arm I lay down on the bed and lift my left arm over my head and let it rest there while using ,my right arm to apply the deoderant to both sides.Hope these two simple ones help!

God Bless,

Tom

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I started with a shower chair and a hand held shower.. I also use a net puff and shower gel.. Shampoos with flip tops or pumps.. tThe hand held shower makes it much easier to rinse.

 

The bathtub is next to to commode.. it is a garden tub so has a large shelf like area. I set all my clothes on it and get dressed sitting.. For awhile I wore sport bras and put on over my feet so I could pull up, making sure to get affected arm in first.

 

For jeans or button pants so home health supplies or on line have a hook you slip thru the button hole to help get the button thru. I wore slip on or velcro shoes for awhle, sometimes a long shoe horn helps also. I hook my bra in the front and then turn it around. Sears used to have a catalog of clothes with velcro fasterns, but look like button up .. I haven't checked lately.

 

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I put my bra on sitting down , I wrap the bra around my thighs, shoulder straps facing my knees and the bra facing nice side down and hook it ( I can use my affected arm to keep it from falling off my lap while I hook it. I then turn it over and pull it up. W/ this technique I can wear all of my bras that I wore before the stroke.

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thankyou all for all the valuable tips. ladies and gentlemen :"> alike. surely this is the site to garner such relevant first hand information

information

 

anna

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  • 2 months later...

i thank everyone else for the bra tips, for shoes i found some elastic shoelaces at walmart, these are in a coil, i don't have to keep them tight, the are a little thicker and don't;t pull out to easy, better than the ones i got from hospital, they were slicker and wouldn't stay tied and would come out of the holes, the new ones were not very expensive, and were made for children. for a long time i did my pants when on the bed, i wear elastic waist pants but am wanting to get regular pants, haven't tried this yet but way back in the dark ages when i was pregnant with my 1st child i couldn't afford maternity clothes and a friend showed me to take a rubber band and put through buttonhole then pull it back through itself fastening it then just take the loop and and put over the button easier to do than describe.this way you pull up pants then instead of buttoning just slide loop over button and presto the stay together but looser for shirts i mainly wear t-shirts, getting them larger than i need, and pulling weak side through then other side, then pulling down, don't have to worry about the back it seems to come down easily. i find for deodorant i sit at table put bad arm on table then lean down enough to expose armpit, also i will shave it this way also, i do this at the corner of the table, table is handy to hold everything until you need it

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Oh the joys of being a female :rolleyes: I discovered sports bras are the easiest for me to manuever. I wear velcro sneakers - I personally didn't adapt well to the "curly" shoe laces. I had too difficult time getting shoes on. I too generally wear t-shirts or pullover shirts and go with larger size for easiness. If I try size that fits, I seem to get stuck getting all the way in. I still use elastic waist bands though - sometimes that even is interesting when I put both legs in same hole OOps!!

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this thread was great to read for bra info, each of us need to find what works for them. for me the bra is the toughest to manage, i will try some of these tips otherwise i go without at home. shoes and the rest i have mastered, lol . shaving affected arm, i put arm up on grab bar in shower to raise it up enough to shave under, i sit on shower chair next to grab bar, i also have a seat in shower to put my showering items on. and use the seat to put my legs up on to shave them. boy, the guys have it alot easier i think. we always can learn, huh.

hostkimmie

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