Anyone figured out a way to take a hot shower without burning up your feet?
Hi there,
Yes, I have a chair seat in the tub that I sit on and put my feet on the tiles while I use the hand held shower to wash my hair etc... only at the last minute do I stand to do a final rinse at which time I turn the water temperature down. But it is still a pain. I find taking a bath easier as I can keep my feet out of the water and rest them on the wall. Gone are the days of really enjoying a hot shower though.
Thank you, thecatlady. I am going to buy a chair and do the same. Someone needs to invent a shower shoe with cool water in it. Maybe they will someday. I may work on that idea myself.
Hi there!
There’s two ways I now know of- one is if you have a bath with shower in it. A OT (occupational therapist) supplied me with a over the bath clip on bench like seat! So when your done you just clip it off. Also, she supplied me with a stool so I could place my feet upon that to keep them away from water.
The other way is for just a shower… If it’s big enough. I got a “wheelchair shower” when really it would never fit! My OT supplied me with a shower chair and I use the stool too again.
If using a stool i Put a towel over my feet so no water sprays! It might sound like it would also burn but it really doesn’t at all. Also in a shower I take the hose/head bit of the shower and shower that way meaning I’m controlling where the shower is spraying… Although I guess that would require sitting too. The towel idea, even little face cloth towels soaked with cool water over the feet? Especially if you can get a chair but no stool 
although an OT once said little kids stools the ones they use to boost up to the loo or whatever are just as practical and cheap.
I hope this helps some!
I always run a little cold water in the bottom of the bath then stand in that when showering, this obviously only works if you have an over the bath shower. I also bath with my feet over the side.!
Yes, I have been there and posted something similar a while back on this site. On the thread someone suggested a genius idea that will still allow you to take hot showers - and it applyies to all showers only as well. Here it is:
Steps:
1) Purchase a large bucket of any sort (big enough to stand in)
2) Start by filling up the bucket with cool/cold - but not freezing water
3) Stand in bucket while having a warm/hot shower
For me, I purchased a large plastic bucket and it goes all the way up to my knees when it is full. This allows my feet to stay cool while showering. Having to stand in cool water isn't a great feeling but in my opinion beats having to take the time to take a bath.
Sean
That's a good idea, Sean, I'll give that a try.
scanfield1 said:
Yes, I have been there and posted something similar a while back on this site. On the thread someone suggested a genius idea that will still allow you to take hot showers - and it applyies to all showers only as well. Here it is:
Steps:
1) Purchase a large bucket of any sort (big enough to stand in)
2) Start by filling up the bucket with cool/cold - but not freezing water
3) Stand in bucket while having a warm/hot shower
For me, I purchased a large plastic bucket and it goes all the way up to my knees when it is full. This allows my feet to stay cool while showering. Having to stand in cool water isn't a great feeling but in my opinion beats having to take the time to take a bath.
Sean
Isn’t that dangerous though? Because buckets are quite slidey naturally down the bottom as there raised and not smooth at the bottom so you might slide when standing in it or trying to stand in it would you not? Sounds like a good idea though but one to be careful of especially if EM effects your balance and your prone to falls because of this.
scanfield1 said:
Yes, I have been there and posted something similar a while back on this site. On the thread someone suggested a genius idea that will still allow you to take hot showers - and it applyies to all showers only as well. Here it is:
Steps:
1) Purchase a large bucket of any sort (big enough to stand in)
2) Start by filling up the bucket with cool/cold - but not freezing water
3) Stand in bucket while having a warm/hot shower
For me, I purchased a large plastic bucket and it goes all the way up to my knees when it is full. This allows my feet to stay cool while showering. Having to stand in cool water isn’t a great feeling but in my opinion beats having to take the time to take a bath.
Sean
Maybe a flat bottom washing up bowl would be better as it is a little roomier.?
Lauren said:
Isn't that dangerous though? Because buckets are quite slidey naturally down the bottom as there raised and not smooth at the bottom so you might slide when standing in it or trying to stand in it would you not? Sounds like a good idea though but one to be careful of especially if EM effects your balance and your prone to falls because of this.
scanfield1 said:Yes, I have been there and posted something similar a while back on this site. On the thread someone suggested a genius idea that will still allow you to take hot showers - and it applyies to all showers only as well. Here it is:
Steps:
1) Purchase a large bucket of any sort (big enough to stand in)
2) Start by filling up the bucket with cool/cold - but not freezing water
3) Stand in bucket while having a warm/hot shower
For me, I purchased a large plastic bucket and it goes all the way up to my knees when it is full. This allows my feet to stay cool while showering. Having to stand in cool water isn't a great feeling but in my opinion beats having to take the time to take a bath.
Sean
I read somewhere that someone recommended this (works only if you have a bathtub):
1. Plug tub and run in a couple inches of cool water.
2. Take warm shower, with feet happily ankle-deep in cool water!
Ellie, you are brilliant!...:) That is what I will do. Thanks so much for your suggestion!
Glad I could be a help!
Hi everyone :) I am just getting started on this list, and I joined it because my symptoms, presumably primary EM have gotten so hard to handle. NO ONE understands. Everyone else in my family - that is alive or near me anyway - has thyroid issues and is always freezing (SO not fair).
Anyway, in re the shower thing. I am much like the cat lady (and in fact am a cat lady) who takes a bath so I can keep my head, hands, and feet out of the water as much and as long as possible. But because I work on my feet a lot (or used to anyway), I thought of something that is helpful for me in that area that may just help in the shower as well.
Get one of those nice gel bath mats (a cheap one should do fine) and stick it in the fridge to cool the gel then put it in the shower with you / under your feet and shower regularly. Unless you actually stay in there a really long time, and/or hit it with a lot of hot water, it should stay cool enough for your shower.
Good luck!
Linda
Hi Linda, I had another member recommend I fill the tub 3 to 4" with cold water and then get in and take my warm to hot shower. It works like a charm!
iI'm glad that option works! As much as I like baths, standing under a shower with pooling water would just feel icky to me.. go figure.
Thank you everyone for these suggestions! I don't dread the shower anymore! Every shower used set my toes off something fierce. Now, with a few inches of cool water in the tub at the start, I'm emerging pain-free.
Thank you!
Oh, and my kids will often marinate in the bathtub til the water is ridiculously cool (and their teeth are chattering and lips are blue, but they're having FUUUUN!). So sometimes I take my showers after their baths & save a few gallons by standing in their chill water.
Thanks again!
I posted a topic about showers and chilblains a while back that might help you.
I shower in lukewarm water, but what I do is point the showerhead downward so that the back of the shower stall/tub does not get water spray. Then I only step forward under the water to wet/rinse - otherwise, I stand toward the back of the tub, out of the water, where the porcelain is still cold. It's not fun, but this way I can take a short shower without a flare if I do it right.
I have a trick for how to cool down your feet after the hot shower. I use the Peppermint Foot Spray by The Body Shop (http://www.amazon.com/The-Body-Shop-Peppermint-Cooling/dp/B0028YD9AY) immediately after my shower. I also elevate my feet, and then they get tingling cold. I hope that helps you!
Thank you so much for all these suggestions! I absolutely dread taking showers because they set my feet off and they are then trashed for the rest of the day; and not being able to take a shower without repercussions has become a source of depression for me. However, I have recently started using the trick of filling the tub up with a few inches of cool water, and it does help a lot, and I will try some of the other suggestions as well!
Similarily to what has already been described I use a chair (a stable garden chair) to sit on and position my feet on the edge so that my toes just look out under the shower curtain. This also means that my feet are slightly elevated instead of straight downwards. I wash my feet separately in a sink and always with cold water.