| Taking a shower after having a hip prosthesis | | | | have a problem taking an outdoor shower except on |
| removed due to a staph infection or wear and tear | | | | those rare, cold days that sometimes pop up and |
| on it can be a daunting task. Typically one cannot put | | | | catch us by surprise. |
| more than 25% of one's weight on the affected side | | | | During those months when we had a "spacer" and no |
| because there is no real hip joint, just a spacer. | | | | hip joint, that was the way we took a shower. Our |
| Even though we have two bathrooms, one has a | | | | yard has a privacy fence, and we warned our friends |
| regular bath tub, and the other has a stall shower | | | | to knock on the gate before entering the back yard |
| with a step-over wall, about 6" high. To get in and | | | | since he would be "au naturale". This may be a kind |
| out of either requires lifting the effected leg and | | | | of fun way to take a shower, but extremely |
| putting full weight on it which was impossible with | | | | inconvenient. All the bath items had to be lugged out |
| just the "spacer". We also do not have grab rails in | | | | to the yard and then be brought back inside. This |
| either bathroom and we did not want to install them | | | | adds a lot of extra work to the caregiver's chores. |
| since this we hoped mobility issue would be | | | | We did this for about three months. When my |
| temporary. We did not want holes in the ceramic tile. | | | | husband was scheduled for hip revision surgery |
| As everyone knows, most accidents that happen in | | | | (replacing the prosthesis that was removed) it was |
| the home happen in the bathroom. We definitely did | | | | now November and taking a shower outside may not |
| not need anymore unplanned hip surgeries. | | | | be possible due to occasional bouts of cold weather. |
| Our neighbor came up with a solution. He had a | | | | We also were told he would be wearing a brace for |
| portable outdoor (sometimes called Hurricane) shower | | | | three months to stabilize the hip. This meant life in |
| near his swimming pool which can be hooked up to a | | | | the shower was not going to get any easier. In fact, |
| hose. By filling the hose with water and leaving it lying | | | | for the next three months we would still have the |
| out in the sun, one could get a really hot shower. Of | | | | same old mobility challenges. We found a swivel seat |
| course you have to get washed real fast before you | | | | that fits in the shower allowing him to sit first then |
| run out of hot water and get hit with a blast of cold | | | | swivel around into the shower without the danger of |
| water. Those of us who live in the Sun Belt don't | | | | dislocating the hip. |