Let's talk Bathtub.........

I was certain that I was gonna be found dead in the bathtub..... that's how my story was gonna end......

I love a good bath...... maybe it's an Asian thing or something, but I much prefer a bath to a shower any day......

Getting in and out of a bathtub at 350lbs. has it's issues...... not just physically getting in and out, there are coverage and overflow issues......(I have an extra deep tub... cause I was fat)

I realized this morning that the memory of how hard it was before, is fading...... and I should write this so I don't forget how hard and dangerous it really was.

I know I can't be the only one....... and maybe thoughs of you that are just starting out and are SMO can relate right now how hard and dangerous it is to take a bath......

Before it was about a 7 step process...... grab here, face this way, knee down, turn, other knee down, grab here, sit..... and getting out was the same with a few more steps.......

Slipping and falling for anybody in the bathroom is bad..... but a slip and a fall for the obese in a bathroom.....ugly......

Now it's a one swift move deal.......

Anybody else ??????

frisco

Even though I have lost 114 pounds I am still afraid of getting in and out of the tub. I used to adore taking a nice long bubble bath and relaxing in the tub. Now it is a sit on the side of the tub, swing legs over, grab the side and stand, take a shower, put towel on edge of tub, sit back down, swing legs over, and stand up and dry off. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

About three years ago I got in the tub because I had a sore back. Embarrassingly, after about a half hour of struggle, I had to get my wife to help me out. I never got in the tub again until about 3-4 months ago. Now you CAN'T get me outta there. Salts, bubbles, candles, incense, iPad playing Elton John or John Denver. When it's over, just hop up and step out.

Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I don't think I'm asian. Black maybe

Hi Frisco,

Thanks for the post; it does bring back memories. I have mobility problems anyway but being morbidly obese sure did not help. It was starting to get to the point where I would avoid baths and showers, and even wondered if it was safe to live by myself (though I had lived independently as a wheelchair user since college).

Actually on the day I was supposed to have my psych consult I missed the appointment because I slipped in the bathroom and could not get myself up. I was able to reach my cellphone and got a friend to come over but then I had to deal with the embarrassing realization that it was not enough to have one person help. I needed at least 2 strong guys. What a way to meet the maintenance men at my new apartment complex!

So much is easier now. Thanks for the reminder to be grateful.

All the best, Katy

I don't fit well enough in my tub to take a bath.  My hips and thighs are pretty wide, and they spread out more when I sit, so I just take showers. 

I had more than one scary bathtub incident.  The worse was on a business trip to Europe - travelling alone. Even getting into the tub at 330 lbs was a struggle.  I had sort of an uncontrolled slide to get in that forced my bad knees to make an unnatural bend and I was afraid I hurt my knees.  Well after the unsatisfactory soak, I did not think I would ever get out.  I just kept flopping around like a beached whale.  By the time I wrestled out of the tub, I needed a shower because I was so sweaty...   

I tried another time with a hotel chair propped against the tub.  It was not as helpful as I imagined it would be.  Without grab bars, it was nearly impossible for me to take a bath. This was so disappointing because after long hard days hauling my big ass through airports and factories,  I really NEEDED some tub time...

Maureen

  

Great post, it has struck a cord with a few members!  Thank you for sharing it.

Absolutely.  I have an old, small bathtub in this house, and as recently as last year -- preop -- I barely fit.  Once I was in there, it didn't take much water to fill the tub.  :(  Getting out was a workout, similar to what you have described, and was fraught with peril.

Now ... heh heh heh, it's as nature (or Kohler) intended.  I sort of float now, which my tailbone appreciates very, very much.  :)  :)  Getting in and out now is soooo simple and refined.  The bath is a pleasure again rather than something to be avoided.   As a matter of fact, one my non-food self-rewards as I've gotten closer to goal has been slowly transforming that bathroom into a spa-like, pleasing little retreat for Mama, with my blues and greens playing beautifully against the vintage off-white and black tiles.  As I'm on a severe budget due to furlough, Target has been very, very good to me in providing lovely accents and a new shower curtain and plushy cotton bathmat ... peace on a dime.  :)

 

I was just telling my husband the other day that i am looking forward to having the water completly cover me in the tub. Right now i have to cover my tummy with a washcloth or i get cold. And i have a deep gardentub.

Man, what a chore it was to shave my legs before. It was literally a pain in the ass. Or the small showers?? Forget about it ... It's the little things.