I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up…

So what do you do when you fall, can’t get up, and your only kid home has headphones on with loud music? And you’re not near the phone as a diff kid borrowed it and left it somewhere else. [why you got up in the first place to find the ringing phone] Well, welcome to my world!! rofl

I finally crawled to my chair and after about 5 minutes got in. Then rolled to my son and let him have the new rule…NO MORE HEADPHONES WHILE IN THE HOUSE!! He was mortified and felt awful. I was in tears and half laughing as whenever I fall I get that  “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercial in my head.

I really think I need video on all the time as sometimes it is quite comical when I fall. The best is the crawl to find somewhere to try and get up on to get in my chair.

I no longer shower alone as I would be horrified if I fell and had to call for help. I want no paramedics seeing my wobbly bits all over the place. lol This is the reason for our [eventual] bathroom and doorway remodel.

My bathroom design [copied from my blog at fab40]

So, this is one of those ‘it could happen’ blogs.

As some of you know, for me to shower is a huge chore. Someone has to be home to help me in and out of the shower. Now mind you there is only about a 3 inch step over, but to me it’s a foot high. And the glass shower doors make it hard to maneuver into my shower chair. So, someone has to lift up my leg to get it over the 3 inch rise. And getting out… we will not even go there as that is a comical scene!! lol

Well, when we went to Carlsbad my parents set the hubz and I up in a hotel with a handicapped room. The shower are was the bomb!! The bathroom was basically one big shower. The floor sloped a bit so water ran into the shower area. There was a built in chair that was high enough for me to get on and off by myself. OMG, I was in hog heaven.

So, I have designed my lil shower area for me.

Right now the area contains the potty and the walk in shower stall. I can purchase a shower/tub for handicapped persons, but then Rog would not get the nice stand up showering he likes. And the one I like is in the 6000 dollar range. But, if you want the best, get the best!

So, my alternate idea…

We will gut the area, paint with moisture wear paint, then tile the whole area with a slight slope to the drain already there. During the tiling we will add handicapped bars which will enable me easy access to get up and down. We will also be adding a teak built in fold up and down chair for me.

Now, right now we are broke thanks to having to fix the broken AC. But, I am going to talk to a contractor I met at Lowe’s and get some pricing. The gutting and painting part we can do ourselves to save some money, but the rest we will need some help. Rog could do it, but he really does quite enough around here.

This is really exciting for me even though it is still a ‘it could happen’ idea. Aw hell, it’s a ‘it will happen’ idea.

It will be so cool to be able to shower all by myself and have one thing I am able to do alone!! You have no idea!! 

Blessings and Peace!